Planespotting 101: How To Identify Each Major Commercial Aircraft Type
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- Опубликовано: 25 янв 2021
- Do you struggle to identify the different aircraft types? Some are easy, but many still confuse even experienced plane spotters. With a few tricks and pointers, and plenty of practice, identification gets easier. Let’s point out some ways to identify today’s main commercial aircraft.
We can’t cover every possible way to ID aircraft, or indeed every aircraft model in the world, but this video should give you a solid start on the most common types.
Article link: simpleflying.com/how-to-ident...
Our special thanks to Vincenzo Pace for his contribution to this week’s video.
Video source links:
A320 Alitalia • Alitalia - Timelapse T...
A318 Air France • "Baby Airbus" taking o...
A319neo ACJ • First ACJ320neo perfor...
A380 Emirates • Video
A350 China Eastern • In the making: First A...
A320 Delta • Delta Air Lines N371NW...
A321 Aeroflot • Aeroflot - Airbus A321...
A220 Swiss • Aerial views of our Ai...
A220 Swiss • SWISS welcomes Bombard...
A220 swiss • SWISS C Series - flyin...
A321neo WizzAir • Wizz Air | Building th...
A319 Turkish • Turkish Airlines Airbu...
737 china eastern • China Eastern Airlines...
777 SWISS • Fabulous views: new SW...
Airbus Formation Flight 50yrs • Airbus Commercial Airc...
A350 formation flight • “Family flight” - Five...
A340 COTAM 001 • [14 Juillet] Embarquez...
A330-300 Delta • Delta Air Lines N810NW...
777 Delta • Delta Air Lines 777-20...
767 Amazon Prime Air • Inaugural Flight: Amaz...
777 Alitalia • Boeing 777
787 Oman Air • OMAN AIR I
A330neo delta • In the Making: First #...
A380 etihad • A380 Livery - New Live...
747 British Airways BA Landor • British Airways - Land...
A340 Finnair Santa • Finnair & Santa’s secret
777 American Airlines • American Airlines N750...
777-300ER American Airlines • More New Planes Than A...
777-200 United Airlines • Boeing 777-200 United ...
787 Hawaiian • Hawaiian Airlines Anno...
787 Etihad • Boeing 787 - Air to Ai...
747-8 Cathay • Inaugural Flight: Cath...
787-9 737 MAX Norwegian • Norwegian Airlines off...
737 MAX Ryanair • Ryanair New On Time Ji...
787 Hainan Airlines • Hainan Airlines New In...
787-9 WestJet • WestJet 787-9 Dreamliner
787-9 Dreamliner First class - British Airways • 787-9 Dreamliner First...
787 air can • Air Canada B787-9 [C-F...
A380 ANA • エアバス A380型機「FLYING HON...
A380 British Airways • British Airways -- Tak...
747 KLM Schiphol • Oudste Boeing 747-400 ...
A330 Eurowings • Ein besonderer Flug mi...
737-800 American • American Airlines 737-...
Airbus' A330neo • Airbus' A330neo builds...
a350 air france • Meeting with Air Franc...
A320 Alaska • Alaska Airlines A320 [...
A330 Eurowings • Ready for take off!
A320 Brussels airlines • Brussels Airlines: Bel...
A350 Asiana • In the making: Asiana ...
747 klm • KLM landing Sint Maart...
747-8 Lufthansa • Bouncing Beauty! Lufth...
A340 Lufthansa Star Alliance • Emergency Landing! Luf...
Il96 • Russian Air Force One ...
A340 Virgin Atlantic • Virgin Atlantic A340 S...
777-300er cathay pacific • Cathay Pacific Airways...
A350-1000 Virgin Atlantic Making • In the Making: First #...
A300 Historical Doc • A300 Birth of a Saga E...
Airbus historical first flights A300 A310 A330 A340 • Airbus historical firs...
