Aircraft numbering tradition

From USAFA Folklore

Various aircraft and spacecraft have appeared on class crests. Following the Aircraft Numbering Tradition, many classes have chosen aircraft on their class crests so that the aircraft designations add up to match the order or class year of the given class. The Class of 1971 was the first class to put aircraft on their class crest.

[edit] Aircraft on Class Crests

Class	Aircraft/Spacecraft	Class order	Pattern
1959- 1970	(none)**	1st- 12th
1971	2 SR-71s	13th	Year reference*
1972	(none)**	14th
1973	F-15	15th	Order
1974	Lunar Lander	16th
1975	Space Shuttle	17th
1976	2 F-4s	18th
1977	F-15	19th
1978	F-16	20th
1979	B-1	21st
1980	Space Shuttle	22nd
1981	F-15	23rd
1982	4 T-38s (Thunderbirds)	24th	***
1983	2 F-15s	25th
1984	F-16	26th
1985	F-16XL	27th
1986	3 F-16s	28th
1987	X-29	29th	Order
1988	2 F-15s	30th	Order
1989	F-15, F-16	31st	Order
1990	SR-71, F-15, F-4	32nd	Year†
1991	2 F-16s, B-1	33rd	Order
1992	2 F-16s, B-2	34th	Order
1993	F-16s, F-15, F-4	35th	Order
1994	2 F-16s, 2 F-15s, F-22, A-10	36th	Year†
1995	F-22, F-15	37th	Order
1996	F-22, F-16	38th	Order
1997	F-15, 2 A-10s, F-4	39th	Order
1998	2 F-15s, A-10s	40th	Order
1999	F-22, F-15, F-4	41st	Order
2000	F-22, 2 A-10s	42nd	Order
2001	(none)**	43rd
2002	2 F-22s	44th	Order
2003	3 F-15s	45th	Order
2004	F-16, 2 F-15s	46th	Order
2005	F-22, F-15, A-10	47th	Order
2006	3 F-16s	48th	Order
2007	F-35, A-10, 2 B-2s	49th	Order
2008	F-15, F-35	50th	Order
2009	P-51	51th	Order††

[edit] Notes

^* - The Class of 1971 has two SR-71s on their crest. Although they don't add up to 71, the year reference is obvious.

^** - The Classes of '72 and '01, along with the Classes of 1959 through 1970, have no aircraft on their crests.

^*** - The Class of 1982's crest contains a four-ship of T-38s in the missing man formation, memorializing Thunderbird pilots Maj. Norm Lowry, Capt. Willie Mays, Capt. Pete Peterson and Capt. Mark Melancon who died in the 18 January 1982 "Diamond Crash".

^† - The Class of 1990 broke tradition with planes adding up to 90, but '91 reverted to the earlier tradition. '94 picked 90's idea back up, possibly trying to start a RTB tradition.

^†† - The P-51 on the crest of the Class of 2009 not only represents the 51st class, but was also the aircraft flown by their class exemplar, Colonel Hubert "Hub" Zemke. It was decided to not use the MQ-9 PredatorB/Reaper as the aircraft representative of their class year.