Need help with identifying Aircraft Types (Newbie)

[CathayA340]

I am a newbie in the aviation world =P
I'm not very good at identifying planes, so can you guys give me some tips for how? My main ones are Boeing and Airbus....Thank you =D

[yankees368]

This should help nicely!

http://nycaviation.bigcartel.com/product/spotting-guide

[yankees368]

This should help nicely!

http://nycaviation.bigcartel.com/product/spotting-guide

[megatop412]

Long live the internets! I remember having to go to the library and check out airplane books when I was getting started with this

[CathayA340]

Thank you so much everyone! I will check the link out now :)

[Landing Lights]

The printed spotting guide is great, I tend to carry mine around still when I'm out spotting in case I run into any kids. Here are a couple other places to read:

identify airbus from boeing/ (http://arunrajagopal.com/2010/08/12/identify-airbus-from-boeing/)

aircraft identification (http://www.squidoo.com/aircraft-identification)

I'm having trouble finding it at the moment, but there was one that I found a few months ago that first separated by class (2 engines under wing, 2 engines on fuselage, 3 engines near tail, etc) and then had a page with the different types in each class explaining the differences.

[CathayA340]

Thanks for the tips mldoc. Ill check the links out and use them when I go to ewr on Saturday. BTW....check your private messages :P

[puckstopper55]

im still not that great with commercial aircraft, but the way I taught myself the military jets was: pick your fav plane and learn everything about it .. know it like the back of your hand. Know all of its distinguishing features and things that make it different from other aircraft. Once you have a "base" you can begin to compare other aircraft to it. So after a while you will be thinking "well it looks like a XXX but has slightly different winglets and shape, so it must be a YYY"

The example I give was how I first taught myself ( a 10 year old kid) the differences between the F-14 and F-15, which as a kid I always had a hard time telling them apart until I set a base (the F-14).

[neurodave757]

I generally find one specific attribute that differentiates one aircraft from the rest, and go from there.

717 - Baby MD-8X
727 - TriJet
737 - Notch at the base of the vertical stabilizer, and engine cowling is neither an oval, nor a circle
747 - Double deck
757 - Skinny and long (Hold the "that's what she said jokes)
767 - A fat and chubby 757
777 - Engines the size of FedEx trucks

I know some of those may seem silly, but in my head, even from afar, I can tell the differences based of those thoughts. The same generally applies with Airbus aircraft.

Happy spotting!

[Speedbagel_001]

I find it tough to distinguish Embraers from Airbuses. Also, sometimes it's hard to tell a 767 from a 777 if gear is up, it's far away, or hazy out. I'll look for the squared off tail cone to really be sure.
For military jets, differentiating an earlier model of a single type from a later model is hard. Take the F14 for example - how do you know if you're looking at an "A" or a "D"? Is it just in the shape of the engine exhaust? Hornet/Super Hornet is easy though!

[megatop412]

I am really not looking forward to when the A350 comes out- looks too similar to the A330

[Landing Lights]

I am really not looking forward to when the A350 comes out- looks too similar to the A330

From the renderings and shots of the first airframe, it looks like the nose will be much more droopy (similar to the 787, though not quite as smooth) the wings will have blended wingtips, and the tailcone looks to taper downwards at the vertical stabilizer similar to the A380 and most Boeings.

[neurodave757]

I find it tough to distinguish Embraers from Airbuses. Also, sometimes it's hard to tell a 767 from a 777 if gear is up, it's far away, or hazy out. I'll look for the squared off tail cone to really be sure.
For military jets, differentiating an earlier model of a single type from a later model is hard. Take the F14 for example - how do you know if you're looking at an "A" or a "D"? Is it just in the shape of the engine exhaust? Hornet/Super Hornet is easy though!

I generally go by the engine size, and the perceivable width, when it comes to comparing the 76 to the 777 from afar.

[CathayA340]

Thank you all for the great information! When I go to planespot at EWR, I will try these techniques with the best ability I have =)

[neurodave757]

Feel free to shoot me a message when you head over there! I live 10 minutes away from EWR, and I enjoy being there. It's a relaxing time for me. We'll make it into a game, and see who can guess the correct aircraft from far away.

[CathayA340]

Hehe :P Check your pm....

[Speedbird1]

I've been spotting since 1977 and still can't tell the different Airbuses from each other! After all these years, the only aircraft I knew for sure are Concorde, A388s,747s, MD11s, L10s, and some 737s. I was informed that the cockpit shape varies on the Airbus types but I am still confused and must go on-line to confirm the type. Funny thing is that most passengers don't care about the aircraft type while spotters on the ground care.