Search Tips - Database


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Here's some tips and things to think about when doing a database search.

Crash Date

Crash date is in YYMMDD format. You can enter something like "12" thinking of 1912 but due to the wildcards being applied you'll get results for the year 12xxxx as expected but also results for the month xx12xx the day xxxx12 and combinations like x12xxx or xxx12x. So, be more precise if you can. Entering "4402" will return all 4402xx (February 1944) records. This works since 44 can't be a day or month. Entering any other date format (such as January 2, 1944 or 01/02/44 etc.) will return an error. Date must be entered as 1 to 6 numeric digits in YYMMDD format.

Names

Names can be entered in a multitude of ways and are not consistent within the databases. John William Doe might also be listed as "Doe J", "Doe J W", "Doe, J W", "Doe, J. W.", "Doe, John", "Doe, J William", "Doe, John William", etc. Names may be also be listed as firstname lastname or lastname firstname sometimes with and without a middle initial. So, try searching on as many different combinations as you can think of.

Other Entry Fields

When searching on fields like Squadron or Group, just enter a number and not the alpha part since a word like squadron can be abbreviated many different ways.

Entry fields like state and country must use required 2 and 3 letter abbreviations. i.e., use "CA" not "California", use "USA" not "United States", etc. See the Abbreviations, Acronyms and Codes page for more information.

How to Copy and Paste from an AAIR Table

  • Highlight the content to be copied (this can be a single field, part of a row or one or more rows)
  • In Windows, Linux or Chrome browsers press CTRL + C to copy to the clipboard
  • In Safari browsers press Command + C
  • Navigate to the location or app you want to copy to (such as Notepad, Word, etc.)
  • In Windows, Linux or Chrome browsers press CTRL + V to paste from the clipboard
  • In Safari browsers press Command + V to paste from the clipboard

AAIR Site Search

Site Search is a great place to start. The AAIR Site Search page links to all the AAIR database content indexed by Google. Look for the icon in the topline menu, or "Search" on the mobile menu.

Database Help

See the Database Help page for additional information.

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