Vatican aircraft registrations.

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18 years 11 months

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The Vatican has its own international prefix 'HV', does it or has it ever had aircraft registered with this prefix?:confused:

Original post

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15 years 7 months

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Don't know, but they looked into having their own airfield at the end of WWII.During WWII they had an agreement with the Italian Govt that air passengers to the Vatican (including US citizens) would be flown into Rome on an Italian airliner then transported in a limousine to the Vatican with the windows shuttered.

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16 years

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I thought someone on this forum said The Holy Father flies on Easyjet.
What, then, does the Vatican need its own registration code for?

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19 years 11 months

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Perhaps it's because the Roman Catholic Church has been around for rather longer than Easyjet?

I'm guessing that a runway in the Vatican would be for STOL aircraft only?

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The report was in Flight, Feb8, 1945...The Vatican was considering a small airfield inside the grounds...a look at the current Google map shows large gardens which could perhaps accomodate a half-mile strip so,yes, STOL by our standards.

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I don't think the Pope flew easyJet. It was a promotional stunt by easyJet following news reports that the Pope's visit to the UK was going to cost the UK tax payer in excess of 20 million pounds.

On official state visits the Pope uses Alitalia on flights from the Vatican to his destination. On the way back to the Vatican the Pope flies a local airline of the country he visited. I do not know if this has to be the flag carrier (assuming there even is a designated flag carrier), or that any one airline will do.

I do not know who the Pope flies with on unofficial flights. My guess would be the Vatican is more then able to afford a bunch of Gulfstreams or similar.

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How about using Elijah's fiery chariot?

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18 years 11 months

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And so by the absence of any evidence, we can assume that no aircraft has ever been registered as HV- ? (Unless you know different!)

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Perhaps it's because the Roman Catholic Church has been around for rather longer than Easyjet?

Yes but with Vatican Air you get a free glass of wine and a wafer :rolleyes:;)

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Suitably consecrated before take-off, of course.

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16 years 10 months

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Vatican aircraft ???

as introduction : from flagspot.net :

Aircraft Marking

The Holy See, naturally, doesn't have an air force. As far as I know it doesn't even have planes. However, when the pope is taking a flight, his arms appear next to the front door of the plane. See: www.airliners.net/351454, www.airliners.net/261961 and www.airliners.net/522829. It seems that those arms are left on the plane afterwards as a declaration "The Pope flew in this plane" as seen on the out-of-service ex-Viasa plane at www.airliners.net/484315.
Dov Gutterman, 28 June 2004

The pope travel only in "Catholic" airlines. When he visit a "Chatolic" state he uses the local flag carrier airline to his flight. If there are more then one flag-cattier, he don't insult anybody and used all of them.
In his visit to Mexico, the pope JP II used Mexicana on one way and Aero-Mexico on the other
It seems that the pope emblem is not removed afterwards and the plane still carry it as a token and to show that this is a "papal plane".
When visiting a non-Catholic state, the pope use Alitalia planes.
Dov Gutterman, 4 July 2007

last Sunday, I could see -on TV /France 3/ 3 mini-films of the new series 'le 5ème Commandement'

and an aircraft (Diamond ?) with Vatican logo, &... if I saw well - a HV-registration...!!!

but I can't find anything of this (rare !) aircraft with Internet/Google...>> maybe you can...?

friendly, Etienne

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This will be news, if you find it!!!!!

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16 years 10 months

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VATICAN AIRCRAFT ? ...!

Yes, Newforest...

