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Spot the difference - Airline Jets

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Spot the difference - Airline Jets

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Old 5th Jan 2005, 10:22
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Spot the difference - Airline Jets

Hi,

I am looking at photos at airliners.net. and when i travel, i try to distinquish if a jet that i am looking is a particular model. here are a few that i always get mixed up. Please point me any hints:

B739, B756, B767, B777, A320, A319

any pointers as to where and what to look for? winglets? nose?

cheers,

nelson
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Old 5th Jan 2005, 14:57
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B756
You got me. I've never been able to recognize that one either.

As for the others:
B739 is just verryyyyy looong
A320 and A319 is only easy when they are parked next to each other. Even easier if an A321 is also close by.
B777 is just big! Easy to spot.
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Old 5th Jan 2005, 15:03
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B777
6 wheels per main gear.

"Boattail" with APU exhaust on 1 side.
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Old 5th Jan 2005, 15:04
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I'm no expert

If it's all very round, it's an Airbus.

If it's more like a squashed oval, it's Boeing.

B756, no idea, unless mistaken for B736?
Haha reminds me of my earlier days when listening to ATC and Emeralds reporting they were '748s.' 747-800s, I didn't know they exsisted
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Old 5th Jan 2005, 15:17
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Airbus

126,7

A318 very short one emergency exit above wing. Taller tail than all the others. Tail extends above rudder

A319 One emergency exit (Unless it's an Easyjet then 2 due to passenger loads)

A320 2 emergency exits over wing. Older 320's don't have winglets

A321 No exits over wing but 4 doors down the side. Very Long.


767 or 777

777 Three wheels in a row on main undercarriage, 2 on 767 and 777 has flat tailcone, 767 pointed.
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Old 5th Jan 2005, 20:06
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Haha reminds me of my earlier days when listening to ATC and Emeralds reporting they were '748s.' 747-800s, I didn't know they exsisted
I went through a similar moment of confusion the first time I heard "748" as well. Suppose it has to do with not getting a lot of BAe/HS748s on this side of the pond... http://www.airliners.net/open.file?i...VND&photo_nr=2
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Old 5th Jan 2005, 22:41
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not getting a lot of BAe/HS748s on this side of the pond...

Up here we just call them 'Hawkers'. Not to be confused with a Hawkerjet (aka 125).
Biggest chuckle I had was the first time I heard a US controller refer to a 'Bark One-eleven'. Woof.
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Old 6th Jan 2005, 05:44
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An easier way to recognise the 737-900 (apart from it being very long) is to look for the "squashed" engines. The 737 is close to the ground compared to the Airbus - a throwback to the days of the 737-200 with its low bypass engines.

See here
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Old 6th Jan 2005, 06:50
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The ones I have found hardest to distinguish are the 767-300/400s from the 777s, but i found you can tell them apart easily by looking at the engines and the tails. On a 777, the tail extends a bit farther out beyond the vertical stabilizer and has a distinctly squared-off end. Also, the engines of a 777 have a very short exhaust cone and a very large nacelle (main engine cover).

I beleive that the only way to tell apart the A319s and A320s is to know that the A319 is 13ft. shorter.

If by "756" you mean 757, then i can tell you that a 757 looks like an long, skinny version of the 767 (although it is actually 4ft. shorter than the 767).
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Old 6th Jan 2005, 09:17
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<<<
An easier way to recognise the 737-900 (apart from it being very long) is to look for the "squashed" engines. The 737 is close to the ground compared to the Airbus - a throwback to the days of the 737-200 with its low bypass engines.
>>>

Just be a bit careful on the "squashed engine" thing. The original CFM-56 737s had even more squashed engines, ie. the 737-300, -400, -500. The NG series of 737s (-600, -700, -800, -900) have slightly less squashed engines and can be distinguished by this feature with great care with a good view.

However, the real spotting challenge remains distinguishing the 737-300 from the 737-700, the 737-500 from the 737-600, and the 737-400 from the 737-800 / -900.

As always with spotting aircraft types, it helps to know which carriers operate which types, as this narrows down options considerably, ie. easyJet do not operate A320s, so all their Airbuses are therefore A319s, despite the double overwing exit doors..... But I grant, distinguishing a KLM 737-400 or -800 or -900 is often tough.

In other respects, distinguishing the A319/A320/A321 is pretty easy when you get the exit door configurations understood. The A318, though, is a little tricky vis-a-vis the A319 - look for the taller vertical stabilizer.
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Old 6th Jan 2005, 18:11
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If you want to distinguish an easyJet -300 from a -700 then look at the flap track fairings. All the -700's are painted orange, they are grey on the -300's.

Happy spotting!

Last edited by The Greaser; 7th Jan 2005 at 09:54.
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Old 7th Jan 2005, 10:40
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A318 and A319, apart from the length and fin height.

If you can see the lower nose area, the A318 has a couple of small strakes by the nose gear doors. In fact, even if you cannot see the lower nose area, the strakes are still there! The A319 does not have them.

Should I try to get out a bit more?
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Old 7th Jan 2005, 11:33
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How do can you tell apart a
GE90 / Trent 800 series / PW 4090 powered B777?
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Old 7th Jan 2005, 12:37
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...perhaps by the badge on the side of the engine cowling!
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Old 10th Jan 2005, 15:58
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How to tell a 737-500 from a -600 or a -700 from a -300?

Look at the engines the -7 series CFM56s as found on the NG '37s has got a little sticky out bit at the back end also the nacelle is a bit longer...
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Old 11th Jan 2005, 17:55
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difference between a320 and a319 ...
apart from length, the a 319 just has two cargo doors, the a320 has the two large cargo doors and one small cargo door at the rear for bulk loading.
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Old 12th Jan 2005, 10:37
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Hi J Davey,

Be careful, some airlines have got Airbus to delete the bulk door from their A320s; Northwest to name one. Basically the bulk door is needed if the container system is fitted in the aft hold but if the container is not in the door area then you can get to the bulk area through the big aft lower deck door.
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Old 13th Jan 2005, 11:44
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73 classic and 73NG - doesn't work if you're looking at a photo, only if it's live, but the NG has synchronised strobe beacons on top and bottom of the fuse - i.e. they flash together. The classics aren't synchronised so don't flash together.

Main diff A319 to A320 is the overwing exit as already mentioned, except for easyJet. I guess with more low costs taking A319s, though, that may well change and more will appear with double overwings.
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Old 13th Jan 2005, 12:23
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Engine differences

If the cowlings are open and there are a bunch of oily rags standing around it, scratching their heads, thats a GE90 .

The initial batch of BA 777s powered by GE didn't get the nickname Trouble Seven for no reason......
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