One of the most common features in aeroplanes and choppers all over the world is the combination of numbers and letters usually located on the wings or the body of an aircraft.
The numbers are registration numbers that are used to identify planes just as number plates are used in vehicles.
However, depending on the country, the registration number and format vary as one of the main key functions of the numbers is to identify the planes' country.
For example, Kenya planes start with the prefix 5Y while those in Tanzania start with 5H.
After the country prefix, the plane also has a different combination of letters that are used to identify a particular plane.
Usually, the country prefix is separated by a hyphen i.e 5Y - XXX.
As per the law, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) is the body mandated to issue registration numbers of planes in the country.
"The Authority shall be responsible for the registration of aircraft in Kenya and shall maintain a register on its premises," reads the KCAA regulations.
While some planes have the registration placed on the wings of the plane, others have it on the fuselage - the body of the plane.
In choppers, the registration numbers are usually located on the body just below the rotor blades.
Notably, military choppers have a different registration from those of commercial planes and private planes. Different Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) cadre have different registration formats.
For example, Kenya Air Force aircraft start with the registration number KAF while those of the Kenya army begin with numbers followed by the word ARMY i.e. 111 ARMY.
Police aircraft on the other hand use the 5Y registration format.
