Identify a Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a passenger aircraft that is used by airlines around the world. It is a very popular and common aircraft, but it is still a sight to see. What if you want to identify it? This wikiHow is here to help. This article only applies to the 737 Next Generation Series and 737 MAX Series.
Contents
Steps
Examining Main Features
- Identify the nose. The nose of a 737 is pointed, unlike the A320, which is rounded. It looks a lot like a cone and can be easily identified.
- Identify the landing gears. The landing gears of a 737 are made up of a nose gear consisting of two wheels, and two fuselage gears. The fuselage gears are just like the nose gear, two wheels side by side on each gear. Overall, there are three gears.
- Identify the engines. Generally, on the type of 737, the engines will be smaller with a flat bottom to allow for ground clearance. Along with that, on bigger models, the engines will be round. The 737 has two engines, one per wing.
- Identify the tail. The tail of the 737 is slanted slightly in the front and is rectangular. The back is verticle.
Identifying the 737 Next Generation Series
- Identify the fuselage length. The fuselage length varies depending on the model, the 737-700 is the shortest at 33.6 m (110 ft 4 in). The 737-800 is the second smallest at 39.5 m (129 ft 6 in). Finally, the 737-900 is the largest at 42.1 m (138 ft 2 in).
- Identify the engines. The engines of all of the 737 Next-Generation models are the CFM-56. Depending on the model, the engine can have a flat or a misshapen bottom. Others are fully rounded.
- Identify the livery or registration. Attempt to identify what airline the aircraft belongs to. Record down the registration to search up later. By searching it up, you can get in-depth detail about the aircraft.
- Identify the winglets. The winglets of the 737 can come in three variants. None, regular (straight up winglets), and split scimitar winglets (split winglets). They can be identified on the ends of the wings.
Identifying the MAX Series
- Identify the fuselage length. The fuselage size is the exact same as the other variants of the 737 depending on the model. It can be easily found on Boeing's website.
- Identify the winglets. The winglets of a MAX can be identified by how they are both split winglets at an angle. They are on both wings, unlike other models. They can be found on the end of the wings
- Identify the engines and sound. The MAX line is also quieter than the others. It has quieter engines and can be heard less than other 737s. It is powered by 2 LEAP 1-Bs which are rounded and do not feature a flat bottom.
- Identify what airline the aircraft is in service with and registration. Some airlines will operate the 737 MAX series, including Southwest, United, Ethiopian, and many others. Identify the airline/livery to identify if an airline operates it. Also, identify the registration to search it up later, thus you can identify the aircraft and who operates it in detail.
Tips
- Make sure to record the registration so that you can look up the aircraft later.
- Record down the airline or company that the aircraft is in service with, so that you can look it up later.
References
- https://www.boeing.com/commercial/737max/
- https://www.boeing.com/commercial/737ng/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_737
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_737_MAX