Aircraft drawings: Norebbo.com
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20 years ago, this video would have been 2 hours long...... Ah the good old days.
@@alunesh12345 bruh
Gods not real and Jesus was a susej
@@Smudgergaming42069 susej? susej baka???1?1?1
oh my god im loving christianity more by the second
@@dustinnathaniel sausage
@@dustinnathaniel shut up
I know almost all planes, but this video is relaxing.
same
same i justed like alla the simple flying videos so i watched this video
I'm not gonna lie, you are probably the first person to get a comment hearted from Simple Flying
Nice. I'm gonna screen shot this.
@@razvan_3008 XD
Good for you, I too take screenshots when Swiss001 hearts my comments
There are people who love Airbus
Those who love Boeing
And those who don't know the difference
"And those who only know Airbus and Boeing."
and those who love both
yes an airbus 737
@@shakiMiki Why would anyone not?
@@shakiMiki
Why would anyone love a soccer-team??
"Look at that Boeing a380!"
"Look at that Airbus B737! Such an amazing narrow-body airliner from Airbus."
😆😆😆😆😆
@@andyc9902 Cessna B320-800 MAX Freighter
Fokker SR-2707 is my favourite airplane
😂😂
I'm watching this even tho I can Identify each major commercial aircrafts, and I'm watching it cuz I like simple flying videos
Haha same
Same lol
same
Same
Me too
7:22 I'm so happy he got to capture the iconic Quetzalcóatl Dreamliner from Aeroméxico, always a delight to watch this flagship on platform
i think that design is highly ugly
@@alunesh12345 ok
A boeing can't be a flagship. The disgrace would be more fitting
Having been an aviation enthusiast for almost 10 years, I can identify pretty much all aircraft types easily. That said, I still really enjoyed this video and you made some great tips for aircraft identification.
i am an aviation enthusiat for almost a year and I can Identify almost all aircraft i have some great tips for aircraft identification too
@@Human1773same here basically
For the different 737 varients, there are 737NGs that exist without winglets too, GOL used to operate some. Just putting it out as an extra fact, this was still amazing to watch
This is the best video on the subject I've seen, that said I'll need to.watch it several more times.
Thank you!
11:37 of course to complicate things a few -300s and -500s were retrofitted with winglets, and some NGs don't have them, notably all -600s
this channel deserves a million subscribers
Definitely deserves more for sure
Plane spotting is fun, for newbies and also more experienced spotters like myself. I can identify them easily but as I'm a simple flying and Long Haul fanatic, I've watched every single one from both channels. Big Up Simple Flying!!!
12:35 I think a better way to tell them apart is the A318's taller tail, unique to it, although this takes some time (also sorry for comment spam lol)
The A318 is pretty uncommon so you can assume its the A319 if it has the Airbus nose and is a smaller Aircraft...
I feel like the easiest difference for me is eyeing the length. The a318 is only flown by a couple airlines so generally you see a319s. If you see something shorter then you will know it’s the a318
There's also the little thingy, kind of double fin next to the nose landing gear bay that's exclusive to the A318.
@@alunesh12345 But I don't believe in jesus....
oh
"The most important thing about plane spotting is to have the right kind of crayons."
- my kid.
I can identify pretty much all aircraft, but this was still a joy to watch.
Some thing I personally use to help with the boeing-airbus distinction is the doors. On all Airbus doors on the exterior you can see a handle that you pull down whereas on Boeing planes they have something you pull out and twist. Furthermore to help differentiates at 787 and 777 from the rest of the Boeing fleet you can see the window placement on doors, on the rest of the Boeing fleet it is at the center of the door where is on the 777 and 787 it is located more twords one side.
Edit: I forgot to mention that the 767 has weird doors that open upwards, The windows are in the center call me there’s no door opening mechanism on the door itself, it is next to the door instead and it is a lever.
