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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!tektronix!uw-beaver!ssc-vax!tjj
From: tjj@ssc-vax.UUCP (T J Jardine)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: pedestrians/drivers/LAX
Message-ID: <444@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 19-Aug-83 19:51:20 EDT
Article-I.D.: ssc-vax.444
Posted: Fri Aug 19 19:51:20 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 20-Aug-83 09:23:54 EDT
References: vortex.103, <344@houxt.UUCP>
Organization: Boeing Aerospace, Seattle
Lines: 32

Since NDK's message was posted to net.flame, permit me to respond in the
same venue, even though I may only be educating one person.

All airports in the U.S., and in almost all other countries, have identifiers.
Some of these identifiers are three-letter codes, some have more than three
letters.  In the case of airports with international landing rights there is
also a one- or two-letter prefix indicating the country and/or region in which
the airport is located.  For example, Chicago's O'Hare airport has an
international id of KORD, San Francisco International airport's id is KSFO,
and the id of Merrill Field in Anchorage, Alaska is PMRL (if memory serves me
correctly).  The prefix K is used for the continental U.S., and P is used for
the Pacific region.  Other countries have other prefix letters, e.g., G
indicates Great Britain and F is used by France.  There are some 15 thousand
airports in the U.S., of which about 6,500 are public use airports, so some
airports have been given id's which are formed from as many as four letters
and digits (S19 is Arlington, Washingtion; WA21 is Stehekin, Washington).
Some airports, such as Los Angeles International, have identifiers that are
very mnemonic, as with LAX.  I think most people would also recognize SFO
(San Francisco), probably MIA (Miami International, Florida), and perhaps
JFK (John Kennedy International, New York City).  Of these LAX is by far the
most natural, and that's why it is more frequently used by the layman.  I
doubt very much that anyone but a pilot or someone working for an airline
company would know that SDF represented Louisville, Kentucky, though.

What I personally can't understand is why we don't all use the identifiers
and avoid all the confusion of airport names since the bureaucrats keep
changing the airport names (:-).

TJ (with Amazing Grace) The Piper
ssc-vax!tjj
P.S.  Yes, I am a pilot and a Flight Instructor.  I'm also wearing an
asbestos suit, so light up and enjoy!