Useful Research Websites
Here is a list of freely accessible websites that can help you find the correct data for your photo. There are also selected sources that provide data on a specialised aviation subject at a cost. AirHistory.net offers no opinion on these products. The links are there for the information of members who share an interest in the special subject and may wish to expand their own library.
When it comes to data it is important to understand that no website is perfect, and errors are often copied from one website to another. It is a fact that even official civil aircraft registers can be full of mistakes or incorrectly interpreted data. These errors can come from the aircraft owners who have confused manufacturers' serials with military ones or used part numbers when a manufacturer's dataplate could not be found.
Our database editors make every attempt to keep AirHistory.net free of such errors, but errors will occur from time to time. You may note that the information given in our photo captions does not match the data you can find on the internet. This can be a mistake on our part, in which case we would like to hear from you. But often internet sources are wrong and contain repeated errors, some dating to before the internet.
Information on Various types of Aircraft
| Corporate Jet Register | Basic type and c/n info on current corporate jets, compiled by LAAS International |
| Corporate Turbo Prop Register | Basic type and c/n info on current corporate turbo props, compiled by LAAS International |
| Propliner Information Exchange | Reliable news on surviving propliner types in general, compiled by Ralph Pettersen |
| Rotorspot | Database containing worldwide registration data for (mostly) civil rotorcraft, maintained by Jos Stevens. |
| Scramble Civil Database | Basic type, c/n and operator info info for many civil airliner, commuter and corporate types |
| Scramble Military Database | Basic type, c/n and unit info for military aircraft from many countries |
| Soviet Transport Database | Basic type and c/n info for Soviet, Russian, former Eastern European and Chinese types |
Information on Specific Aircraft Types
| BAC 1-11 One-Eleven | Extensive information on all BAC1-11s built |
| Beech 17 Staggerwing | Beech 17 Staggerwing Production List |
| Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander | Comprehensive info on the Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander, including a full production list |
| Curtiss Commando Page | Histories of the first 2,005 Curtiss C-46 Commandos built |
| De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver | Extensive information on all DHC-2 Beavers built, compiled by Neil Aird |
| De Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter | Extensive information on all DHC-3 Otters built, compiled by Neil Aird |
| De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou | Extensive information on all DHC-4 Caribous built, compiled by Wayne Buser |
| De Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo | Extensive information on all DHC-5 Buffalos built, compiled by Wayne Buser |
| De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter | Extensive information on all DHC-6 Twin Otters built, compiled by Neil Aird |
| De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter | Extensive information on all DHC-6 Twin Otters built, compiled by Erik Johannesson |
| De Havilland Canada DHC-7 | Extensive information on all DHC-7s built, compiled by Erik Johannesson |
| De Havilland Canada DHC-8 | Extensive information on all DHC-8s built, compiled by Erik Johannesson |
| EoN Olympia 1/2 Glider Production List | Production list for the EoN Olympia 1/2 glider, compiled by Richard Cawsey |
| EoN Olympia 4 Glider Production List | Production list for the EoN Olympia 4 glider, compiled by Richard Cawsey |
| EoN 460/463/465 Glider Production List | Production list for the EoN 460/463/465 glider, compiled by Richard Cawsey |
| Globe GC-1 Swift Production List | Production list for the Globe GC-1 Swift, compiled by Jim Montague |
| Jodel & Robin Construction Lists | Production lists for various Jodel & Robin types, with detailed type and c/n info |
| Junkers Aircraft | Various information on all Junkers types, compiled by Horst Zoeller |
