One Distinctive Way to Tell a Boeing from an Airbus!

Note: This article is only for a quick Boeing vs Airbus comparison. We will be covering how to identify each aircraft of the two companies in detail our upcoming series AIKABirdSpot!

Getting to the point faster: There is one feature which will help you differentiate a Boeing from an Airbus most of the times - The Cockpit Windows! The side view of an Airbus cockpit has a notched window (sliding cut on top of a square window) while Boeing cockpit has V-shaped windows (lower edges of the windows form a shallow V-shape). 

Making it easy to remember - WANBV - the Windows of Airbuses are Notched and Boeings, V-shaped.

Example time baby!

Notice the sliding notch on the Airbus below:



Image by Valentin Perret from Pexels


And the shallow V-shaped windows on the Boeing below:


Image by Pascal Renet from Pexels


This rule has a few exceptions though:

Boeing 787 (Dreamliner): Laterally tapering windows. This shape is unique to 787.



Image by Daniel Eledut on Unsplash

Airbus A350: Zorro-mask shaped windows. This shape too is unique to A350.



Image by John H. from Pixabay

(Check out one more photo here: https://bit.ly/2OAexRZ)


Boeing 747: Square windows, unlike any other Boeing/Airbus plane. However, spotting a 747 is EXTREMELY easy as it is unlike any other Boeing/Airbus plane. This is almost poetic.





The other way many spotters use to differentiate B vs A is the nose shape. Airbus noses are Round while Boeings' are Pointy. So another mnemonic you can remember is NARBP - the Noses of Airbuses are Round and Boeings, Pointy.

Boeing 737 - Pointy Nose


Image by Holgi from Pixabay 


Airbus A320 - Round Nose


Image by József Kincse from Pixabay 

This was a quick glance through to the world of Plane Spotting. We will delve deep in our series AIKABirdSpot. Stay tuned!


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