I've already found the original name of the series ; 'Ihr Aftrag, Pater Castell"

& here you have a view of the pilot & the passenger ;http://www.google.be/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.weltrecords.de%2Fimg%2Fcover%2F000%2F000%2F983%2F000000983511.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mymediawelt.de%2Fmovies%2Fdetails%2F983511__ihr_auftrag_pater_castell_staffel_1-ulrich_zrenner.html&h=1500&w=1062&tbnid=Nh2l4msofw2G2M%3A&zoom=1&docid=VaC3YYZHY2QG4M&ei=M7qRU4fnE4LbywP35YDQBw&tbm=isch&client=firefox-a&ved=0CCwQMygAMAA&iact=rc&uact=3&dur=604&page=1&start=0&ndsp=13&biw=1024&bih=639

let's hope for next Sunday, on TV...;) (have a look to ZDF ...!)

Monsignore Simon Castell ist ein Jesuit, der mit Sonderauftrag des Vatikan in der ganzen Welt Kriminalfälle zu lösen hat, die immer in Zusammenhang mit der Kirche stehen. Pater Castell musste deshalb die verschiedensten Fähigkeiten erwerben, wie Flugzeug fliegen, verschlossene Schlösser und Türen öffnen, Selbstverteidigung erlernen und auch Motorräder reparieren.

Sendebegleitend zur 1. Staffel zeigte das ZDF in der sendereigenen Mediathek 4 sogenannte Webisodes, Kurzgeschichten, in denen die Vorgeschichte des Paters erzählt wird, wie er zum Sonderbeauftragten ausgebildet wurde.

Jede Folge umfasst normalerweise 45 Minuten. Der Start der 3. Staffel wurde wegen des umfangreichen Szenariums in einer Doppelfolge mit 90 Minuten gesendet.

friendly, Etienne

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18 years 11 months

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Actually, it is on ZDF neo at 3.00 pm on Sunday which is going to be difficult to stay in for over two hours with the current weather! It looks as though it might be repeated on Monday, so will probably try and catch it then.

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15 years 9 months

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Mybe not

Gibraltar has, or had VR-G for many years but I don't recall it being used.

Ireland had EJ- allocated, but never used it. That was EI,EJ allocated so manybe eventually they will.

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18 years 11 months

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Well for the sake of forum research, I forsook improving my suntan and watched the programme (which came from 2008!). The aircraft is a Diamond DA-40 and I couldn't read the registration as it went too fast! The radio call sign appeared to be 'V V E' which would not have been a Vatican number as the first would presumably have started as 'AAA'. A three letter call sign in that region would suggest a Swiss plane. The helicopter in the background was German registered. If anyone recorded it (!!), slow it down and check the registrations...................

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19 years 5 months

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Awhile back on this forum, someone posted a photo of the Pope in a Agusta 139...it had Italian registration and was a company demonstrator.
If he used it frequently, I'm sure Agusta would work with the Vatican for a temporary registration that could be attached as a decal.

But with the current Pope's efforts to downplay the trappings of the office, I wouldn't think that would happen anytime soon...lest folks get the idea he has a very expensive helicopter of his own.

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16 years 10 months

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Vatican aircraft...

well, guys, I've seen one ...!!!

on Sunday evening / France 3/ in the episode "le trésor du commercant"... :)

a Cessna registered HV-EIFC ...>> well visible .. twice <<< !!

here is the URL of the video ;http://www.france3.fr/emission/le-5e-commandement/diffusion-du-08-06-2014-21h30

BUT... it seems I'm not allowed to watch it.... being not a Frenchman :mad: !!!

maybe you can select some good views from it (or another source )??:confused:

AU SECOURS.... HELP...!!

friendly, Etienne

Member for

18 years 11 months

Posts: 8,847

Even if you were a Frenchman but not living in France, you would not be allowed to watch it. Being a non German but living close to France, I am also not allowed to view it. It must be really controversial don't you think?!

The suggested registration HV-EIFC seems so out of sequence that it is possibly a pseudo reg.

Member for

16 years 10 months

Posts: 806

thanks for your reply, Newforest..

indeed, it's really crazy !!:stupid:

a pseudo-reg ?? >>yes, probably ... but I've seen it...!!

BUT I'd like to have some views of it... PLEASE , s'il vous plait....!!

friendly, Etienne