| Junkers Ju 52 Archiv | Extensive information on the Junkers Ju 52 (incl. AAC.1 & CASA 352), compiled by Bernd Pirkl (in German) |
| Kaman H-43 Huskie | Extensive information on the Kaman H-43 Huskie, compiled by Johan Ragay |
| Lockheed Constellation | News on all surviving Lockheed Constellations, compiled by Ralph Pettersen |
| Lockheed P-3 Orion | Extensive info including a full production list for the Lockheed P-3 Orion |
| Noorduyn Norseman | Extensive info including a full production list for the Noorduyn Norseman, compiled by Don Magnusson |
| Pilatus PC-6 Porter | Extensive info including a production list for the Pilatus PC-6 Porter, compiled by Markus Herzig |
| Republic RC-3 Seabee | Extensive info including a production list for the Republic RC-3 Seabee, compiled by Steinar Saevdal |
| Schempp-Hirth Glider Production Lists | Production lists for various Schempp-Hirth gliders, compiled by Richard Cawsey |
| Schleicher Glider Production Lists | Production lists for various Schleicher gliders, compiled by Richard Cawsey |
| SIAI Marchetti Production Lists | Production lists for various SIAI Marchetti types, compiled by Hendrik Vanderveen |
| Slingsby Glider Production Lists | Production lists for various Slingsby gliders, compiled by Richard Cawsey |
| Vickers Viscount Network | Extensive information about the Vickers Viscount including a full production list |
Information on Various Military Aircraft
| Scramble Military Database | Basic type, c/n and unit info for military aircraft from many countries |
| Scramble Orbat Reference | Scramble Order of Battle information for more than 160 countries worldwide (with many unit badges) |
Information on Specific Military Operators
| Australian Defence Force Serials | Extensive information on all Royal Australian Air Force & Royal Australian Navy aircraft |
| Austrian Air Force | Extensive information on all Austrian Air Force aircraft, compiled by Franz Mydza |
| Canadian Military Serial Numbers | Extensive information on Canadian military aircraft, searchable database. |
| Canadian Military Serial Numbers | Extensive information on Canadian military aircraft, listed by aircraft type. |
| Czechia/Czechoslovakia Serial Numbers | With historic type, c/n and date details |
| German Air Force - Luftwaffe Starfighters | Extensive information on all Luftwaffe F-104 Starfighters, compiled by Hubert Peitzmeier |
| Italian Air Force - Registro Militare Italiano | Searchable database of Italian Air Force aircraft serial numbers, compiled by GAVS |
| New Zealand Defence Force Serials | Extensive information on all New Zealand Defence Force aircraft |
| Norwegian Air Force - Luftforsvaret | Various documents on the Norwegian Air Force, with very detailed historic info about type, c/n and units |
| Papua New Guinea Defence Force Serials | Extensive information on all Papua New Guinea Defence Force aircraft |
| Thai Air Force & Government | Extensive information on Thai military & government fleets, compiled by Steve Ozel |
| USAF & US Army | USAF & US Army Aircraft Serial Numbers. Compiled by Joe Baugher, updated by Marco Dirkx. |
| US Navy & US Marines | US Navy & US Marines Aircraft Serial Numbers. Compiled by Joe Baugher, updated by Marco Dirkx. |
| US Coast Guard | US Coast Guard Aircraft Serial Numbers. Compiled by Joe Baugher, updated by Marco Dirkx. |
| US Captured Aircraft | Aircraft captured by the U.S. during the war. Compiled by Joe Baugher, updated by Marco Dirkx. |
Official Civil Aircraft Registers
| Armenia (EK) | PDF files going back several years, updated at irregular intervals |
| Australia (VH) | Searchable database, current aircraft only |
| Australia (VH) | Downloadable files (CSV format) from 2000 until Present |
| Austria (OE) | Searchable database, current aircraft only |
| Bahamas (C6) | PDF file, current aircraft only, no dates |
| Belgium (OO) | Searchable database, current and some de-registered |
| Belize (V3) | PDF file, current aircraft only |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina (E7) | PDF file, current aircraft only |
| Brazil (PP/PQ/PR) | Searchable database, current aircraft only |
| Bulgaria (LZ) | Excel file, current aircraft only, Click on "Регистър на граждански ВС" |
| Canada (C) | Searchable database, current and some historic |
