diff --git a/src/blackgui/components/modelmatchercomponent.cpp b/src/blackgui/components/modelmatchercomponent.cpp
index 69db861ce..ee40fcf3e 100644
--- a/src/blackgui/components/modelmatchercomponent.cpp
+++ b/src/blackgui/components/modelmatchercomponent.cpp
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ namespace BlackGui
             const QString combined(ui->comp_CombinedCode->getCombinedType());
             const QString manufacturer(ui->le_Manufacturer->text().trimmed().toUpper());
             const QString liveryCombinedCode(ui->comp_LiverySelector->getRawCombinedCode());
-            const CCallsign cs(ui->le_Callsign->text());
+            const CCallsign cs(ui->le_Callsign->text().isEmpty() ? "SWIFT" : ui->le_Callsign->text()); // need callsign
             static const CUser pilot("123456", "swift Test", cs);
 
             CAircraftIcaoCode icao(aircraft, combined);
@@ -183,7 +183,8 @@ namespace BlackGui
             const CAircraftIcaoCode icaoAircraft("B737", "L2J", "FooBar", "Dummy", "M", false, false, false, 1);
             const CAirlineIcaoCode icaoAirline("Foo", "FooBar airlines", { "DE", "Germany" }, "FOO", true, true);
             const CLivery livery(CLivery::getStandardCode(icaoAirline), icaoAirline, "Standard Foo airlines", "red", "blue", false);
-            const CAircraftModel model("default model", CAircraftModel::TypeOwnSimulatorModel, "dummy model", icaoAircraft, livery);
+            CAircraftModel model("default model", CAircraftModel::TypeOwnSimulatorModel, "dummy model", icaoAircraft, livery);
+            if (model.getCallsign().isEmpty()) { model.setCallsign("SWIFT"); }
             return model;
         }
     } // ns
diff --git a/src/blackgui/components/modelmatchercomponent.ui b/src/blackgui/components/modelmatchercomponent.ui
index cab0ff58e..a510c4468 100644
--- a/src/blackgui/components/modelmatchercomponent.ui
+++ b/src/blackgui/components/modelmatchercomponent.ui
@@ -234,7 +234,11 @@
     </widget>
    </item>
    <item row="4" column="1">
-    <widget class="QLineEdit" name="le_Manufacturer"/>
+    <widget class="QLineEdit" name="le_Manufacturer">
+     <property name="placeholderText">
+      <string>e.g. Cessna</string>
+     </property>
+    </widget>
    </item>
    <item row="4" column="0">
     <widget class="QLabel" name="lbl_Manufacturer">
@@ -265,11 +269,21 @@
     </widget>
    </item>
    <item row="4" column="3">
-    <widget class="QLineEdit" name="le_Callsign"/>
+    <widget class="QLineEdit" name="le_Callsign">
+     <property name="placeholderText">
+      <string>e.g. DAMBZ</string>
+     </property>
+    </widget>
    </item>
   </layout>
  </widget>
  <customwidgets>
+  <customwidget>
+   <class>BlackGui::Components::CSimulatorSelector</class>
+   <extends>QFrame</extends>
+   <header>blackgui/components/simulatorselector.h</header>
+   <container>1</container>
+  </customwidget>
   <customwidget>
    <class>BlackGui::Components::CDbAirlineIcaoSelectorComponent</class>
    <extends>QFrame</extends>
@@ -294,12 +308,6 @@
    <header>blackgui/components/dbaircrafticaoselectorcomponent.h</header>
    <container>1</container>
   </customwidget>
-  <customwidget>
-   <class>BlackGui::Components::CSimulatorSelector</class>
-   <extends>QFrame</extends>
-   <header>blackgui/components/simulatorselector.h</header>
-   <container>1</container>
-  </customwidget>
   <customwidget>
    <class>BlackGui::Views::CStatusMessageView</class>
    <extends>QTableView</extends>