Because it's Friday: How to tell a Boeing 737 from an Airbus A320

I love planes, and one of my favourite things about flying is checking out all the aircraft at the airport. The biggest planes, like the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747 are easy to spot, and always a thrill to see. If they happen to be standing next to a little Boeing 737 or Airbus A320, you can easily see how enormous they are. But I've always had trouble telling the smaller planes apart, and in particular spotting the difference between the B737 and A320. This guide by Arun Rajagopal finally gave me the clue I needed: look at how the tail fin connects to the main fuselage:

Note in the photo above (by Islam Chen), the China Southern Boeing 737 at the bottom of the frame has its tail fin connected to the fuselage with a gently sloping bracing strut. By contrast, the China Southern Airbus A320 in the middle of the frame has its tail fin connected directly to the fuselage. Other differences are apparent in the photograph, too: the lower-riding engines of the B737, and the simpler, straighter cockpit windows of the A320, but in practice I've found the tail fin difference the easiest to spot. Check out the rest of the guide to learn how to spot other aircraft in the Boeing and Airbus fleets, as well.

That's all from us here at the blog for this week. See you back here on Monday, and enjoy your weekend!