Identify the main body of the airplane. This is the fuselage. The cockpit is located at the front of the fuselage and is easily identified by the windows used by the pilot. For smaller airplanes, the engines are usually inside the fuselage. The only parts that are identifiable are propellers, intakes and nozzles.
Identify the wings, which are attached to the fuselage. They can be attached at the bottom, top or in the middle of the fuselage depending on the size and mission of the airplane. The wings can also be straight, swept back, swept forward or delta shaped. The speed at which the plane is designed to fly is the biggest factor in determining the type of wing. If the wing has vertical surfaces on the tips, the surfaces are called "winglets." For larger airplanes, engines are usually mounted beneath the wings.
Identify the wing control surfaces. Flaps are large movable surfaces at the root of the wing near the fuselage used to increase lift at low speeds. Ailerons are surfaces near the tips of the wing that allow the airplane to turn. Some aircraft will have slats as well. Flaps and ailerons are located on the trailing edge of the wing, while slats are located on the leading edge and are designed to further increase lift at low speeds.
Identify the horizontal stabilizers. They are smaller than the wings and usually located near the rear of the fuselage. When they are located in front of the wings and near the front of the fuselage, they are called "canards."
Identify the horizontal stabilizer or canard control surfaces. Elevators are located on the trailing edge on the stabilizer. When the entire horizontal stabilizer and canard are used as a control surface, it is called a "stabilator." On a delta wing and some lifting body airplanes, the elevators also act as ailerons and are called "elevons."
Identify the vertical stabilizer, which is sometimes called the vertical tail. Some airplanes have a split-tail design and will therefore have two vertical stabilizers. Some older designs, especially for larger airplanes, had three or more vertical stabilizers. The control surface for this part of the airplane is located along the trailing edge and is commonly referred to as the rudder. Occasionally, an engine will be mounted between the fuselage and the vertical stabilizer, such as with the DC-10.
