Originally Posted by
ExitRowAisle
As I look at different participants' categorization of flights, it is clear that this exercise runs the gamut from those who are very thorough (737-200, 737-300, etc.) to those who are less so.
My goal is just to be consistent, but I don't have a good enough grasp of airplanes to know whether I am accomplishing this as I move from one airline manufacturer to another. I'm looking for opinions from those who can shed some light on the subject.
For instance, if I choose just to list a 737 as one type of aircraft, should I list an MD-81, MD-82, MD-83, MD-88, and an MD-90 as 5 additional aircraft OR rather lump all of these or most of them (MD-90 possibly unique?) into a general category of MD-80's? Should 717's get their own unique category or be grouped with one of the MD-XX categories? What about Embraer 135's and Embraer 145's? CRJ100's and CRJ200's?
I understand that this probably boils down to a matter of personal preference, but I would like to make an informed decision. To put it into automobile terms, I want to avoid a situation where I have mindless classifications such as Ford, General Motors, Honda Accord LX Coupe, Honda Accord EX Sedan, Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla, etc. Any insight on the matter would be greatly appreciated!
It is totally a matter of personal preference. My practice is to make the distinctions based on what flightaware.com records the flight as being - which is fairly specific. So, for example, a 737-300 is certainly different from a 737-900 but likewise, a MD-82 is recorded as different from an MD-83. I can't say why I do it this way other than that it makes sense to me and if I started combining, I wouldn't see any logical place to stop other than very broad categories (i.e. Boeing 737 series would all be one category, Airbus 318/319/320/321 would all be one category, and possibly even all the CRJ's (100/200/700/900) would be one category too) and I don't think that provides enough distinction for me because a flight on a CRJ-100 is a very different experience than a flight on a CRJ-900. Likewise if I were on a 737-200 today I would be pretty unhappy but a 2nd generation 737 is a nice modern plane.
I have seen people who do keep track in very broad categories - I think I have seen other's flightmemories with "Canadair" and "Airbus" as plane types - and all I can say is, to each his/her own.