About rotorspot.nl

The Rotorspot data records include specific abbreviations and symbology, which may not be fully self-explanatory.

row with hatch lines

Bell 47

28

N915B

cnx

meaning: rotorcraft not active

N2Z

Bell 47G

CD-1

N2Z, N2ZB

meaning: registration/serial not active

..??..

example: ..??.., N599HF

meaning: registration/serial unknown (if any at all)

registration/serial in parentheses

example: (OY-HIP)

meaning: allocated reservation

registration/serial in single quotes

example: 'HB-XRE'

meaning: unofficial registration/serial

registration/serial followed by number in brackets

example: F-AZAC[2]

meaning: sequence number for registration/serial, including reservations
(when rotorcraft returns to its previous registration/serial and in the meantime that registration/serial has not been used on another aircraft, the sequence number remains unchanged; otherwise, the sequence number is increased accordingly)

registrations/serials separated by forward slash

examples: (PS-HUH/PS-UHH); PNP-303(OB)/N1236P

meaning: multiple registrations/serials allocated or used simultaneously

registrations/serials with the word 'and' in between

example: F-ZKCC and F-WWOP

meaning: both registrations/serials valid, but correct order unknown

registrations/serials with the words 'and/or' in between

example: TJ-ABB and/or TR-KCX

meaning: only one, or both registration(s)/serial(s) valid

registrations/serials with the word 'or' in between

example: F-WZFA or F-WXFA

meaning: only one registration/serial valid, but unclear which one

registration preceded by nationality mark in brackets

example: [F-]2BCP

meaning: country to which civil registration belongs

serial followed by nationality mark or country name in parentheses

examples: N5032(PT); 2200(Rhodesia)

meaning: country to which military serial belongs

serial followed by two nationality marks separated by vertical bar

example: 85-25430(N|PH)

meaning: owner's country and operator's country

rotorcraft type between parentheses and single quotes

example: ('H125')

meaning: marketing (= commercial) designation

Like many young aviation enthusiasts, I started as an aircraft spotter. Next, I graduated as aeronautical engineer from Delft University in Sep-1982. During that study I developed a passion for rotorcraft. From Feb-1985 until my early retirement in Jul-2021 I was employed at the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) in Amsterdam, working on rotorcraft related topics. Activities ranged from flight performance to flying qualities, from pre-design to flight testing, from operational support to flight simulations, from flight safety to teaching drone operators, etc. Once the decision had been made to solely concentrate on rotorcraft, I started compiling a rotorcraft registrations database. Eventually this evolved into the worldwide Rotorspot database, containing both civil and military rotorcraft.

'Rotorcraft' to this respect means "a heavier-than-air aircraft that depends principally for its support in flight on the lift generated by one or more rotors" (EASA aircraft classification). Therefore, the Rotorspot database and website exclude all aircraft types with lifting propellers. Furthermore, unmanned rotorcraft with a maximum take-off mass below 150 kg are excluded (EASA's initial regulatory framework used this mass value as a lower limit for unmanned aircraft being subject to EU regulation).

The (offline) Rotorspot database contains worldwide registration data for civil and military rotorcraft. The database includes information on registration (civil) or serial (military), rotorcraft type (the manufacturer being listed as the company that initially designed it), construction number, registration history (oldest to latest), and final fate. There is no owner/operator information in the database. The database is continuously updated with information from various sources (see credits page).

The Rotorspot website publishes data extracted from the (offline) database. On this website one can find current (active) and historical (complete) civil rotorcraft registers for every country in the world, complete production lists for a growing range of rotorcraft types, and a searchable rotorcraft database (civil and military). The main purpose of this website is to provide quick and easy access to rotorcraft registration data. As such it constitutes a valuable resource for rotorcraft enthusiasts and professionals alike. The website is updated on a monthly basis, using data from the (offline) database. Rotorcraft register and production data can be downloaded as comma-separated (CSV) text files. When loading these files into a spreadsheet, select 'Text' format for all columns. From the best of my knowledge, this website's contents do not duplicate anything publicly available in book form or on other websites. National aircraft registers or rotorcraft production lists that are published in books and on websites, are in different formats.

The Rotorspot database and website are private initiatives that have no link with commercial organisations. Rotorspot.nl reserves the right not to accept any liability, nor to be responsible for the content of external links. All Rotorspot registration data can be used freely (with due credit to www.rotorspot.nl), but strictly for non-commercial applications.