1:33 Fun Fact: The 747 doesn't for some reason
edit: 2:10 the 747 too goes straight (except for the SP and Dreamlifter)
Simple Flying : 4:32 the Boeing 767 and 777 can be hard to distinguish from a distance
GE90 : am i a joke to you?
No the triple seven has three wheel stack in the rear, but its gonna be a little hard if landing gear isnt extended lol.
@@cosmonut-fr i love that the main landing gear tilted on opposite direction from each aircraft
@@aswandanawawan ye lol and its pretty bootiul
When I first started, I had a hard time between the 757 and 767... until I learned how to look at their noses. The 767 has a more pronounced "chin" as compared to the 757.
it's mindboggling how many videos he's narrated with that smooth voice
I absolutely love the sound of Boeing 757 fitted with the RB211 engines! They make a distinctive ringing sound at lower RPMs because the fan blades are fitted loosely.
How about doing a Bombardier vs Embraer regional jets episode. These are still very common in the United States.
Make sure you check out our channel next week ;)
Am I the only that ended up in this video even knowing how to recognize every airplane?
You're not alone
no...
No
You’re definitely not alone
Nope
11:39 “The classic Series does not have winglets” generally yes, but the -300 and -500 can be retrofitted with winglets so this can be unreliable, most notably Jet2 in the UK and Magnicharters in Mexico who each have 5+ classics sporting winglets.
EDIT: Also at 11:49“ The 737 MAX has split scimitar winglets...some 737NG have these split scimitar as well” No they don’t, it’s ONLY the 737NG that has the split scimitar, the MAX has what’s known as the Advanced Technology (AT) winglet which is a different shape, the split scimitar sticks out of the bottom of the standard winglet while the AT winglet is more like a split end of the wing, in a wide V shape, it’s hard to describe but by putting photos side by side a clear difference can be seen
I've seen a couple United MAXs that have that design and it's pretty distinct along with the serrated nacelles
Exactly. 737 Classic and 737 NGs are really hard to to identify sometimes as they share some visual things nowadays.
Still each series has some unique points...
Tail section:
737 Classics got a simple APU exhaust, one hole at the tails end. 737 NGs have got a more advanced exhaust cone with two holes upon each other and the MAX has a pointy APU exhaust cone.
737 Classics don't feature logo lights inside their horizontal stabilizers, instead these are mounted to the main wings shining through the tailfin, 737 NGs have got them build into the horizontal stab.
Wing section:
737 Classics got square landing light housings in the wings root, NGs got more rounded lights. Also Classics have got additional landing lights on their flaps fairings while the NG has additional belly lights (at least the older ones) which are rarely used. Most recent NGs have got LED landing, runway turnoff and taxi lights adopted from the MAX. These newer aircraft don't feature a light on the nose gear and also don't have belly lights, STILL they got all different engines without chevrons the MAX features.
Cockpit section:
All Classics had "eyebrow windows" which mostly are removed today. Still one can see where the windows sat and the plugs are installed as the curving above the other windows isn't smooth. Some early NGs had these windows too which are also removed in most cases today so one has to take a closer look on the other features too!
Basically one can say:
Does it has got lights directly under the wing and flattened engines without a chevron shaped cowling → 737 Classic
Does it has got lights under its belly, an APU cone with two holes and eyebrow windows (or window plugs in place) → rather old 737 NG
Does it has got an APU cone with two holes, no belly lights, nor a light at the nose gear but also no chevron shaped cowling → fresh 737 NG
Does it has got a long, pointy tail cone and chevron shaped cowling → 737 Max
Also don't forget about the original 737 series you may still encounter in Alaska! These ones are just noisy, got a dark smoke trail on takeoff, some really low landing gear, long and narrow engines and a curved tail fin compared to the Classics.
I read the article a few days ago!
I’ve just got back in to plane spotting, and this is a perfect video to help me get started. Cheers mate
I have no difficulties to identify planes while planespotting but this video os soo well explained and relaxing ^^
Gonna need to watch this a few times!!
