CX registration

[Qantas744]

I hope I wont get introuble for this but I am curious to know why a photo from the master of aviation photography Craig Murray has taken a pic which is strange, but dont get me wrong im not critisizing it in the slightest sense.

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/016872/L/

What I am asking is did China/hong kong registrations use to begin with VR instead of what is now accepted as B-***?

All advice appreciated

Cheers,
Mark Nicol

[Richard]

Well it's all due to the handover in 1997. Prior to July 5 1997 all Hong Kong registered aircraft wer VR-*** and afterwards was changed to B-***.

Under British sovreignty, the Hong Kong aircraft code was VR. But after the British turned HK over to the Chinese, Hong Kong adopted the Chinese aircraft code which is B.

Chinese and Taiwanese Aircraft registrations have always been B. Now this also applies to Macau and Hong Kong.

[aerpix]

When Hong Kong was a British Crown Colony, their registration were in the VR-HAA to VR-HZZ range. Many former British colonies used marks in the VR-xxx range, but most have now switched to national prefixes.

When HK was handed over to China in 1997, the prefix changed from VR- to B-, but only B-HAA to B-HZZ are in use for Hong Kong. B- and four digit number are reserved for the PR China, while B- and five digit numbers denote Taiwan. Macau now uses B-MAA to B-MZZ. Previously they used Portuguese marks in the CS-xxx range.

Regards,
Peter