US date format is utterly stupid at the best of times, but while writing the blurb for one of Thursday's photos, I just found myself staring blankly at the screen wondering if something happened in June or July of one year.
Have a look at this.
https://rzjets.net/aircraft/?reg=45159
Towards the top, we have this line.
"returned 11/92, dbr ARN 7/6/1997"
In UK date format, dates get more precise the further to the left you go - today is 24-02-25, the year is 2025, then the month is 02 (february), then the actual date - the further to the left you go, the more precise you can date somethin.
In this case, the date this plane returns from lease (11/92) makes perfect sense.
The date it is damaged beyond repair is given as 7/6/1997 - which would be 7th June 1997 in UK format, or 6th July in US -0 which is which?
Looking further thriough the page, we find it was first delivered to tarom 8/25/1977, since there aren't 25 months in the year, this is obviouskly written in US format, so 25th August 1977.
So - and yes, I am literally just about to make my point - WHAT MONTH WAS THIS RETURNED OFF LEASE?
Because the 2 fields given, in the US format, denote date and year.
It makes perfect sense in UK format, but is entirely nonsensical in US format.
It was returned on the 11th of... some month, who knows... 1997
Oh, wait, you drop the middle field?
Is that... but... wait...
**insert obligatory Capt Tightpants .gif**
Why would you drop the middle field like that, why would you effectively start using the other format, when it just doesn't! make! sense!!
And yes, ISO8601 makes more sense than either of the other formats, and is what I use myself, but the format commonly used here in the UK makes far more sense than that used in the US, especially when you go and drop fields like that!
GRRRRR!!