What an awesome video! great to see my friend Vin in it! Keep it up simple flying!!
Love this video. I’m definitely up on my commercial aircraft knowledge, just not as much as my military aircraft from WWII to present day…but one thing I have found to help anyone distinguish just between the main manufacturers of Boeing and Airbus… for anyone that struggles with that and wants three easy telltale differences. One of the biggest ones I’ve always noticed is the wing fairing (where the wing root connects with the fuselage) on an Airbus is much more pronounced and robust. Airbus also has a much more rounded nose compared to the more pointy Boeing. And of course the side wind screens or windshields on an airbus Indian right angles where the bottom edge of a Boeing creates more of a “V”. Those are just a few that I’ve shared with my friends to help them identify at least manufactures
This so thoughtful
Good to see all the experts in the comment section. I applaud your expertise.
The comment section really brings me back to those moments in 4th-grade math class, when everyone seemed to understand what the teacher was saying and I was still as clueless as ever. 😂
I live in the same city as one of the Boeing factories and was about to visit it for the first time. Since I didn't have a clue on how to ID the different models, this video was exactly what I needed. Thanks!
I have never been inside a plane but I can tell the type of plane miles apart. Love these machines and dream of flying one day
You could do a second one on all the retired (or soon to be) stuff out there. Trijets (727, L-1011, DC-10/MD-11) for example. You could do a whole one for the rear engined jets (MD-80/717, and all those regional jets)
Another magnificent video! Loved watching it!
Very helpful hints!!
these videos are the best
This helps a lot! Thank you✈️
supreme video content my dude! It astonishes me that you dont have more subscribers
I'm glad you made that comment. I realized that I had not yet subscribed. Shame on me😊
Shame on you
Thanks for the informative video. I learned a lot from the video 😊
LOVE, LOVE, LOOOOVVVVEEEEE this video 😍🤙🏾
So much relevant info. Thanks ✈
4:36 Yes! Very true. The 767 and the 777 always look alike when their front view is looked at from a distance. I often confuse the two until they get closer
The engine diameter on the 777 are extremely large - this helps at distance.
the 777 has a round fuselage. As a result, the taper from the cockpit up to the top of the fuselage has a very distinctive angle where they meet. Once you see it, you'll never unsee it.. (then use the wedge tail and triple bogie landing gear to verify..)
For me, the 767 has a rounded "chin" as it comes down from the nose to the bottom of the fuselage.
This helped a lot. Great video. 👏
Fantastic, thanks!
Very informative video, however; almost every aviation enthusiast can identify the various Boeing and Airbus aircraft(with the exception of the variants 200-300...). I believe you should make a video about the other 3 manufacturers Embraer, Bombardier and especially McDonnell Douglas(MD and DC series are so confusing to identify at least for me). Appreciate the hard work
thank you!
The video I knew I needed
Such a cool video. Loved to see the differences in the A319/20 vs the 737.
Good Video. Thanks.
This help a lot thx👍
This is my first time watching this and learning about planes before I start to travel for the first time I can't wait
Thanks for this video I can easily recognize any military aircraft or GA Aircraft but many airliners just looked the same to me before now
Tq for the video, very helping my air scout and I in spotting aircraft
I’ve been interested in aviation for quite some time, and can recognize most (military) types at a glance, but this was quite informative for the commercial side!
I second your comment. As a schoolboy in the '60s, I could name all commercial aircraft flying over. I joined the USAF in '72 and became an aircraft mechanic. I could name most military aircraft types including those of our allies and adversaries. There are just so many commercial aircraft types nowadays that I can't keep up. 😉
Love your content
I love the a380,747,a350,777, but I love all planes and good work Long Haul by Simple Flying I love all your video.
The quality of the content is unbeatable go ahead simple flying
Thank you!
I’d say that the A380 is the easiest to identify as it’s the single most unique modern airliner without any variants. The venerable B747 would be next. Keen spotters will be able to differentiate the subtle differences of the various models.
