6/22/2016 Taylor Tucker 3 min read
Written by Taylor Tucker
During WWII, this was an invaluable skill, as people were encouraged to learn how to identify incoming planes and other aircraft by a few key characteristics in order to tell whether or not it was the enemy approaching. Today, you can benefit from doing the same thing, whether it’s to being able to find an unfamiliar car in the parking lot or tell apart the Olsen twins in pictures from when they were little. I’ve included some examples for you to use to test your skills.
The back of a white Honda CRV looks a lot like the back of a white Lincoln MKZ. Among other shared details, the cars have a very similar taper and size. Of course, if you take a few minutes to actually compare them you can spot a whole list of differences. However, the idea is to be able to pick out one or two differences right away—something you might notice while passing the car on the road or that you can use to spot the car from a distance. The most obvious thing here is the arrangement of the tail lights.
The two planes shown in the picture are examples of aircraft that have a very obvious and unique characteristic. Even if you don’t know many planes, one detail can help you identify each of these. In the case of the Spitfire, it’s the wide, rounded wing shape. For the 727, it’s the three engines – specifically the middle cell in front of the rudder.