Serious question about Boing/Airbus

[Clear-&aMillion]

Haven't been in aviation very long at all. What is the easiest way to tell the difference between a Boeing and Airbus aircraft???

 

[Grumman guy]

The hairy, stinky one is the scare buss, the beefy bad ass is a Boing.

 

[Grumman guy]

Woops, BoEing. Sorry.

 

[five-alive]

Well I guess a quick and dirty way is to look at the wingtips. If it has half winglets that extend above and below the wingtip, it is Airbus. If there is no winglet or a full winglet that extends above the wing probably Boeing. Look at airliners.net pics to see what I'm talking about.

 

[rchcfi]

What's the difference between an Airbus and a chainsaw?

A couple of thousand trees per hour.

What does AIRBUS stand for?

Another Inferior Response to Boeing's Unsurpassed Superiority.

 

[I fLy pLaNeS]

Check the cockpit windows.

 

[81Horse]

Check the cockpit windows.

Look at their faces: Boeings look like friendly, intelligent dolphins. Airbuses look like mean, stoopid rodents.

So says The Spouse.

 

[kevdog]

The majority of Airbus machines you will see (especially in this country) are the 320 family. Look at a picture of a Jetblue airplane. The flightdeck will also give it away, since al the new Airbus planes don't have a yoke in front of the seats like a Boeing does. Besides that, most Airbus planes are fly-by-wire while the majority of Boeing is cabled (Besides the 777). Airbus planes are about 1/3 to 1/2 the price of a Boeing and are not as heavy duty or as powerful. Seems like an airline can buy 2-3 320s for the price of 1 737.

 

[Cardinal]

Airbii have a funny, short, stubby little vertical tail that looks like it was scaled up from a Cessna 185. The Boeings have a long, graceful fin that would look right at home on a killer whale. 737 sits low, the better to vacuum the ramp, classic stern Boeing nose. The A320 is longer legged while generally less pointy with a round nose. The 757 has looong legs, big knockers, and a cute face.

 

[Occam's Razor]

Airbus' are usually full of jerks, and are found in forests in France, and gliding onto islands in the Atlantic.

Boeings are typcially full of dorks, and can be found in gas stations in SoCal and Chicago.

Who'd I leave out?

I keed!

 

[Eagleflip]

Warning--thread drift ahead...

Of interest, Aviation Week recently noted that the Boeing 737 just passed the 6000 mark for aircraft produced/ordered. It has been offered since 1968.

The Airbus 320 just reached the 4000 mark for produced/ordered, and it has been sold since 1988.

For those of you who despise Airbii, I suggest that capitalism is providing a lesson. An aircraft will not continue to sell if it is uneconomical, "cheap," or otherwise a shoddy product. Both jets seem to be doing just fine.

OK, more to the point--another way to tell a Boeing from an Airbus is to look at them during night flights. Most Boeings seem to havea single strobe light flash, and Airbuses (well, at least the 320) has a double flash.

Does this extend to other Boeing/Airbus models?

 

[Fugawe]

If you're talking about just visual ID of the jet, the winglets are on some, but Scarebus also seems to be fond of multiple huge flap hinge fairings.

 

[avbug]

The recent merger between the two has now produced a hybrid which will alternately be known as the "Bobus," or the "Airbing." The Bobus will continue to be known by it's cute little bottle nose and the crews that swagger around with chart cases covered in "if it ain't boeing, I ain't going," stickers. The Airbing is undergoing a redesign, and will soon see self launching using larger rubber bands and a crew of six; three to pull it back and hang on, and three to wind one up internally for the long flight home.

The easiest way to tell is to check out the header on the passenger safety briefing cards when you buckle in, right after you turn off your cell phone and take a couple of cough drops so I don't have to listen to you for the next four hours. If it says "Airbus," it probably is...but could just be a misprint. If it says "Boeing," you can bank on it.

If you see one taxiing by and the pilots are wearing Berets, chances are it's not a Boeing. Changes are you want to avoid shaking hands with them after the flight, too. Or spending too much time with them at the bar. If you see one taxiing by and the crew are wearing crush caps, haven't shaved in a few days, look haggard and one crewmember is possibly dead, it's a boeing, but 60 years out of date and on the wrong side of the pond. Check your time-space continuem for proper function.

If you say "airbus" too loudly and someone smacks you upside the head with a wrench, you're probably in the Boeing production plant, and had best scoot for an exit forthwith before someone else does something more than say "hello."

If you happen to be in France when you say "Boeing," you'll probably see more white flags tossed at your feet than an epileptic in Pennys during a white sale. Not that the airbus doesn't sell well, mind you...it's the mindset of surrendering to anything, any time...and it's not their fault. Several millenia of defeat will do that to anybody.

If the aircraft is old, it's probably a Boeing. If it's not it's probably an airbus.

If you get a chance, ask the pilot. If the pilot replies "Boeing!," changes are that he's correct. If he replies "Boeing?," chances are that it's an airbus.

 

[CSY Mon]

Pretty good Mr. Avbug.

Occasionally one finds a jewel in these here Boeing vs. Airbus threads.

 

[flyf15]

deleted

 

[rfresh]

It will just take some time. After while, you'll just look at a plane and 'know' if its a 737 or an A-319/320 type etc.

As for which is better, while we all have our preferences, the A-320 is currently out selling the 737 by a very wide margin. However, this is most likely due to it's lower cost. Airlines buy planes that meet their needs based on cost over features. This has been proven over and over and in the case of the 737 vs A-320 war, is no exception. If Boeing wants to compete with Airbus in this market they will have to lower their price.

While I prefer and favor Boeing equipment, Boeing is getting lowered down a notch or two by Airbus. Boeing has been too arrogant for too long. They *think* they know best and they *think* they know how to do it better than anyone else in world. Airbus is showing them that they are wrong with that kind of an attitude.

 

[sweptback]

Of interest, Aviation Week recently noted that the Boeing 737 just passed the 6000 mark for aircraft produced/ordered. It has been offered since 1968.

The Airbus 320 just reached the 4000 mark for produced/ordered, and it has been sold since 1988.

In addition, nearly 2000 737NGs have been delivered since 1997. It is the fastest selling airplane of all time.

 

[FL420]

May I inject a little levity along with a real attempt to answer the original question.

The leading edge of the vertical fin on the A318/319/320/321 series Airbus extends in a straight line from the top to where it joins the fuselage. The leading edge of the vertical fin on the B737 has a forward bend about a third of the way up from the fuselage.

The B737 sits closer to the ground on short gear requiring the later turbofan versions to have engine nacelles flattened on the bottom for increased ground clearance. The Airbus has longer gear and symmetrical engine nacelles.

Except for the very latest models the B737 cockpit has an eyebrow window on each side like the B707 and B727.

And, if you really want to impress someone with your keen eye, you can point out to some unsuspecting person that the Airbus fuselage diameter is 7.6 inches bigger than the single aisle Boeings.