First I am using Outlook Express and I can't figure out how to reply with
out repeating the previous post. If anyone can help please advise me.

It occurs to me that 1984 has come and gone and poor old George Orwell, the
originator of "Newspeak" is whirling in his grave.

In the last couple of posts I have seen FAA, Wxx, DC, ICOA, ID, NAVAIDS,
AWOS, and what on earth is a METAR/TF?

Most of these others I THINK I understand, but not sure about AWOS and ICAO.

I did do a little reasearch. One data base I checked said there were about
9000 three letter codes in use. 26 cubed is 17,576 possible combinations, so
that is a little more than half. If you add the country code then
26/4th is 456,976 possibilities, so I don't think we will run out soon.

Most of the airport codes seem to try to be mnemonic, but the reasoning can
be a little deep. PWA for instance is Wiley Post Airport in Oklahoma City,
OKC where the main airport is Will Rogers Internatiional.

EOK Is Keokuk. Makes sense. CID Cedar Rapids. CVG is my favorite. Greater
Cncinnati, OH airport, located in Covington, KY. Get it now?

SEA is another. Think it means Seattle? No Way. Means SEA-TAC which
actually lies within the boundries of the City of Sea-Tac, Washington, about
half way between Seattle and Tacoma

Incidentally there was a big row up there a few years ago when Seattle
unilaterally changed the name to Jackson International in honor of their
congressman. They had to back down when Tacoma raised the roof about that
one.

Anyway, some random trivia about airport names and codes.

Wally
There are old pilots, and bold pilots
but there are no old, bold pilots.
I turned 81 yesterday


"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:4Oa_a.128203$o%2.55258@sccrnsc02...
In another thread, someone mentioned that only 13% (or something like
that)
of the possible 3-letter combinations are currently used as airport
identifiers. Given this fact, why in the world did they start mixing
numbers into the scene?

For example, why "C89" (for Sylvania Field, in WI) instead of some letter
combo?

Anyone know why the identifiers are a mix of letters and numbers the way
they are?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"