Can you tell a Boeing 737 from an Airbus A320, recognise a Dreamliner by its engines, or separate an A380 from a 747? This airplane quiz tests the visual clues that work in the real world—not airline paint schemes or obscure trivia.

For an interactive version with aircraft images, shuffled answers and focused quizzes for every model, open WhatPlane Quiz. You can also browse all 64 aircraft identification guides.

How to Take the Quiz

Answer each question before opening the explanation. The important part is not simply getting the model right; it is naming the physical clue that led you there.

Keep this order in mind:

  1. Overall configuration: jet, turboprop, helicopter or military aircraft.
  2. Engine number and position.
  3. Nose and cockpit-window shape.
  4. Wingtip and landing-gear details.
  5. Fuselage length, doors and emergency exits.

Airline colours come last. A livery identifies the operator, not the aircraft.

Question 1: Boeing 737 or Airbus A320?

A narrowbody twinjet sits low to the ground. Its engine nacelles have a noticeably flattened lower edge and its cockpit windows look angular. Which family is the stronger identification?

Reveal the answer

Boeing 737. The low stance and flattened-bottom nacelles are classic 737 clues. An A320 generally sits higher and has rounder nacelles. Compare the Boeing 737-800 guide with the Airbus A320 guide.

Question 2: What identifies a Boeing 737 MAX 8?

Choose the best combination:

  • A full-length upper deck and four engines
  • Large engines with chevroned rear edges and split-tip winglets
  • Rear-mounted engines and a T-tail
Reveal the answer

Large engines with chevroned rear edges and split-tip winglets. The MAX keeps the basic 737 shape but adds larger LEAP engines and distinctive wingtip devices. Practise with the Boeing 737 MAX 8 quiz.

Question 3: Airbus A350 or Boeing 787?

You see a modern twin-engine widebody with a continuous dark mask around the cockpit windows and long, smoothly curved wingtips. Which aircraft family is it?

Reveal the answer

Airbus A350. The cockpit mask is the fastest clue. A Boeing 787 has distinctive chevrons around the rear of its engine nacelles and does not have the same continuous eye mask. Compare the A350-900 and 787-9 guides.

Question 4: Airbus A380 or Boeing 747?

Both aircraft have four engines. One has two passenger decks running for almost the full length of the fuselage. The other has a shorter upper-deck hump ahead of the wing. Which is which?

Reveal the answer

The full-length double deck is the Airbus A380; the forward hump is the Boeing 747. These are among the most reliable silhouettes in commercial aviation. Try the A380 quiz and 747-400 quiz.

Question 5: ATR 72 or Dash 8-400?

Both are high-wing regional turboprops. One has a longer, more pointed nose and a tall T-tail; the other has the more rounded ATR-family nose. Which clue should you trust first?

Reveal the answer

Start with the nose and door layout, then confirm the tail. The Dash 8-400 has a long pointed nose and a distinctive forward passenger door arrangement. The ATR 72 has different forward-fuselage proportions. Compare the Dash 8-400 and ATR 72-600.

Question 6: Regional Jet Identification

A small jet has two engines mounted on the rear fuselage and a horizontal stabiliser at the top of the vertical tail. Is it more likely to be a CRJ-family aircraft or an Embraer E-Jet?

Reveal the answer

CRJ family. The CRJ uses rear-mounted engines and a T-tail. Embraer E-Jets such as the E175 and E190 place their engines under low-mounted wings and use a conventional tail. See the CRJ-900 identification guide.

Question 7: Passenger Jet or Freighter?

The aircraft has the proportions of an airliner, but the main fuselage has no passenger-window line and there is a large rectangular cargo door. What should you conclude?

Reveal the answer

It is a dedicated or converted freighter. Confirm the base aircraft shape before identifying the exact cargo variant. Start with the Boeing 777F, Airbus A300-600F and 737-800BCF guides.

Question 8: What Does B738 Mean?

You see the ICAO type designator B738 in a flight tracker. Which aircraft does it identify?

Reveal the answer

Boeing 737-800. ICAO type designators are compact tracking and operational codes. They are useful confirmation, but visual identification should still begin with the physical aircraft. See the Boeing 737-800 guide.

Question 9: General Aviation

One light aircraft has its wing mounted above the cabin; another has a low wing passing beneath the cabin. Which common trainers do these shapes suggest?

Reveal the answer

High wing suggests a Cessna 172; low wing suggests a Piper PA-28. These are family-level clues, so confirm the cabin windows, landing gear and tail. Compare the Cessna 172 and Piper PA-28.

Question 10: Can You Identify a Live Aircraft?

You hear an aircraft overhead but can only see a small silhouette. What is the best learning method?

Reveal the answer

Guess first, then verify. Note the engine count, wing position and wingtip shape before checking live data. What Plane? shows the nearest aircraft type, airline, altitude, speed and direction so you can check your visual call while the flight is still nearby.

Score Your Aircraft Knowledge

  • 9–10 correct: strong recognition—move to timed or silhouette practice.
  • 6–8 correct: good foundation—focus on lookalike pairs.
  • 3–5 correct: learn the major families before memorising variants.
  • 0–2 correct: start with engine position, wing position and aircraft size.

The score matters less than the clues you can explain. A correct guess based on livery alone will not transfer to another airline. A correct identification based on structure will.

Continue with a Focused Airplane Quiz

Choose any model from the aircraft identification guide library, or start the full free airplane quiz. When you are outside, use What Plane? on the App Store to identify live traffic overhead.