United Kingdom aircraft test serials

United Kingdom aircraft test serials are used to externally identify aircraft flown within the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

without a full Certificate of Airworthiness. They can be used for testing experimental aircraft or modifications, pre-delivery flights for foreign customers and are sometimes referred to as "B" class markings.

1930s

An initial set of markings was introduced in 1929, each company was allocated a letter to which would follow a number, sometimes with a hyphen or a gap between. For example A was allocated to the Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft

Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft

Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Company, or Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft, was a British aircraft manufacturer.-History:Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft was established as the Aerial Department of the Sir W. G Armstrong Whitworth & Company engineering group in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1912, and...

and A 1 was used in March 1930 on a Armstrong Whitworth Starling

Armstrong Whitworth Starling

|-See also:-External links:*...

. Sometimes Hawker and Vickers would also add the letters PV to the markings to indicate a private venture (that is a type in development not paid for by the Air Ministry

Air Ministry

The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...

1940s

The presentation was changed to look like a military serial

United Kingdom military aircraft serials

In the United Kingdom to identify individual aircraft, all military aircraft are allocated and display a unique serial number. A unified serial number system, maintained by the Air Ministry , and its successor the Ministry of Defence , is used for aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force , Fleet...

for security reasons during the Second World War. For example the prototype de Havilland Mosquito

De Havilland Mosquito

The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...

was allocated test markings E-0234.

1948

Following a change back to the original system in 1946 a new system was introduced on 1 January 1948. Each company was allocated a number which followed the British nationality marking G and then followed by an individual identity number. For example Blackburn Aeroplane & Motor Company

Blackburn Aircraft

Blackburn Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer that concentrated mainly on naval and maritime aircraft during the first part of the 20th century.-History:...

were allocated G-2 and the first allocation G-2-1 was used on a Miles Messenger

Miles Messenger

-Bibliography:* Amos, Peter. and Brown, Don Lambert. Miles Aircraft Since 1925, Volume 1. London: Putnam Aeronautical, 2000. ISBN 0-85177-787-0.* Brown, Don Lambert. Miles Aircraft Since 1925. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970. ISBN 0-37000-127-3....

used as an engine testbed for the Cirrus Bombardier. Companies could allocate and re-use the identities as they liked, some ran in sequence from 1 and others used the aircraft manufacturers serial number as part of the marking, for example G-51-200 was a Britten Norman Islander with a manufacturers serial number of 200. Allocations of codes from defunct companies have been reallocated.