| Cayman Islands (VP-C) | PDF file, current aircraft only |
| Chile (CC) | Searchable database. Current & some historic, but most recent registration entry only |
| China (B) | Searchable database. Type partial reg in the "国籍和登记标志" field or partial c/n in the "出厂序号" field, then click the "查询" button to do a search. Select one of the results and click the "查看详情" button to view the details. |
| Colombia (HK) | Searchable database. Do not use dash, type e.g. HK5210 |
| Croatia (9A) | Excel file, current aircraft only. Updated monthly. |
| Cyprus (5B) | PDF file, current aircraft only. Click on link near bottom of page. |
| Czechia (OK) | Click the Filter button to do a search |
| Estonia (ES) | Current aircraft only |
| Fiji (DQ) | Current aircraft only |
| France (F) | Searchable database, current and some historic |
| Georgia (4L) | Current aircraft only. Click on გადმოწერა top right above each table to download table as Excel file |
| Guernsey (2) | PDF file, current and de-registered aircraft |
| Hungary (HA) | PDF file, current aircraft. Click the Letöttes button to download |
| Iceland (TF) | Current aircraft only |
| India (VT) | Very irregular updates. PDF files, 2009 until present |
| Indonesia (PK) | Downloadable PDF files since 2019. Click on Registrasi Pesawat Udara Sipil to open download popup |
| Ireland (EI/EJ) | Monthly Excel files, Oct 2019 until present |
| Isle of Man (M) | Searchable database |
| Israel (4X) | Searchable and downloadable database, current aircraft only. Click CSV icon to open the database |
| Kyrgyzstan (EX) | Civil aircraft, current aircraft only |
| Kyrgyzstan (EX) | Light and ultralight aircraft, current aircraft only |
| Latvia (YL) | Excel file, current aircraft only |
| Lithuania (LY) | PDF file, current aircraft only (no c/ns or registration dates). Click LR Civilinių Orlaivių Registras, then Lietuvoje registruotų civilinių orlaivių sąrašas. English page links to outdated file. |
| Macedonia (Z3) | PDF file, current aircraft only. Click on the dated link to open |
| Maldives (8Q) | PDF file, current aircraft only. Click here link in first paragraph to open |
| Malta (9H) | PDF file, current aircraft only. Scroll down for download link |
| Moldova (ER) | Downloadable PDF file, current aircraft only |
| Montenegro (4O) | Searchable database, current aircraft only. Click registration to see all details |
| Mozambique (C9) | PDF file, current aircraft only. Click on "Lista de Aeronaves" |
| New Zealand (ZK) | Searchable database, current aircraft only |
| Netherlands (PH) | Searchable database, current aircraft only. Type (part of) the reg, then click the button to view all details |
| Norway (LN) | Searchable database, in Norwegian. Current aircraft only |
| Pakistan (PK) | PDF or Excel file. First select Registered or De-Registered in left menu, then click Search Report. To download, click download icon or Export to Excel |
| Papua New Guinea (P2) | PDF file, current aircraft only |
| Russia (RA) | Searchable database. Type part of the registration in the search field. |
| Russia (RA, registrations) | Downloadable CSV files in cyrillic, 2016 until present (scroll down to section 16). Use "1251 Cyrillic (Windows)" character decoding |
| Russia (RA, cancellations) | Downloadable CSV files in cyrillic, 2019 until present (scroll down to section 16). Use "1251 Cyrillic (Windows)" character decoding |
| Serbia (YU) | Searchable database. Type registration in leftmost field, then click the Претражи button to do a search |
| Singapore (9V) | Excel file, current aircraft only |
| Slovakia (OM) | PDF file, current aircraft only |
| South Korea (HL) | Searchable database, current aircraft only. Type registration in the 검색 field |
| Spain (EC) | PDF file, current aircraft only. Updated monthly. |
| Sri Lanka (4R) | PDF file, last update 11 Jun 2022 |
| Suriname (PZ) | Excel file (strangely formatted), current aircraft only |
| Sweden (SE) | Searchable database, current aircraft only |
| Switzerland (HB) | Searchable database, current and some de-registered |
| Taiwan (B) | English page with PDF & Excel files in Chinese, monthly, grouped per year for 2005 to 2018 |
| Taiwan (B) | Chinese page with PDF & Excel files in Chinese, monthly, grouped per year for 2005 to present (94=2005, 95=2006 ... 111=2022, 112=2023 etc) |