3 engined airliners were quite a challenge when they were commonly seen at airports, and 4 engined tail mounted airliners being even harder to spot though in its heyday the Vickers VC-10 was as glamorous as the B747.
As an airline mechanic working on several different airplanes of our fleet we tend to notice minor tell tale differences like the probes and sensors around the nose and the landing/position lights arrangements as well as those you’ve accurately pointed out. Great spotters aid video👍😄
Very useful video to help identify Boeing and Airbus aircrafts. I can certainly say that distinctions presented in this video are the ones that I use on a daily basis to identify a Boeing and Airbus aircrafts. I would have like to see other types of commercial aircrafts in this list (other that Boeing and Airbus) such as narrow body Embraer planes; regional jets such as CRJ and ERJ and turboprops (DHCs and ATRs). Overall, great video!
thank you for making this video!
I forgot a lot at the end of the video, but that’s okay - as a avgeek who just started learning the different types 😅
The 767 and a330 were always easy for me. The 767 always looked like an low-flying 737 to me, but it was always a nicer looking aircraft than the 737. I think of the a300 as looking like a low-flying a320 as well. (The planes fly about 2000 feet directly above my house.) The a330 always had very large, easy to identify fins on the wings. The one that was difficult for me was the 767 vs 777, but I noticed the large 777 engines. The a330 neo and a350 are the most difficult to tell between from my perspective without a flight tracking app. I also used to have issues with the embraer 175 looking like a high-flying 737 to me, but I was able to notice it’s outward-facing winglets after a while. And I also had the same issue with the crj series looking like high-flying md80s/717s, but that has gone away due to the rarity of the md80, and the longer, narrower engines. To this day, the md11 and 747 are the easiest aircraft to spot, because they are both very loud, and have very noticeable features from my perspective, with the md11 wings being much closer to the tail than any other aircraft. And sometimes a bulge (3rd engine) can be noticed on the vertical tail section. The 747, of course, is large and has 2 engines per wing, and our airport is too small for a380s. The a340, which appears from time to time, is much narrower, especially the wings, and is easy to tell from a 747. I did, however, spot an an-124 freighter once, and that was easy due to the wings which were mounted above the fuselage, similar to but different than a dash-8 or atr. Also, ATRs are really easy to tell from dash-8s, due to the bulge on the atr fuselage where the landing gear is, rather than the landing gear being stored below the engine.
Love how the 787 looks like a bird. Flew to Ireland on an Aer Lingus A330 nice plane, nice flight. My first flight was on a TWA 767 so it's kinda special to me.
Very nice.
I've been learning aircraft types since I began Aviation and now I know each type
"Do you struggle to identify the different aircraft types?" - To be honest: No
Glad to hear it!
Cool video guys! One other way to identify them is by the engine spinner design.
The Trent 700 engines found on A330s have a very distinctive howl at spool up. Best sounding engine in my opinion.
I think the most distinctive 747 feature is the highly swept wing and horizontal stabiliser. Apart from the “hump”
Thanks !
Yeah new special interest! I wonder how long I'll be into this one...
Nice video 👍🙂
Great Video :D
Thank you for your feedback. 😊
Be sure to subscribe to our RUclips channel, download our app and listen to our podcast for the latest on everything in aviation! ✈️ - LR (Simple Flying)
Also pax doors are a great help. Most of airbus are same same, but 737,747,757,767 and 787 all have different door/handles
you can be an aviation photographer? that sounds amazing.
The hardest to identify of aircrafts are not the model itself but the variants of the family.
i use sound, size and shape to. while the classic stuff as windows, winglets, cockpit, apu exhaust etc are normal to use
Great video! Just one comment sl’Easyjet, Eurowings (and maybe more) have to have two over-wing exits due to the amount of seats they have configured in the plane.
