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Plane Spotter: How to Identify an Airliner From Above
In Plane Spotter you see one aircraft from directly above, drawn to scale, and must name it. Real spotters work the same way: start with the big features, then narrow down.
You can also play it on the plane silhouette quiz page.
Step 1: count the engines and see where they are
- Four engines under the wings: a jumbo. The Airbus A380, Boeing 747-8 and Airbus A340-600 are the main ones.
- Three engines: the McDonnell Douglas MD-11, with one in the tail.
- Six engines: only the Antonov An-225 Mriya, the largest aircraft ever built, which was destroyed in 2022.
- Two engines under the wings: most modern airliners.
- Two engines at the back: regional jets like the CRJ900 and older types like the MD-82. Business jets such as the Gulfstream G650 also carry them there.
- Propellers: a turboprop such as the ATR 72, Saab 340 or Dash 8 Q400.
Step 2: judge the size
Every outline is drawn at the same scale, so size is a real clue. An A380 has a wingspan of almost 80 metres. An ATR 72 is about 27 metres. A 737 or A320 is somewhere in between at about 36 metres.
Step 3: look at the wings
Sweep, the angle of the wing back from the fuselage, tells you about speed. Jets have a clear sweep. Turboprops have almost straight wings. Concorde is unique: a triangular delta wing with no separate tailplane at all.
Telling look-alikes apart
- Airbus A320 vs Boeing 737: almost the same size and shape. The 737-800 is a little longer (about 39.5 m against 37.6 m) and the two differ in small tail and engine details. On Easy they never appear as options together.
- Boeing 777 vs Airbus A350 and A330: the 777 is longer and its engines are bigger. The 787 and A350 have a more tapered wing.
- Embraer E175 vs E190: the E190 is longer and has a larger wingspan.
Difficulty levels
On Easy, every answer choice is a different family, so counting engines is usually enough. Medium adds one look-alike. Hard gives six options and rotates the aircraft to a random heading.
A note on accuracy
The drawings are simplified from published lengths, wingspans and wing shapes. They leave out details such as winglets, so use them to learn the big differences rather than as an exact blueprint.
Frequently asked questions
What was the An-225?
The Antonov An-225 Mriya was a six-engined cargo aircraft, the heaviest aircraft ever built. It was destroyed in February 2022.
Is Concorde still flying?
No. Concorde retired from passenger service in 2003.
Keep learning
Related guides: Code Quiz, Longer Flight, Outline. Or browse all game guides, the geography games and the country pages.