Letter sequence 1929-1947

Allocation	Company	Notes
A	Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Company, or Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft, was a British aircraft manufacturer.-History:Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft was established as the Aerial Department of the Sir W. G Armstrong Whitworth & Company engineering group in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1912, and...	Replaced by G-1 in 1948
B	Blackburn Aeroplane & Motor Company Blackburn Aircraft Blackburn Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer that concentrated mainly on naval and maritime aircraft during the first part of the 20th century.-History:...	Replaced by G-2 in 1948
C	Boulton Paul	Replaced by G-3 in 1948
D	Portsmouth Aviation	Replaced by G-4 in 1948
E	de Havilland De Havilland The de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold to BSA by the owner George Holt Thomas. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at Stag Lane...	Replaced by G-5 in 1948
F	Fairey Aviation Fairey Aviation The Fairey Aviation Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Hayes in Greater London and Heaton Chapel and RAF Ringway in Greater Manchester...	Replaced by G-6 in 1948
G	Gloster Aircraft	Replaced by G-7 in 1948
H	Handley Page	Replaced by G-8 in 1948
I	Hawker Aircraft Hawker Aircraft Hawker Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer responsible for some of the most famous products in British aviation history.-History:...	Replaced by G-9 in 1948
J	Parnall Aircraft	Out of use by 1946
J	Reid & Sigrist Reid and Sigrist Reid and Sigrist was a British engineering company based at Desford, Leicestershire, England. They were an instrument manufacturer in the interwar era, specialising in aircraft applications mainly producing aircraft parts and instruments but later became a Camera manufacturer...	From 1947, replaced by G-10 in 1948
K	Avro Avro Avro was a British aircraft manufacturer, with numerous landmark designs such as the Avro 504 trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the delta wing Avro Vulcan, a stalwart of the Cold War.-Early history:One of the world's...	Replaced by G-11 in 1948
L	Saunders-Roe Saunders-Roe Saunders-Roe Limited was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works East Cowes, Isle of Wight.-History:The name was adopted in 1929 after Alliot Verdon Roe and John Lord took a controlling interest in the boat-builders S.E. Saunders...	Replaced by G-12 in 1948
M	Short Brothers Short Brothers Short Brothers plc is a British aerospace company, usually referred to simply as Shorts, that is now based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Founded in 1908, Shorts was the first company in the world to make production aircraft and was a manufacturer of flying boats during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s...	Replaced by G-14 in 1948
N	Supermarine Supermarine Supermarine was a British aircraft manufacturer that became famous for producing a range of sea planes and the Supermarine Spitfire fighter. The name now belongs to an English motorboat manufacturer.-History:...	Replaced by G-15 in 1948
O	Vickers Armstrongs	Replaced by G-16 in 1948
P	Westland Aircraft Westland Aircraft Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil in Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Ltd just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915...	Replaced by G-17 in 1948
R	Bristol Aeroplane	Replaced by G-18 in 1948
S	Spartan Aircraft Spartan Aircraft Ltd Spartan Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1930 to 1935. It was formed by reinvestment in Simmonds Aircraft which had suffered financially.-History:...	Out of use by 1936
S	Heston Aircraft	Replaced by G-19 in 1948
T	General Aircraft	Replaced by G-20 in 1948
U	Phillips & Powis later Miles Aircraft Miles Aircraft Miles was the name used to market the aircraft of British engineer Frederick George Miles, who designed numerous light civil and military aircraft and a range of curious prototypes...	Replaced by G-21 in 1948
V	Airspeed Airspeed Airspeed is the speed of an aircraft relative to the air. Among the common conventions for qualifying airspeed are: indicated airspeed , calibrated airspeed , true airspeed , equivalent airspeed and density airspeed....	Replaced by G-22 in 1948
W	G & J Weir	1933-1946
X	Percival Aircraft	Replaced by G-23 in 1948
Y	British Aircraft Manufacturing British Aircraft Manufacturing The British Aircraft Manufacturing Company Limited was a 1930s British aircraft manufacturer based at London Air Park, Hanworth, Middlesex, England.-History:...	Out of use by 1938
Y	Cunliffe-Owen Cunliffe-Owen Cunliffe-Owen may refer to:* Sir Philip Cunliffe-Owen , English exhibition organizer and museum director* Sir Hugo Cunliffe-Owen , English tobacco industrialist* Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft* Cunliffe-Owen Baronets...	1940-1947, replaced by G-24 in 1948
Z	Auster Aircraft	Replaced by G-25 in 1948
AB	Slingsby Sailplanes Slingsby Aviation Slingsby Aviation is a British aircraft company based in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England. The Slingsby business was founded on the building and design of gliders and sailplanes. From the early 1930s to about 1970 it built over 50% of all British club gliders and had success at national and...	Replaced by G-26 in 1948