767 is my favorite, and it can take a second look for me here n there. Usually the winglets/wheel are the key
not surprising considering that the 777 uses tye same nose (Section 41) as the 767... a little known fact!
Ciao Vincenzo! Saluti dall’Italia 🇮🇹!!
I also noticed with the 737 max and next generation that the split winglets on the next gen have a slightly rounded front edge and a small stick-like thing coming from the back while the max has sharper, more sleek ones that are also more angled and have no stick-like thing from the back.
Is there a silo Silhouette poster or something that I can use while plane spotting using RUclips?
Another unique feature of the 787 is from the rear, it has twin rear strobes instead of just one on all other aircraft. The rear of the APU is always painted grey so, with the twin rear strobes as eyes, it looks like a sea birds head!
I self thought this since I was a kid but nice video hehe
What plane has engines on the tail? I work at a place close to MSP airport and we have low planes flying over all day, once in awhile I see planes that are longer than usual and engines on the tail.
MD-11 is the most common one I think. Fedex and UPS fly them
Similar to Automotive vehicle Model No.and Brand ID Badges are fixed in Chrome generally in the rear side and also on the front side panels, aircraft Brand IDs should be fixed on both sides of aircraft front below cockpit window panel.
The A340 is just the best. Looks absolutely stunning, is quieter, more comfortable and safer than its twin-engine colleagues, but airlines want to save on fuel costs so they sacrifice all its benefits. So sad. I have always thought twin engine planes look like they are missing two engines on each wing, purely because the A340 is the epitome of a handsome airliner.
I live 2 miles north of OHare International airport and often enjoy setting in my driveway " plane spotting "...my view is usually from directly under the aircraft after takeoff, with the gear retracted....any suggestions or helpful links to help in determining exact aircraft types............thanks much ..
I live near lax airport, and for fun I love to go to watch the planes for a few hours
Winglets were an option on 737NG, which means you cannot differentiate Classic from NG based on lack of winglets. There are lots of NGs without them. Same thing with the eyebrow windows, although they weren´t mentioned here.
When I first saw the 787 the thing that stood out was the smooth aerodynamic front window design.
And 14:06 is that the Manchester airport spotting terrace? If not, where is it?
Prague I think
I just checked and it’s Prague
The livery on the 787 on Aeromexico is beautiful and the Norwegian 787bis retired already 😔.
12:06 I'm wondering what's making this A321 nose to lower a little...? It's very brief but you can see the movement. I doubt it's the jetway pushing down because it would damage the plane so I'm really wondering why does the nose comes down.
Is it the hydraulics pressure in the nose landing gear suspension reducing?
If anyone has an idea or knows the reason, please explain!
Passengers boarding, that’s it! They weigh more than one might expect and with the boarding the point of gravity can change to the front (so rather to the front)
It is a time-lapse, so it is sped-up. It is the weight of the boarding passengers, as has been said.
The hydraulic pressure in the landing gear struts (suspension) can not be changed (though maintenance personnel do make sure that it doesn't get low).
I love fellow aviation geeks like me!
Surprised not to see more focus on the nose shapes, like it’s already covered here but this is the first thing I look at when identifying an aircraft and usually all that is necessary. Would be worth mentioning he subtle but noticeable differences between the 787 and a350 nose.
I know how to identify planes, but I just want to watch this video because I like watching Simple Flying videos.
video: how to identify
comments: i know everything, lemme just comment that
Me: trying to identify airlines through their tail colors (?), well, except KLM, Virgin, and Fedex
PS: can you make a video specific to tail paints/colors/logo/ensignia
I never used to not be able to identify aircraft back un the 60/s and 70/s but now it gets much more tricky and now have to look very carefully and often boarding by air bridges i only know what iam flying on by looking in the backseat pocket to the layman they do indeed look something the same at first glance personally i am not fond of airbridged for boarding and if you have another airbridge on arrival you will hardly see the e terior of tgeir plane, most travelkers dont cate though, they take flying very much for granted!!