Aircraft Identification Features and Aerospace Composites

Aircraft Identification Features

Learn to distinguish different aircraft models by their key visual characteristics:

• A330 vs B777: The B777 doesn’t have winglets, has three wheels per main landing gear strut, and the end of the fuselage is distinct.
• A320 vs B737: Standard Airbus/Boeing differences; B737s have a distinct engine shape (flattened bottom).
• B737 Series: Differences between -200, -300, -400, -500, -600, -700, -800, -900ER are primarily by size.
• B747: All have 4 engines. -200 and -300 do not have winglets, but the -300 has a larger upper deck hump. The -400 has winglets. The SP variant has no winglets and is shorter than others.
• B757: The -300 is significantly larger than the -200.
• B767: The -200 has no winglets. The -400 and -300 have winglets, but the -400 is significantly larger than the -300.
• B777 Series: -200, -200ER, -200LR are similar in size. The -300 and -300ER are significantly larger.
• B777X: (Details not provided in source text)
• B787 -8/-9/-10: Features a distinct serrated edge (chevrons) on the engine nacelle and highly curved-up wings.
• A300 and A310: (Details not provided in source text)
• A320 Family: Features distinctive triangular, downward-pointing winglets (sharklets or wing fences depending on variant/age). A318-100, A319-100, A320-200, A321-200 are similar but increase in size.
• A330 Series: The -200 has more angled winglets and a longer vertical stabilizer. The -300 has less angled winglets and is larger.
• A340 Series: -200, -300, -500, -600 all have 4 engines and increase in size.
• A350 XWB: The -900 and -1000 are similar but the -1000 is larger.
• DC-9, MD80, B717: All have engines mounted on the rear fuselage. The MD80 is the largest, and the B717's engines are mounted more horizontally.
• DC, MD (Other): The DC-8 has 4 engines. The MD-10 and MD-11 have an engine at the base of the vertical stabilizer, but the MD-11 is larger than the MD-10.
• Antonov: Primarily cargo planes with distinctive downward-sloping wings. Massive size. The AN-225 has 6 engines, the AN-124 has 4 engines.
• Supersonic Aircraft: The Concorde has a distinctive droop nose and engines positioned closer together than the Tupolev Tu-144.
• Embraer: Often resemble private jets. ERJ-145 (and 135, 140) have two engines attached to the rear fuselage and a T-tail (horizontal stabilizer at the top of the vertical stabilizer). E-175 (and 170, 190, 195) look like smaller conventional airliners.
• Bombardier: Regional jets often resembling private jets. Two engines mounted next to the rear fuselage. Feature winglets and a T-tail. Examples include CRJ100 and CRJ700.
• A220 Series: -100, -300 are similar but increase in size. Looks like a regular modern airliner.

Aerospace Composite Materials

Composites are formed by combining Fiber + Matrix.

Fiber: glass, carbon, Kevlar, Spectra, Boron, etc.

Matrix: Epoxy, Polyester, Vinylester, metallic, ceramic.

Advantages of Composites:

• Weight reduction
• Corrosion resistance
• Tailored mechanical properties
• Lower assembly cost

Disadvantages of Composites:

• Higher production cost
• Higher raw material cost
• Non-visible delamination damage
• Compatibility/corrosion issues on Aluminum parts

Types of Structural Composites:

• Honeycomb
• GLARE: Glass Laminate Aluminum Reinforced Epoxy
• Panel Sandwich
• 3D printing

Metallic Matrix Composites (MMC):

• Reinforcements used.
• Matrix materials: Aluminum (Al), Titanium (Ti).
• Suitable for extreme work environments.
• Good thermal properties.
• Quite heavy compared to polymer composites.

Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC):

• Carbon-Carbon: Mature technology.
• Discontinuous Reinforced CMC.
• Continuous Fiber Ceramic Composites (CFCC).
• Ultra High Temperature Ceramics (UHTC).