How many different plane types have you flown on?

There are several aircraft manufacturers around the world and most offer various different plane types for airlines to buy. The reason for this is that some are built for long flights, others for short flights and so on. This allows airlines to match capacity with demand.

Frequent flyers are generally very familiar with the various types, as some offer a better experience than others. This is mainly down to how a particular airline arranges their cabin and everyone has their personal preference.

Different Plane Types

At University during a ‘get to know you’ type exercise, we were asked how many different plane types we had flown on. Being slightly older than some of the other students, I managed to win that particular question in the session. So just what have I been on?

For Airbus, I have been on the Airbus A300B4-203, A300-600, A310-300, A318, A319, A320-200, A320-200neo, A321, A330-200, A330-300, A340-200, A340-300, A350-900 and the Airbus A380. There are some missing, but I am not planning to chase them. When it comes to Boeing, the list is almost as comprehensive. Boeing 717-200, 727-200 Advanced, 737-300, 737-400, 737-500, 737-700, 737-800, 747-100, 747-300, 747-400, 747-400ER, 757-200, 767-200, 767-300, 777-200, 777-200LR, 777-300ER, 787-8 and 787-9. Phew! My first flight was on a Fokker F28-4000, I’ve flown in the Dash 8-100 and the Q400, a Cessna Caravan, Douglas DC-10-10 and DC-10-30, the MD-11, various MD-80s, the CRJ 200 and CRJ 900, plus the Embraer E145, E170, E175, E190 and E195, and finally the ATR42 and ATR72.

So Which One Was Best?

Some aviation fans tend to say that one aircraft is better than another, usually for some arbitrary reason. Personally, there are only a few planes that are notably different from others and that’s solely because technology is better.

When I first travelled on an Airbus A380, the quietness of the cabin stood out compared to other aircraft. This trend continued with the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, which also have great sound proofing and quieter engines. That’s just technological progress really.

Cabin comfort wise, it depends completely on what seats the airline chooses, such as the Qatar Airways business class seat above. I personally have not noticed the difference between a 17″ seat width and a 17.5″ seat width, so conclusions that X aircraft is better because it is 5″ wider than the competition are meaningless to me.

Quite frankly, I have enjoyed almost all of my flights, so I couldn’t choose a favourite. Friendly cabin crew and a nice seat are important, moreso than the actual aircraft itself. Though, that being said, where possible I do try to fly on board something I have not experienced yet. That’s the aviation geek in me!

Overall Thoughts

While you may think I have been on quite a lot of different aircraft, my list does pale compared to certain other people who make it a mission to get on board everything they can. Even so, I think I’ve done alright. It does make me sad when I have missed flying on something as it is no longer in the air. I have always wanted to fly on a Vickers VC10 for example, but that will never happen now.

How many different plane types have you flown on? I’d be interested to hear that, along with any you particularly liked or disliked. Thank you for reading and please leave any comments or questions below.

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Featured image by Josh Methven on Unsplash.
Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 via Cathay Pacific.
Qatar Boeing 777-200LR by Darren Koch via Wikimedia Commons.
United Douglas DC-10 by GeorgeM757 on Flickr.