Aviation technical questions. From Cam!

[Cam]

Alright. Somewhat technical.

1) Is it possible to tell what type of plane it is just by their navigation lights? The other night I was standing out on my deck watching some traffic at altitude pass overhead. With Boeing and Airbus planes, are the navigation lights different? Three planes passed overhead, looking from the back one had just two wing tip white lights along with strobes. Another had wing tip as well as a center rear. Do B and A have different setup's? The last was the same as the first. Now oncoming you can just see port and starboard colored lights.

2) Does the A330 have a large wingspan compares to similar types? I just noticed that the other day while cleaning my models. Now I don't know how accurate the models are, but I just noticed that. (eg. 767).
If it does have a larger wingspan, does it benefit it at all? Reduce thrust requirement? [...]

That's all I have on the top of my head.

[ptbodale]

Well here are some stats for you Cam,

A330 -
nose to tail - 63.69m (208'11")
wing tip to wing tip - 60.3m (197'10")

A340 -
Same as the A330

B762 -
nose to tail - 48.51m (159'2")
wing tip to wing tip - 47.57m (156'1")

B763 -
nose to tail - 54.94m (180'3")
wing tip to wing tip - 47.57m (156'1")

[AJ]

Regarding navigation lights.....not really.

Wingtip (rear) navigation lights were evolved to allow for a tail exhaust, either engine or APU. Aircraft such as the A330 and 757/767-2/300 have them. Both Boeings and Airbii have used both tail and wingtip rear nav lights so it doesn't really narrow it down.
The 777 is one you can pick by having both tail and wingtip white nav lights!

[Colin Parker]

Actually, on the 777-200 the tail navigation lights are an option. Some of them do not carry them.....certain airlines save pennies wherever possible so I can say I know a certain Asian airline has them on their 777-300s only!

[Genessee]

I've got a related question....

Regarding the lights on the wingtips, what's different about the MD-11? A few people seem to point out the MD-11 based on the wingtip lights. I've taken a look, but I can't see the difference (at a distance) between MD-11 and some other types.

[Colin Parker]

The MD11 has the double flash strobes which immediately rules out it being a Boeing. (A real Boeing I mean). The MD11's wings are also very swept back, so if you compare the position of the strobes to the landing lights and the beacon, the sweepback is easy to tell even during the night.

[Genessee]

Thanks Colin!