Numeric sequence since 1948

Allocation	Company	Notes
G-1	Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Company, or Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft, was a British aircraft manufacturer.-History:Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft was established as the Aerial Department of the Sir W. G Armstrong Whitworth & Company engineering group in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1912, and... later Hawker Siddeley Aviation	1948-1967
G-1	Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce Limited Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....	Since 1969
G-2	Blackburn Aircraft Blackburn Aircraft Blackburn Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer that concentrated mainly on naval and maritime aircraft during the first part of the 20th century.-History:... later Hawker Siddeley Aviation	Used at Brough
G-3	Boulton Paul
G-4	Portsmouth Aviation	1948-1949
G-4	Miles Aviation	Since 1969
G-5	de Havilland De Havilland The de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold to BSA by the owner George Holt Thomas. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at Stag Lane... later Hawker Siddeley Aviation	Used at Hatfield then Chester
G-6	Fairey Aviation Fairey Aviation The Fairey Aviation Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Hayes in Greater London and Heaton Chapel and RAF Ringway in Greater Manchester... later Westland Helicopters Westland Helicopters Westland Helicopters was a British aerospace company. Originally Westland Aircraft, the company focused on helicopters after the Second World War. It merged with several other British firms in 1961...
G-7	Gloster Aircraft	1948-1961
G-7	Slingsby Sailplanes Slingsby Aviation Slingsby Aviation is a British aircraft company based in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England. The Slingsby business was founded on the building and design of gliders and sailplanes. From the early 1930s to about 1970 it built over 50% of all British club gliders and had success at national and...	Since 1971
G-8	Handley Page	1948-1970
G-9	Hawker Aircraft Hawker Aircraft Hawker Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer responsible for some of the most famous products in British aviation history.-History:... later Hawker Siddeley Aviation	Mainly used on Hawker Hunter Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary... s
G-10	Reid & Sigrist Reid and Sigrist Reid and Sigrist was a British engineering company based at Desford, Leicestershire, England. They were an instrument manufacturer in the interwar era, specialising in aircraft applications mainly producing aircraft parts and instruments but later became a Camera manufacturer...	1948-1953
G-11	Avro Avro Avro was a British aircraft manufacturer, with numerous landmark designs such as the Avro 504 trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the delta wing Avro Vulcan, a stalwart of the Cold War.-Early history:One of the world's... later Hawker Siddeley Aviation	Used at Woodford
G-12	Saunders-Roe Saunders-Roe Saunders-Roe Limited was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works East Cowes, Isle of Wight.-History:The name was adopted in 1929 after Alliot Verdon Roe and John Lord took a controlling interest in the boat-builders S.E. Saunders... later Westland Aircraft Westland Aircraft Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil in Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Ltd just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915... then British Hovercraft Corporation British Hovercraft Corporation British Hovercraft Corporation was the corporate entity created when the Saunders Roe division of Westland Aircraft and Vickers Supermarine combined March 1966 with the intention of creating viable commercial hovercraft - .None of the Vickers designs were 'taken forward', the...	G-12-1 was used on the first practical hovercraft, the SR-N1 SR-N1 The Saunders-Roe SR.N1 was the first practical hovercraft.-Design:It was designed by Christopher Cockerell and built by Saunders-Roe on the Isle of Wight under the auspices of the National Research and Development Corporation... ; G-12-1 had been used previously on the Saro SR/A1 Saunders-Roe SR.A/1 \|-See also:-References:London, Peter. British Flying Boats. Stroud, UK:Sutton Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-7509-2695-3.Mason, Francis K.The British Fighter since 1912. Annapolis, Maryland, USA:Naval Institute Press, 1992. ISBN 1-55750-082-7....
G-13	Not used
G-14	Short Brothers Short Brothers Short Brothers plc is a British aerospace company, usually referred to simply as Shorts, that is now based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Founded in 1908, Shorts was the first company in the world to make production aircraft and was a manufacturer of flying boats during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s...
