In case you haven’t gotten enough about flying, here is a field guide to some common North American and European jet airliners. It doesn’t necessarily cover aircraft flown by Aeroflot and other former Eastern-bloc countries. Use it to do a little plane spotting next time you’re at the airport.
Two Jet Engines
Both Engines on the Rear of the Fuselage
Full-size Jet
McDonnell Douglas DC-9, MD-80
Boeing 717 (which was originally called the MD-95)
Telltale signs: There aren’t many DC-9s or 717s in service, so it’s probably an MD-80. The horizontal stabilizer on the tail of these three aircraft is at the top of the tail, forming a T . Also, the end of the fuselage on the MD-80 and Boeing 717 looks like a flathead screwdriver. The Boeing 717 is much shorter and stubbier than the MD-80 and holds only about 100 passengers.
Small Commuter Jet (fewer than 100 passenters)
EMB-145: This popular jet has a distinctive pointed nose, reminiscent of the Concorde.
Fokker F28, F70, and F100: These jets have a rounded nose, and the tail extends farther forward than in most aircraft.
Canadair Challenger: This jet has a shorter fuselage than the others, and it may have winglets.
British Aerospace One-Eleven: The engines on this jet are mounted slightly lower than the windows.
Small Corporate Jet
Among the most common business jets are the Gulfstream, the Learjet, and the Cessna Citation. Business jets are often difficult to distinguish from each other from a distance.
Both Engines Mounted on the Wings
Wide-body Airplane Airbus A300, A310, A330
Boeing 767, 777
Telltale signs: The wide-body, “twin aisle” aircraft are
significantly larger than the narrow-body “single aisle” airplanes. The Airbus aircraft all have small winglets at the end of their wings (the Boeing aircraft do not), and the fuselage extends out farther (and straighter) behind the tailfin than in the 767. The Airbus A330 and the Boeing 777 are almost identical in length and wingspan, but the Airbus has winglets, and the end of the fuselage on the 777 looks like a flathead screwdriver. Also, the 777 has three pairs of tires on each landing gear, whereas the 767 has only two.
The A300 and A310 are very similar, though the A310 is shorter, making it appear more squat, like the Boeing 767.
Narrow-body Airplane Airbus A319, A320
Boeing 737, 757
Telltale signs: Twin-engine narrow-bodies are
significantly slimmer and smaller than wide-body aircraft. The Airbus A320 has tiny up-and- down winglets at the end of its wings, and the end of the fuselage extends out longer behind the tailfin than in the Boeing airplanes. The biggest differences between the 737 and the 757 are the size (the 757 is about one-third longer than the 737) and the end of the fuselage
(where the 757 comes almost to a point, the 737 is cut off at an angle, like a calligraphy pen).
The engines on all but the earliest 737s are also slightly “squashed” at the bottom.
Three Jet Engines
All Three Engines on or Around the Tail of the Plane
Boeing 727
Tupolev Tu-154 Yakovlev Yak-40
Telltale signs: It’s most likely a Boeing 727. The
Russian-made Tupolev Tu-154 has a prominent antenna protruding forward from the tail. The Yakovlev Yak-40 is a very small, stubby airplane.
One Engine on Each Wing, and One in Tail
Lockheed TriStar L-1011 (“el ten-eleven”)
McDonnell Douglas DC-10, MD-11
Telltale signs: The most obvious difference between
the Lockheed and McDonnell Douglas models is that the front of the tail engine on the L-1011 is higher than its back. (The air intake is above the fuselage, and the exhaust comes out the back of the fuselage itself.) On the DC-10 and MD-11, the exhaust is directly behind the air intake, as on most other engines. Note that the MD-11 has winglets at the end of its wings and is longer than the DC-10.
Four Jet Engines
Wings Extend from the Bottom of the Airplane
If the wings extend from the lower part of the fuselage, it’s probably an Airbus A340, Boeing 707, Boeing 747, Ilyushin IL-86, Ilyushin IL-96, or a McDonnell Douglas DC-8.
Wide-body Aircraft
Airbus A340
Boeing 747
Telltale signs: The Boeing 747 is an enormous wide-
body plane and has a distinctive hump in the front part of the fuselage. The Airbus A340 has winglets that stick up at the end of the wings (though more recent 747s also have winglets).
Plus, the end of the fuselage on this large wide-body airplane extends out to a bluntly pointed tip.
Narrow-body Aircraft Boeing 707
McDonnell Douglas DC-8
Telltale signs: These long and narrow aircrafts are
similar though the 707 has a distinctive antenna pointing forward at the top of the tail fin.
Also, the DC-8 has much narrower wings.
Wings Extend from the Top of the Airplane
This type of jet is pretty rare; it’s likely an Antonov An-124, Avro RJ/British Aerosapce 146, or a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. The Avro RJ/British Aerospace 146 is a pretty small, somewhat stubby airplane. The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy and the Antonov An-124 are enormous and are used
almost exclusively for cargo and military operations.
Currently the largest aircraft in the world, the Antonov An-225, has three engines on each wing and two vertical stabilizers (forming an H). It also has seven pairs of wheels on each side, plus four nose wheels, in order to carry a total weight of over 1.3 million pounds (600,000 kg).
For More Information
If this book has inspired you to learn more about flying, you’re in luck—there are literally thousands of books, magazines, and Web sites devoted to aviation. To make the search easier, your first step should be the Flying Book Web Site, at http://
www.theflyingbook.com , which has links and
an extended bibliography of resources.
However, if you’re browsing through the shelves at your local bookstore or library, here’s a list of some of the best books on the subject.
Anderson, David and Scott Eberhardt. Understanding
Flight. New York: McGraw Hill, 2001. Although it’s a physics textbook, this book is a great resource for anyone who wants to understand aerodynamics.
Berk, William and Frank Berk. Guide to Airport
Airplanes. Plymouth, Mich.: Plymouth Press, 1996. A great book to have on hand at an airport if you like identifying commercial airplanes.
Cronin, John. Your Flight Questions Answered by a Jetliner
Pilot . Vergennes, Vt.: Plymouth Press, 1998. Basic and to the point, but provides a lot of detailed information and terminology.
Dalton, Stephen. The Miracle of Flight .
Buffalo, N.Y.: Firefly Books, 1999. Stunning photographs and illustrations of birds, insects, and other flying objects make this book a must have.
English, Dave. Slipping the Surly
Bonds . New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998. A collection of terrific quotations about airplanes, based on a popular aviation Web site.
Evans, Julien. All You Ever Wanted to
Know About Flying. Osceola, Wis.: Motorbooks, Intl.,
1997. A highly llustrated little book with technical explanations on airliners and airports.
Ridley, Layne. White Knuckles. New York: Doubleday &
Co., 1987. This is my favorite book for fearful flyers; it’s not only informative, but fun to read, too.
Seaman, Debbie. The Fearless Flier ’ s
Handbook. Berkeley, Calif.: Ten Speed Press, 1998. Based on Quantas Airlines’ fear of flying clinic, but interesting to almost any passenger.
Sternstein, Ed and Todd Gold. From Takeoff to
Landing. New York: Pocket Books, 1991. Lots of details about flying you never knew you wanted to know.
Wright, Orville. How We Invented the
Airplane . Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications, 1991. Although often too technical and dry, this little book has great photographs and it’s fun to hear the history in Orville Wright’s own words.