How to know your Airbus from Boeing
Many of us admire
airplanes for the graceful, elegant and sleek flying machines that they are.
How many of you have
wondered about the type or kind of the aircraft that you are traveling in or
flying over you in the sky? Is it a Boeing or an Airbus? Is it an A330 or a
B777?
Here’s a simple aircraft
identification guide for those with a budding interest in aviation. I’ll try to
make this post as visual as possible since plane-spotting works best by
observing as many different types of aircraft as possible and drawing your own
inferences. Now sit back, relax and enjoy this journey!
How to know your plane?
First and the easy way
out, look for the name of the aircraft type to be written on the aircraft
fuselage. Most airlines still retain it. This should be easy if you are closer
to the aircraft parked on the apron.
Now for the second part.
For practical purposes, we will focus only on the big 2 giants of aviation –
Airbus and Boeing, and close the gates on Lockheed, McDonnell Douglas, Antonov,
Ilyushin, Bombardier, Embraer, Sukhoi etc.
We will also only
consider airplanes that are currently flying around the world in large numbers,
which means no clearance for 707 or 727 to take off.
A quick 101 on the two
giants:
Boeing is American and
the largest global aircraft manufacturer by revenue, orders and deliveries.
Airbus is European and a subsidiary of EADS, and manufactures half of the
world’s jetliners.
Boeing aircraft start
with the #7 series. You have 737, 747, 757, 767, 777 and the new 787 Dreamliner
along with the 747-8 Intercontinental currently under development.
Airbus aircraft start
with the #3 series. So you have A300, A310, A318, A319, A320, A321, A330, A340,
A380 and the A350 currently under development.
Airbus or Boeing –
A-Team vs. B-Team
Airbus nose – Bulbous, curved.
Boeing nose – pointed.
Check out the noses.
Boeing will have more pointed noses while Airbus will have bulbous, curved
noses.
Check out the cockpit
windows. Airbus cockpit side windows run in a straight line along the bottom,
whereas most Boeing side windows run in a ‘V’ shape along the bottom. Also
Airbus aircraft cockpit side windows look like one of their corners have been
‘cut’.
Airbus A330 APU area – circular.
Boeing B777 APU area – sawed off.
Have a look at the APU
Exhaust unit beneath the tail. Both Airbuses and Boeings have a circular outlet
with the only exception with B777 having a sawed off unit.
All Airbus wide-bodies
apart from the 380 have a fuselage top that continues straight all the way to
the APU exhaust. Boeings have a taper downwards. The end of Boeings are
‘tapered’ and slope on the top and bottom, whereas on Airbus the top is
straight and the bottom is very sloped.
Narrow-body or Wide-body
The shorter and smaller
planes are called narrow-bodies, as they have a single aisle.
Airbus: A318, A319, A320 and A321.
Boeing: B737 and B757.
The longer and larger
planes are also called wide-bodies, as they have twin aisles.
Airbus: A300, A310, A330, A340, A380 and A350.
Boeing: B747, B757, B767, B777, B787 Dreamliner
and B747-8 Intercontinental.
2 engines or 4 engines
Only A340s, A380s and
B747s have four engines. All other aircraft have twin engines.
The big ones – B747 or A340 or A380
If it has two decks of
windows and four engines, it is an A380.
If it has one and half
decks and four engines, it is a B747.
If has a single deck,
longer fuselage and four engines, it is an A340.
The intermediates – B777 or A330
Check out the 3 pairs of wheels on each main
landing gear of the above B777.
A B777 will never have a
winglet.
The B777 has 14 wheels
in a 6 6 2 configuration. The ever-helpful Sandy Ward from Future of Flight has this great tip to
identify Boeing 777s – 3 sevens have 3 wheels.
Ed Kaplanian from Future of Flight has more tips to differentiate
between A330s and B777s.
The A330 with 2 pairs of wheels on each main
landing gear.
Wheels: The main landing
gear on an A330 has two sets of wheels, what they call in the industry (a two
wheel truck). The main landing gear on a B777 has three sets of wheels, what
they call in the industry (a three wheel truck).
B777 with sawed-off APU.
A330 with conical APU.
Tail end: The APU
(auxiliary power unit) exhaust outlet is mounted in the middle of the tail cone
on an A330. The APU (auxiliary power unit) exhaust outlet is mounted on the
left side of the tail cone on the B777.
Wing tips: The A330 wing
incorporates small wing tips on the wings. The B777 wing does not have wing
tips.
The small birds – A320s vs. B737s
In terms of capacity,
this how the Airbus airplanes in the A320 family compete with the Boeing 737
family.
A318 vs. B737-600
A319 vs. B737-700
A320 vs. B737-800
A321 vs. B737-900
The B737-700 is on the
left and the A320 is on the right. Note how the tail fin of the B737 rises from
the main body at a sharp angle.
The A320 is at top and
the B737 is at the bottom. The 320 fuselage is rounded at the front, pointed at
the back. The 737 fuselage is pointed at the front, rounded at the back.
Can you guess who is
A320 and B737 in the above pic?
In each case, the Boeing
version is lighter and seats more people. The Airbus version sits higher off
the ground compared to Boeing. The A320s have fly-by-wire technology, which
means the computer plays a larger role in flying the plane while pilot has the
final say in flying a Boeing 737. A320s are longer compared to B737s but have
lesser range.
Look at the tail fin to
know your 737 from A320. If the tail fin rises from the main body at a sharp
angle, it is a B737.
If it is larger, has
rounder engines and a longer fuselage, it is an A320.
If it has a flatter
engine at the base, it is a B737.