G-15	Supermarine Supermarine Supermarine was a British aircraft manufacturer that became famous for producing a range of sea planes and the Supermarine Spitfire fighter. The name now belongs to an English motorboat manufacturer.-History:...	1948-1968
G-16	Vickers-Armstrongs later British Aircraft Corporation British Aircraft Corporation The British Aircraft Corporation was a British aircraft manufacturer formed from the government-pressured merger of English Electric Aviation Ltd., Vickers-Armstrongs , the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Hunting Aircraft in 1960. Bristol, English Electric and Vickers became "parents" of BAC with...
G-17	Westland Aircraft Westland Aircraft Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil in Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Ltd just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915... later Westland Helicopters Westland Helicopters Westland Helicopters was a British aerospace company. Originally Westland Aircraft, the company focused on helicopters after the Second World War. It merged with several other British firms in 1961...
G-18	Bristol Aeroplane later British Aircraft Corporation British Aircraft Corporation The British Aircraft Corporation was a British aircraft manufacturer formed from the government-pressured merger of English Electric Aviation Ltd., Vickers-Armstrongs , the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Hunting Aircraft in 1960. Bristol, English Electric and Vickers became "parents" of BAC with...	Used at Filton
G-19	Heston Aircraft	1948-1960
G-20	General Aircraft	1948-1949
G-21	Miles Aircraft Miles Aircraft Miles was the name used to market the aircraft of British engineer Frederick George Miles, who designed numerous light civil and military aircraft and a range of curious prototypes... later Handley Page Reading	1948-1963
G-22	Airspeed Airspeed Airspeed is the speed of an aircraft relative to the air. Among the common conventions for qualifying airspeed are: indicated airspeed , calibrated airspeed , true airspeed , equivalent airspeed and density airspeed....	1948-1952
G-23	Percival Aircraft later British Aircraft Corporation British Aircraft Corporation The British Aircraft Corporation was a British aircraft manufacturer formed from the government-pressured merger of English Electric Aviation Ltd., Vickers-Armstrongs , the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Hunting Aircraft in 1960. Bristol, English Electric and Vickers became "parents" of BAC with...	1948-1966
G-24	Cunliffe-Owen Cunliffe-Owen Cunliffe-Owen may refer to:* Sir Philip Cunliffe-Owen , English exhibition organizer and museum director* Sir Hugo Cunliffe-Owen , English tobacco industrialist* Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft* Cunliffe-Owen Baronets...	1948-1949
G-25	Auster Aircraft	1948-1962
G-26	Slingsby Sailplanes Slingsby Aviation Slingsby Aviation is a British aircraft company based in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England. The Slingsby business was founded on the building and design of gliders and sailplanes. From the early 1930s to about 1970 it built over 50% of all British club gliders and had success at national and...	1948-1949
G-27	English Electric English Electric English Electric was a British industrial manufacturer. Founded in 1918, it initially specialised in industrial electric motors and transformers... later British Aircraft Corporation British Aircraft Corporation The British Aircraft Corporation was a British aircraft manufacturer formed from the government-pressured merger of English Electric Aviation Ltd., Vickers-Armstrongs , the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Hunting Aircraft in 1960. Bristol, English Electric and Vickers became "parents" of BAC with...
G-28	British European Airways British European Airways British European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom... later British Airways Helicopters British Airways Helicopters British Airways Helicopters was a British helicopter airline from 1964 to 1986.-History:From 1947 British European Airways had operated a Helicopter Experiment Unit and five helicopters were ordered from the United States .The unit operated timetabled mail services in East Anglia during 1948 using...
G-29	Napier & Son Napier & Son D. Napier & Son Limited was a British engine and pre-Great War automobile manufacturer and one of the most important aircraft engine manufacturers in the early to mid-20th century...	1948-1962
G-30	Pest Control Limited	1952-1957
G-31	Scottish Aviation Scottish Aviation Scottish Aviation Limited was a Scottish aircraft manufacturer, based at Prestwick in South Ayrshire.-History:Originally a flying school operator the company took on maintenance work in 1938....
