Identifying make/model of AA planes from the outside
 

How do you identify the make/model of the planes AA flies? MD80 is easy - the engines are in the back. I cant the tell the difference between the rest by looking at the outside.

Yes I am in an AC trying to figure out my actual departure time. :)

I dunno, probably simplistic
 

similar size to MD 80 with two engines on the wings = 737
a little longer, distinctive face = 757
bigger with cone tail = 767
bigger yet with flathead tail = 777
A300 - no idea.
distinguishing between different models within type, no idea.

aa.com has pictures along with seating charts for their aircraft here

Look at the pictures, determine the differences, report back on your observations.

738s also have a distinct engine than others because it's a bit flatter on the bottom than a perfect circle

762s have one emergency exit over its wing, while 763s has two.

A300s has a small distinct wingtip that is shaped like a triangle above and below the wing (not to be confused with winglets which only goes above the wing)

Look at the doors / landing gear

757 has three regular doors and two over wing exits (on each side)
767-200 has two regular doors and one over wing exit
767-300 has two regular doors and two over wing exits

737 one pair of wheels on each main gear, 757 and 767 two pair of wheels on each main gear, 777 three pairs of wheels on each main gear.

MD80.. no mistaking that one.

Airbus, wing rakes? Not sure what you call them. Not the winglets, like on the 737.

777s have 4 full size doors on the side.

737s are similar to 763s in respect to doors. I have the most trouble differentiating between these two if I do not see a plane nearby to compare size of the A/C.

Look at the main landing gear.

737.. single pair on each main gear
767.. two pair on each main gear

Narrowbodies are easy to tell apart even if you can see only a small portion of the aircraft from your window/vantage point:
- 738 - short length of fuselage, two engines under the wing
- 752 - skinny tube, 2 window exits on each side
- S80 - unmistakable

Widebodies can be hard to tell apart if you cannot see the entire aircraft. Here's what I look for:
- AB6 - wingtips (to distinguish them from the 772s)
- 772 - 4 doors each side, no window exits, distinctive "crushed" look at rear of fuselage, where it meets the tail
- 763 - 2 window exits on each side
- 762 - 1 window exit on each side



(Eagle equipment is much harder to tell apart, particularly the RJ fleet.)

Additionally,

Boeing 737 and 757 have the same fuselage diameter, 757 has a cigar-shaped aft end, is longer and has a "droop snoot" look. 737 is shorter, appears squatter (original nickname - "Fat Albert.") (Boeing used the same fuselage frame jig for 707-727-737-757.)

Most 737-823 and 757-223 have or will have Aviation Partners Boeing blended winglets - they stick up like a vertical stabilizer at each wing end. (These will probably appear on all 767-323ERs as well, the ones with more exit hatches.)

777 has a "screwdriver end" aft end with Plexiglas, is the largest aircraft AA has.

767 (767-223ER "domestic" and 767-323ER "international") is smaller, yet widebodied, and has a cigar-shaped aft end.

(-x23 is Boeing's numeric designator to show who the aircraft was built for; AA got rid of the 757-231s built for TWA they subsumed when they took over TWA.)

A300 has, as others have pointed out, a wide-bodied stance and wedge-shaped wing ends - possibly not as effective as Airbus would like, or they would not be testing APB Winglets for the A320 series aircraft. :p

MD-80 is the only aircraft AA has with a long, slender fuselage, engines mounted aft and a screwdriver-tip aft end (modified from the original design.)

In the longer run, say "hello" to more 737-823s, and "goodbye" to the thirsty and aging MD-80s.

The Boeing 787 is coming to AA... some day.

The Boeing 888 is, well, have a look... and not coming to AA (or KLM) ;)

http://vanfossen.files.wordpress.com/boeing888.jpg

:D

Lots of aircraft photos at

www.airliners.net

Q. "What's the difference between a 777-223ER with Rolls Royces engine and an Executive Platinum?"
A. "The 777 stops whining when it shuts down at the gate." ;)

Don't think the ridge at the base of the 737-800 tail has been mentioned yet - helps distinguish 737 and 757 (if you can't see the wheels or are at a distance, and especially since more and more of the 757s have been fitted with winglets).

Also, to address a query above, the A300 does have 2 rows (pairs) of wheels on the main gear, but I'd still go by the winglets.

The regional jets are tougher - this is the best I could come up with back when I was trying to figure these out:

Canadair CRJ
- 2-engine regional jet with T-tail
- top of tail has a rounded bump toward the front
- evenly sloping nose

Embraer 135 / 140 / 145
- 2-engine regional jet with T-tail
- top of tail slopes downward
- sharper angle at the nose

Side-by-side, the CRJ is larger and wider, of course, but on their own, they can still be tough to identify.

Embraer 135 - 4 windows aft of the exit row.
Embraer 140 - 5 windows aft of the exit row.
Embraer 145 - 6 windows aft of the exit row.

I'm very tempted to say that you get to be able to tell them apart by spending many hours at the end of a runway with a note book, air band receiver and a pair of binoculas, but that would make me look a bit of a nerd, and we wouldn't want that.

Cheers Larry.

Passenger Airlines Plane Spotter Guide
 

There is a general pocket guide available (not related or specific to AA) that shows you how to identify passenger airlines/aircraft. I've seen it at the Boeing Future of Flight Museum, and a few other places:

Plane Spotter Guides

Another easy was is to look at the tail number. ERJ-135s are all N7xxxx, ERJ-140s are all N8xxxx, ERJ-145s are all N6xxxx or N9xxxx.

CRJ-700s also have winglets, which the ERJs (that AA flies) do not have.