Boeing Focus:
Know your B737s
The B737s come in 9
versions: -100, -200, -300, -400, -500, -600, -700, -800, and –900ER. The –300,
-400 and -500 fall into the category of Classics while the last 4 are New
Generation Boeings. The –300s are the shortest while the –900ER is the longest.
The only exception to the rule is –400, which is longer than the –300, -600 and
–700 versions.
B737-100 – classic.
B737-600 – new generation.
B737-700 – new generation.
B737-800 – new generation
B737-900 – new generation
The –100 and –200 have
cigar shaped nacelles. The –100s are out of service.
If the front of the
engine nacelle is flattened and has an almost triangular shape, it is a
Classic.
If the front of the
engine nacelle is almost round-shaped, it is a New Generation 737.
If you can look at the
APU exhaust at the tail and spot 2 holes, it is an NG. If it has a single hole,
it is a Classic.
Also, all Classics have
eyebrow windows.
If it is a stubby
looking Classic, it is a 500. If it is a stubby looking NG, it is a 600.
If it looks “normally”
proportioned and it is a Classic, it is a 300. If it looks normally
proportioned and it is an NG, it is a 700.
If it looks long and it
is a Classic, it is a 400. If it looks long and it is an NG, it is an 800.
If it looks really long
and has 3 doors on each side, it is a 900.
If you are checking out
a B737 belonging to Oman Air, flydubai, Jet Airways or Air India Express it
will be a –700 or –800.
Know your B747s
B747s come in five
versions – 100, -SP, -200, -300, and -400. All versions are 70.6m long except
the B747SP from the -100 family which is around 15m shorter. There are a few
sub-variants but we will primarily focus on the big 5.
The B747-100 & -200 have ten windows on each side of the upper deck. Some
of the first -100s off the production line have only 3 windows on each side of
the upper deck.
The B747-200 has ten windows on each side of the upper deck.
The B747-300 has an extended upper flight deck compared to the -200 and -100.
It also has a door on the upper deck between windows.
Only the B747-400 has wingtip extensions or winglets.
The B747-SP fuselage is shorter than all other B747 variants but compensates
for it with a taller tail.
Know your B757s
B757s come in two
versions – 200 and the longer –300. The drooping dolphin shaped nose and thin,
swept back wings of this aircraft type is a distinct giveaway.
The –200 comes with 3
doors on each side with a smaller emergency exit window.
The –300 comes with 4
doors and 2 over-the-wing emergency exit windows on each side.
Know your B767s
The B767 comes in 3
variants – 200, –300 and –400 with respective Extended Range versions. The –200
is the shortest while –400 is the longest.
What are the key differences between a B757 and
a B767?
The Boeing 767 wingspan
is 48 metres, 10 metres greater than the B757. The position of the nose wheel
relative to the flight deck is much further forward on the 767 than on the 757.
Also, the main landing
gear is a long way back on the B767.
Know your B777s
The easiest way to
identify a B777 is to look at its tail area for a blade-shaped tail cone. Also
check out the main landing gear. If you spot 6 wheels on each landing gear, it
is a 777. There are 4 passenger versions of the 777: B777-200, B777-200 ER
(Extended Range), B777-200LR (Longer Range), B777-300 and B777-300ER (Extended
Range). These variants are distinguished on the basis of their fuselage length
and nautical range. The –300s are longer than –200s by over 10m.
B777-200 – 63.7m
B777-200ER – 63.7m
B777-200LR – 63.7m – the
world’s longest-range commercial airliner. Boeing named this aircraft the
Worldliner, highlighting its ability to connect almost any two airports in the
world.
B777-300 – 73.9m
B777-300ER – 73.9m
Airbus
Focus:
Know your A300s
The A300 B2
The A300 comes in 4 main
variants – the B1, B2, B4 and the -600. The A300-600 is a later version of the
earlier A300B4 and features a wingtip that is shaped like a triangle above and
below the end of each wing.
The A300 vs. A330
The basic fuselage
design of the A330 is derived from the A300. So how do you differentiate
between the two aircrafts when they are parked next to each other? The A330 comes
with winglets and is longer than the A300. (A winglet is a wingtip extension
that extends UPWARD from the end of the wing). The A300 may or may not have a
wingtip. Also, the A330 has a larger wingspan (the distance in a straight line
from one wingtip to other).
The A310 is basically a baby A300. It comes in two main variants: -200 and
-300. It has a shorter fuselage, a new, higher aspect ratio wing, smaller tail
when compared to the A300. Also, the A310 has only two doors on each side,
whereas the A300s have 3 doors on each side.
Know your A320s
The A320 family of jets
includes the A318-100, A319-100, A320-200 and the A321-200.
In terms of fuselage
length, the A318 is the shortest (aka Baby Bus) and the A321 is the longest.
A318-100 – 31.44m
The A320 will usually
have two emergency window exits over the wings whereas the A318 and A319 have
only one emergency window exit over the wing. The A321 will have four exit
doors on each side.
Know your A330s
The A330 comes in 2
passenger versions – the A330-200 and A330-300. The –300 version is longer than
the –200 version but has a shorter tail height. The –300 carries more
passengers but has a shorter range. Also, note the 4 wheels on each main
landing gear and the smoother curvature of the tail to distinguish it from a
B777.
Fuselage lengths:
A330-200 – 58.8m
Know your A340s
If it is single deck and
has got 4 engines, you bet it is the A340. The A340 comes in 4 passenger
versions – the A340-200, A340-300, A340-500 and A340-600.
The fuselage lengths
should help you distinguish between them. The A340-600 is the second longest
airplane in the world after the B747-8 Intercontinental, currently under
development. Both the –500 and –600 come in High Gross Weight (HGW) Versions,
with enhanced range, fuel capacity, weight amongst other features.
Fuselage lengths:
A340-200 – 59.39m
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."
