Aircraft Type Suffix Configurations

[shamrock838]

Greetings,

I’m sure this information exists somewhere and I may have accidentally stumbled across it once …

OK … I’m reasonably familiar with the basic aircraft type designations … be they Boeing (717-727-737-757-767-777 etc)… Airbus (A300-A310-A319-A320-A330-A340 etc) … McDonnell-Douglas (MD80-MD82-MD-83 etc) … Embraer (135-145-170-190 etc) … and all the others …

When it gets to the suffix information that often follows these basic designations … I start getting a little “lost in the woods.” I assume these are merely variations on the original configurations … yes? … e.g. redesigned fuselages … updated engine configurations … upgraded electronics … revised mission statements … etc?

Where online can I find exhaustive listings of these aircraft designations and sub-designations and what each of them means … please? Thanks.

Mike (shamrock838)

[njgtr82]

Are you talking about B733, B735, B737NG etc?

[AirtrafficController]

yea i think so, he mans E135,E145, B774, etc.

[T-Bird76]

yea i think so, he mans E135,E145, B774, etc.

Go back to 3rd grade...those are prefix's, hence pre as in before.

Mike are you talking about examples like 757-231, 767-223? If so those suffix's after the first number are the customer codes Boeing and Airbus attached to the series of the aircraft. So a 757-223 is a 757-200 series and American is the customer hence the 23, so you come out with a 757-223.

Here's a link with the Boeing customer codes.

http://www.airlinecodes.co.uk/boeing.asp

Airbus does things a touch different depending on who makes the engine. The ER and such mean the following

ER-Extended range
LR-Long Range
XR-Extended range (used by EMB)

There's ton more depending on what modification was done. I love the 747-200 SUD, SUD for streched upper deck.

[nwafan20]

Yeah, Boeing uses customer codes, so for, say, all Northwest orders, it is suffixed with -51. So Northwest orders a 787-8, the plane name will be 787-851. Its nothing really that matters to us spotters.

[cancidas]

Greetings,

I’m sure this information exists somewhere and I may have accidentally stumbled across it once …

OK … I’m reasonably familiar with the basic aircraft type designations … be they Boeing (717-727-737-757-767-777 etc)… Airbus (A300-A310-A319-A320-A330-A340 etc) … McDonnell-Douglas (MD80-MD82-MD-83 etc) … Embraer (135-145-170-190 etc) … and all the others …

When it gets to the suffix information that often follows these basic designations … I start getting a little “lost in the woods.” I assume these are merely variations on the original configurations … yes? … e.g. redesigned fuselages … updated engine configurations … upgraded electronics … revised mission statements … etc?

Where online can I find exhaustive listings of these aircraft designations and sub-designations and what each of them means … please? Thanks.

Mike (shamrock838)


are yuo looking for the ATC suffixes? those denote the equipment and capabilities of aircraft. i have the 7110.65 on the shelf behind me, but too tired to look for it. perhaps someone with fresh eyes can find an online copy of the info...

[shamrock838]

yea i think so, he mans E135,E145, B774, etc.

Go back to 3rd grade...those are prefix's, hence pre as in before.

Mike are you talking about examples like 757-231, 767-223? If so those suffix's after the first number are the customer codes Boeing and Airbus attached to the series of the aircraft. So a 757-223 is a 757-200 series and American is the customer hence the 23, so you come out with a 757-223.

Here's a link with the Boeing customer codes.

http://www.airlinecodes.co.uk/boeing.asp

Airbus does things a touch different depending on who makes the engine. The ER and such mean the following

ER-Extended range
LR-Long Range
XR-Extended range (used by EMB)

There's ton more depending on what modification was done. I love the 747-200 SUD, SUD for streched upper deck.

T-Bird76,

BINGO! Thanks very much. And the website you linked to WAS where I stumbled upon recently. Exploring this site further ... under "Aircraft Codes" ... I see freuqnt mention of "pax" and "freighter." Does "pax" somehow stand for "passenger"?

One more question for you: I've been trying ... fruilessly ... to figure out what the heck "So long and thanks for all the fish" means. Put me out of my misery, please. Thanks.

Mike (shamrock838)

[nwafan20]

PAX does indeed stand for passengers.

for a list of aviation acronyms, please see:
http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraffic/ ... /acronyms/ (http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraffic/airports/resources/acronyms/)

[shamrock838]

PAX does indeed stand for passengers.

for a list of aviation acronyms, please see:
http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraffic/ ... /acronyms/ (http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraffic/airports/resources/acronyms/)

NWAFAN20,

Thanks for the reply ... and the FAA url ... wow!

Mike (shamrock838)

[T-Bird76]

One more question for you: I've been trying ... fruilessly ... to figure out what the heck "So long and thanks for all the fish" means. Put me out of my misery, please. Thanks.

Mike (shamrock838)

It's a line from the book and movie "A Hitch Hickers Guide to the Galaxy." If you haven't read the book do so, the use of satire to make fun of society is brilliant.