'Gizmo', 'Satan,' and 'McLovin': Inside the changing world of pilot call signs at CFB Cold Lake

Calgary Herald

a day ago

As far back as the Second World War, Canadian pilots have used call signs to identify themselves to colleagues in the air and on the ground.
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Such short-hand monikers are used in official and unofficial communications as well as by Canada's allies, and have appeared in pop culture through films like Top Gun.
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The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) says call signs serve as more than identification markers, and reflect both generations of aviation heritage as well as the contemporary pilots who assign the nicknames to their peers.
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While once considered to be permanent, call signs and the policies that govern them have been updated in recent years amid controversy over some individual nicknames and the process by which they were assigned.
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Those concerns prompted an overhaul of standards around call signs and the process used to choose them, according to over 200 pages of records acquired by Postmedia via several access to information requests that produced records primarily from CFB Cold Lake in Alberta but also from other bases.
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'While the RCAF continues to value tradition and camaraderie, we recognize that certain call signs previously considered acceptable may no longer reflect the evolving culture of the organization,' reads a statement to Postmedia from Maj. Marie-Eve Bilodeau with the Canadian Armed Forces.
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'Our approach remains flexible, allowing the fighter force culture to evolve alongside broader societal expectations.'
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'Pica,' 'McLovin,' and 'Play of the Day'
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The documents list close to 100 different call signs, and while the origins of many of those are difficult to determine many are apparent attempts at humour.
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Call signs referencing first or last names were common, including one pilot with the surname Chu who was given the call sign 'Pica' in reference to the Pokemon character.
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Entertainment was a popular source of inspiration for call signs including 'Bollywood,' 'Jar Jar,' 'Gizmo,' 'Footloose,' and 'McLovin' in apparent reference to the 2007 film Superbad.
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'Call signs, much like nicknames between good friends, are intended to maintain tradition and contribute to esprit de corps,' Bilodeau stated.
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Some call signs were acronyms, including 'POG' in reference to TSN's Play of the Game highlight segment, 'RIC' referring to an officer who rides (his motorcycle) in crocs, and 'DATA' for a pilot whose colleagues apparently believe doesn't always think ahead.
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Animal names including 'Pug,' 'Tiger,' 'Piglet,' and 'Walrus,' were also assigned as call signs, as were foods including 'Jelly Bean' and 'Loaf.'
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Some call signs produced amusing juxtapositions, including the potential of 'Moses' and 'Satan' flying together on the same mission.
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'Traditions are important'
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Those nicknames are selected by what's known as a call sign review board (CRB), that despite the formal name, are an invite-only social gathering.
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'Due to the unprecedented times we have lived through over the past two years none of you have been adequately exposed to mess culture or to the morale building exercises central to the identity of an operational unit such as ours,' reads an emailed invitation to pilots from an acting commanding officer at CFB Cold Lake, adding the CRB will 'ensure your proper amalgamation into the fighter controller community.'
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'Traditions are important,' his email ends.
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The documents indicate meetings of CRBs can include consumption of alcohol by attendees, are sometimes preceded by a slideshow full of internet memes, and in one case, encouraged invitees to obtain an item from a rival squadron on base to be 'ransomed' back to its rightful owner at a later date.
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Potential call signs for a given pilot are set out to the group by the leader of the CRB, referenced in the documents as 'the mayor.' Those suggestions are then debated by the 'congregation' of other pilots while the member awaiting his or her new call sign, known as 'the defendant,' waits outside.
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Upon being invited back into the room, the pilot is informed of the group's choice and bestowed with that as their call sign.
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While often whimsical or humorous, some call signs have been deemed to be problematic in the past.
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In 2022, two senior officers were disciplined and fined for not intervening during a call sign review board at CFB Cold Lake that assigned a junior male pilot a homophobic call sign that referenced a specific female pilot.
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Maj.-Gen. Iain Huddleston told The Canadian Press then that the call sign was 'egregious,' and the incident led the RCAF to promise to add more controls over how call signs are assigned.
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A 2023 lessons-learned report included in the documents presented several recommendations regarding CRBs, including that commanding officers pre-vet any prospective call signs which are also to be presented to pilots privately 'to ensure all perceived pressure to consent is removed.'
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'The RCAF reviewed and updated its direction surrounding call sign assignment practices to ensure alignment with Canadian Armed Forces values, including professionalism, respect, dignity, and inclusion,' Bilodeau stated.