Aircraft Recognition

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Aircraft Recognition 2 0 0 7
With your Host
Jerry Hough
Questions? Call me at 616 575-1905
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• Todays Agenda
• Welcome to the first lesson in aircraft
  recognition training. You get to test your
  knowledge before the training slide appears.
  Once again, I suggest strong coffee before you
  begin!
• Last year, some of you asked for airborne
  pictures. They are included in lesson 2.
• Bottom line is this.Aircraft recognition is a
  lifelong adventure for those afflicted with the
  disease. Its not something you can learn
  quickly since many of the differences are subtle
  at best.
• In the heat of battle, you may try to use your
  new found knowledge and misapply it. The danger
  is that when you issue a control instruction to a
  specific type, the pilots think you really know
  your airplanes, andif you were wrong and
  misidentified the type, no pilot responds to your
  instructions.
• Comes down to this When you are absolutely
  certain, go ahead and use the exact type aircraft
  BUT, if theres any doubt, be generic to get the
  result you need!

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Airplanes..Airplanes..Airplanes
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Wandas Personal Favorite
The Alon ERCOUPE
Now truthfully, have you ever seen a prettier
airplane???
Since the boss really likes these, I strongly
suggest that you make every effort to identify
them correctly
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Lets Start With the Factory Builts
First.......the CESSNA's
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These are two of the most common, you will see at
least a hundred of them. To tell them apart The
C140 is the smaller 2-seater while the C170
seats 4. Most C140s have a fat wing with no
taper and a rounded tip. Most C170s have a
single strut and a tapered wing.
C-140, C120 is same without rear side window and
flaps. C140A has tapered wing
Rear window on C170 is larger C140 has sharp
angle between fuselage and vertical tail C170B
has curved fairing between fuselage and vertical
tail. (C170A tail like C140) The C170 nose is
noticeably longer because of bigger engine.
C-170B, C170A has no taper to wing and same
looking vertical tail as C120/140
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Early Cessna 150s had the same square tail as
their larger siblings. Some were converted to
the Texas Taildragger configuration. This one
even has the bigger 150hp engine conversion.
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These two Cessnas are very similar, NOT! . To
tell them apart The C180 is a 4-seater while the
C185 can squeeze in 6. The C185 has the bigger
engine, with two landing lights below the
spinner. The C180s light is in the wing The
C185 has a third side window where the C180 only
has two (this is easy to see from the side)
C-180
The Dorsal fin on the C185 is much bigger and
extends farther forward than the C180s To
disquinguish from the C170, both of these have a
square vertical tail, where all the C170s tails
are rounded
C-185
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There are actually C190s and C195s.
Originally, the C195 had the bigger engine.But
now days, I cant tell them apart. To tell these
from the C170, 180 C185.
C-195s
These two have a C170B type tail, but are much
longer and have a radial engine. Also, the
entire wing has a gradual taper with no strut.
Cessna Airmaster is similar, but smaller with a
much skinnier tail. (Only 1 or 2 Airmasters will
be here)
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These are two of the most common versions of
Cessnas popular Shyhawk and Skylane. They are
easy to tell apart if you look, but call a
Skyhawk a Skylane and you will get no response to
your control instruction. So be sure or be
generalTo tell these two apart The Skyhawks
rear window is rectangular, the Skylanes is a
teardrop that comes to a point at the rear.
Skylane has two landing lights below the spinner,
like the C185. Skyhawk has landing light in the
wing, or two close together in the nose. In the
air, the Skylane nose looks larger and deeper
(bigger engine). The dorsal fin on the Skylane
is longer and has more of a curve. The dorsal
fin on the Skyhawk has a distinct kink in it.
(Easier to tell from the side than in this
picture)
C-182 Skylane
C-172 Skyhawk
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Thru about 1963, the Cessna 172, 175, 182 series
aircraft looked very similar, with no rear window
and a square tail. Main difference was the size
of the engine and cabin room. You will also see
early Cessna 210s, that look just like a C182
(after the slanted tail started) but with
retractable gear and a bigger engine. Yes, these
early 210s even have wing struts. So be sure,
or be generic.
C-175 Skylark
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C-172 Cutlass
Single engine retractable gear Cessnas, with
wing struts, are usually either a Cutlass or
Skylane RG. True, early C210s did have struts,
but we wont see that many of them. Like their
fixed gear counterparts, the fuselage differences
are pretty much the same.
. The Skyhawks rear window is rectangular, the
Skylanes is a teardrop that comes to a point at
the rear. The dorsal fin on the Skylane is longer
and has more of a curve. The dorsal fin on the
Skyhawk has that distinct kink in it.
C-182 Skylane
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Single engine retractable gear Cessnas, without
wing struts, must be either a Cardinal or a
Centurion. Notice the cardinal has a teardrop
rear window, like the Skylane, and a steeply
raked windshield. The Cardinal also has the same
angular bend in the dorsal fin as the Skyhawk.
The Centurion has more of a sweeping curve into
the vertical tail. Centurions may or may not
have open gear wells without doors.
C-177 Cardinal
The fixed gear Cardinal is the only tricycle
geared Cessna without wing struts. Same with
the steeply raked windshield.
C-210 Centurion
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Most big Cessna singles with three windows on
the side are Stationairs. Longer versions are
the C207. Early versions of the 206 were
designated the C205 Super Skylane.
C-207 w/Turbine
Some C206/207s have been converted to Turbo-Prop
engines. Theyre the ones with really long
cowlings.
C-206 Stationair
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By the mid 60s, all twin Cessnas had the
pointed tip tanks. Only the early C310s had the
square tail
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Oval windows and a really skinny rear fuselage
and tail help you tell the C335 (unpressurized)
C340 from the 400 series twin Cessnas.

C-335 / 340
There will only be 1 or 2 of these Champion
Lancers at Oshkosh. This is a 2-seat twin with a
classic Aeronca fuselage and slightly more
streamlined tail. Long main gear legs like a
Britten-Norman Islander.
Champion Lancer