The designer of the Spitfire hated the name, thought it dumb. Just goes to show that talent in one area doesn't necessarily shine in another. ( I love the name )
The Brits, as a security measure, used names instead of number/letter designations from before WW2 for public announcements. So the enemy wouldn't know it was the 4th version when they announced the factory was setting records.
The U.S. uses names for PR purposes, but the pilots use either the official code or part of it, or occasionally one they came up with themselves and don't care if the Brass likes it. No one outside an airshow announcer uses "Fighting Falcon" for the F-16. For pilots it's either "16" or "Viper". ( from Battlestar Galactica. Which really dates the airplane ) I've also heard "Delta" for a "D" model, etc.
The Brits and the Germans has us all beat when it came to cool names for war machines in general. We built the "General Sherman" tank, The Germans the "Panther", the Brits the "Matilda", "Challenger", "Comet". Same with airplanes. Even Ship names tend to be cooler for British ships, although names like Destiny might give a sailor a moment's pause, and the names like Obdurate make it easy to make fun of British ship names in fiction........ like Inconceivable or Vainglorious.
I do like both of the first 2 names.
How about....?
Thunder Finch
or
Desperate Flycatcher?