| Thailand (HS) | PDF file, current aircraft only |
| Togo (5V) | Searchable list, current aircraft only (Rechercher = Search, Précédent = Previous, Suivant = Next) |
| Trinidad & Tobago (9Y) | PDF file, current aircraft only. Click download icon or View Fullscreen to download |
| Ukraine (UR) | Excel file, current aircraft only |
| United Kingdom (G) | Searchable database, complete (current and historic) |
| United States of America (N) | Searchable database, current and some historic |
Unofficial & Historic Civil Aircraft Registers
| Australia (VH) | Tony Arbon's AustAirData (Historic, until present, compiled from official sources) |
| Canada (C) | Historic CCAR Project (Historic, 1929 until present) |
| Czechia & Czechoslovakia (L & OK) | Historic, in Czech (use menu on right: Civilní letadla = Civil aircraft, UL letadla = Ultralight aircraft, Větroně = Gliders, Vojenská letadla = Military aircraft) |
| Denmark (OY) | OY-REG Danish Civil Aircraft Register (Historic, until present) |
| Denmark (OY) | Danish Aircraft Database (Historic, until present) |
| Iceland (TF) | Flugheimur (Historic, 1928 until present) |
| Italy (I) | Registro Civile Italiano, searchable, compiled by GAVS (Historic, 1930 until present, in Italian) |
| Italy (I) | Registro degli Aeromobili Civili Italiani (Historic, 1930 until present, in Italian) |
| Japan (JA) | Norio Aoki's JA Search. Type reg in first field and click the button (Historic, until present, in Japanese) |
| Malta (9H) | Malta Civil Register (Historic, until present) |
| Moldova (ER) | Moldova Civil Aircraft Register 2018 (from official source, current per 8 January 2018) |
| Netherlands (PH) | Herman Dekker's Aviation Archive (Historic, 1920 until May 2014, direct from official sources, in Dutch) |
| Netherlands (PH) | Arno Landewers' Aviation Website (Historic, June 2014 until present, from official source) |
| Netherlands (PH) | Scramble Dutch Civil Aircraft Register (from official source) |
| New Zealand (ZK) | AustAirData (Historic, until present) |
| New Zealand (ZK) | David Wise's Aviation History Website (Historic since 1929) |
| Pacific Islands, selected | AustAirData (Historic, until present) |
| Pacific Islands | David Wise's Aviation History Website (Historic since 1929) |
| Papua New Guinea (P2) | AustAirData (Historic, until present) |
| Russia (RA) | RussianPlanes (from official source, in cyrillic) |
| Spain (EC) | Jose Ramon Valero's Registro Español de Aeronaves (Historic, since 1920) |
| Thailand (HS) | Thai Civil Aircraft Register, compiled by Steve Ozel (Historic since 1945, mainly from official sources) |
| Ukraine (UR) | Ukraine Civil Aircraft Register 2012 (from official source, current per 30 January 2012) |
| United States of America (N) | Aerofiles (Historic, 1927-1946) |
| Golden Years of Aviation | Historic registers for Europe, Middle East, Asia, Africa, Oceania/Australasia, North/Central/South America and the Caribbean, from the period between the two world wars. Maintained by Andrew Pentland. |
Accidents
| AAIR US Accident Reports Database | Searchable database with more than 150,000 official U.S. military and civil accident reports |
| Aviation Safety Network | Searchable database on civil and military aviation accidents worldwide |
Miscellaneous
| Aussie Airliners | In-depth information and histories of airliners registered and operated in Australia |
| Geoff Goodall's Aviation History Site | A treasure cove of reliable information on many historic aviation subjects |
| Russian Airworthiness Certificates | RussianPlanes (from official source, in cyrillic) |
| Scramble Location Database | Reliable ICAO, IATA & FAA code information for many airports worldwide |
| Survivors | Detailed lists of surviving older generation transport aircraft, compiled by Roy Blewett |
| Thai Aviation website | Steve Ozel's Thai Aviation website, with extensive information on many aspects of aviation in Thailand |
Commercial Data Sources
| CVW: US Navy Carrier Air Wing Aircraft 1975-2015 | A range of an eventual four PDF e-books covering US Navy Carrier Air Wing aircraft and their squadrons since 1975. The books contain details on cruises, operations and other activities as well as give individual airframe histories (by Bureau Number), giving official squadron allocation data as well as MODEXes worn. |