G-32	Cierva Autogiro Company Cierva Autogiro Company The Cierva Autogiro Company was a British developer of autogyros established in 1926.It was set up to further the designs of Juan de la Cierva with the financial backing of James George Weir, a Scottish industrialist and aviator.-History:...	1948-1951
G-33	Flight Refuelling Limited	1948-1972
G-34	Chrislea Aircraft Chrislea Aircraft Chrislea Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer, formed in 1936 and closed in 1952.-History:The company was formed on 2 October 1936 at Heston Aerodrome near London, England, to build the designs of Richard Christoforides. The company name was derived from the partners Christoforides...	1948-1952
G-35	F.G Miles then Beagle Aircraft Beagle Aircraft Beagle Aircraft Limited was a British light aircraft manufacturer of types such as the Airedale, Bassett, Husky and Pup. It had factories at Rearsby in Leicestershire and Shoreham in Sussex...	1951-1970
G-36	College of Aeronautics then Cranfield Institute of Technology	Since 1954
G-37	Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce Limited Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....	Used at Hucknall 1954-1971
G-38	de Havilland Propellers De Havilland Propellers de Havilland Propellers was established in 1935, as a division of the de Havilland Aircraft company when that company acquired a license from the Hamilton Standard company of America for the manufacture of variable pitch propellers... later Hawker Siddeley Dynamics	1954-1975
G-39	Folland Aircraft	1954-1965; G-39-1 was used on the prototype Folland Midge Folland Midge \|-See also:-References:***-External links:...
G-40	Wiltshire School of Flying
G-41	Aviation Traders Aviation Traders was a war-surplus aircraft and spares trader formed in 1947. In 1949, it began maintaining aircraft used by some of Britain's contemporary independent airlines on the Berlin Airlift. In the early 1950s, it branched out into aircraft conversions and manufacturing. During that period it also became a...	1956-1976
G-42	Armstrong Siddeley Motors	1956-1959
G-43	Edgar Percival Aircraft Edgar Percival Aircraft Edgar Percival Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1954 to 1958. The company was based at Stapleford Aerodrome, England.-History:...	1956-1959
G-44	Agricultural Aviation Limited	1959
G-45	Bristol Siddeley Engines	1959-1969
G-46	Saunders-Roe Saunders-Roe Saunders-Roe Limited was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works East Cowes, Isle of Wight.-History:The name was adopted in 1929 after Alliot Verdon Roe and John Lord took a controlling interest in the boat-builders S.E. Saunders... later Westland Aircraft Westland Aircraft Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil in Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Ltd just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915...	1959-1962
G-47	Lancashire Aircraft
G-48	Westland Aircraft Westland Aircraft Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil in Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Ltd just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915... later Westland Helicopters Westland Helicopters Westland Helicopters was a British aerospace company. Originally Westland Aircraft, the company focused on helicopters after the Second World War. It merged with several other British firms in 1961...	1960-1969
G-49	F G Miles Engineering	1965-1969
G-50	Alvis Alvis Alvis may refer to:Alvis Car and Engineering Company Ltd, British luxury car and military vehicle manufacturer which later became Alvis plcAlvis plc , a Defence contractor which acquired Alvis Cars and became the UK's largest armoured vehicle manufacturer*Alvis, a family surname in the United...
G-51	Britten Norman	Since 1967
G-52	Marshall of Cambridge
G-53	NDN Aircraft
G-54	Cameron Balloons Cameron Balloons Cameron Balloons is a company established in 1971 in Bristol, England by Don Cameron to manufacture hot air balloons. Cameron had previously, with others, constructed ten hot air balloons under the name Omega. Production was in the basement of his house, moving in 1972 to an old church in the city...
G-55	W Vinten
G-56	Edgley Aircraft
G-57	Airship Industries Airship Industries Airship Industries was a British manufacturer of modern non-rigid airships active under that name from 1980 to 1990 and controlled for part of that time by Alan Bond. A predecessor company, Aerospace Developments, had been founded in 1971, and a successor, Hybrid Air Vehicles, remains active...
G-65	Solar Wings
G-76	Police Aviation Services Limited
G-77	Thruster Air Services Ltd
G-78	Bristow Helicopters Limited
G-79	Eurocopter Oxford
G-80	British Microlight Aircraft Association Ltd
G-89	Cosmik Aviation Limited