How to Track Which Aircraft Types You've Flown (And Why Enthusiasts Love It)
For aviation enthusiasts, the variety of aircraft types you've flown is a collection as satisfying as any other. Here's how to track yours, what counts, and which types are worth actively seeking out.
At some point, most aviation enthusiasts start paying attention to what they're actually flying on.
Not just the airline or the destination - but the specific aircraft type. Whether it's a 737-800 or a 737 MAX 8. Whether the A321 has sharklets. Whether the regional hop to Edinburgh is an ATR 72 or a Dash 8.
And then, almost inevitably: how many different types have I flown?
Aircraft type tracking is one of the most deeply satisfying corners of the aviation enthusiast hobby. Here's how to do it properly.
Why Aircraft Types Matter to Enthusiasts
Every aircraft type is a distinct machine. Different manufacturers, different engineering generations, different cabin philosophies, different performance characteristics. Flying on an A380 is a categorically different physical experience from flying on a CRJ-700, and not just in the obvious ways.
For the aviation enthusiast, the aircraft type is part of the story of the flight - as relevant as the destination, the airline, and the seat. Noting it is a habit that costs nothing and adds a layer of richness to what might otherwise be a forgettable commuter hop.
Aircraft type collecting also has a natural scarcity dimension. Some types are rare, being retired or replaced. Some are only deployed on specific routes. Some require deliberate planning to fly on - seeking out the one airline that still operates a particular aircraft on a particular route.
That scarcity creates the same collector's instinct that drives plane spotters to log every registration they see from the fence line.
What Counts as a Distinct Type?
This is where the hobby gets satisfying in its detail. The question of what constitutes a "new type" has genuine nuance.
Family vs variant
The Boeing 737 family spans decades of development. A 737-200 from the 1970s, a 737-800 from the early 2000s, and a 737 MAX 10 from 2023 are all "737s" - but they are meaningfully different aircraft. Most enthusiasts count major variants separately.
The Airbus A320 family (A318, A319, A320, A321) presents the same question. Each has a different fuselage length, different range, and different operational characteristics. Counting them as separate types adds granularity; counting them as one family simplifies the log.
The practical approach: decide on a consistent rule and apply it throughout your log. Most dedicated enthusiasts count major variants (737-800 vs 737 MAX 8) but not every sub-variant or engine option.
Narrowbody vs widebody
The most fundamental distinction in commercial aviation. Narrowbody aircraft (single aisle) dominate short and medium-haul routes; widebody aircraft (twin aisle) cover long-haul. Building a diverse type log means flying both.
Common narrowbody types you'll encounter regularly:
- Boeing 737 family (737-700, 737-800, 737 MAX 8/10)
- Airbus A320 family (A319, A320, A321, and their neo variants)
- Embraer E-jets (E170, E175, E190, E195)
- Bombardier CRJ series (CRJ-700, CRJ-900)
- ATR 42/72 (turboprops, common on short regional routes)
Common widebody types:
- Boeing 777 (777-200, 777-300ER, 777X)
- Boeing 787 (787-8, 787-9, 787-10)
- Airbus A330 (A330-200, A330-300, A330neo)
- Airbus A350 (A350-900, A350-1000)
- Airbus A380
The rare and retiring types
Some types are worth actively seeking out before they disappear from commercial service.
Boeing 747 - the Queen of the Skies. Passenger variants are being retired rapidly. Lufthansa, Korean Air, and a handful of others still operate them, but the window is closing. If you haven't flown on a 747, it's worth planning a route around one.
Airbus A380 - not retiring imminently, but new orders have stopped. The airlines currently flying it (Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Lufthansa, British Airways among them) will continue operating their fleets for years, but the type has a finite future in commercial service.
Boeing 757 - beloved by pilots and passengers alike for its runway performance and passenger experience, the 757 is still in service with a small number of carriers. Iceland Air and Delta operate some of the larger remaining fleets.
Concorde - already retired, obviously. But if you flew on it before 2003, it's worth logging. There are very few aircraft types that can genuinely claim to be historic.
How to Track Your Aircraft Types
Option 1: Log every flight with the aircraft type noted
The most thorough approach. Every time you fly, record the aircraft type alongside the route, date, and airline. Over time, your log becomes a complete record of every type you've been on.
This is exactly what MyFlight.Life is built for. When you log a flight, you can record the aircraft type - and your stats dashboard tracks which types you've flown, how many times you've been on each, and the variety across your entire flight history.
Importing historical flights (including from App in the Air if you were a user) brings in type data retroactively, so you may find your collection is already larger than you thought.
Option 2: Retroactive reconstruction
If you haven't been logging types as you go, you can reconstruct a partial list from memory and records.
Your loyalty account history often includes aircraft type alongside route data. Seatmaps and booking confirmations frequently specify the aircraft. Photos from flights can often be matched to a type from the cabin configuration, window shape, or any partial view of the exterior.
The further back you go, the patchier the data - but most enthusiasts find they can reconstruct a reasonable type list for the past five to seven years without too much difficulty.
Option 3: Start fresh from today
If reconstruction feels overwhelming, simply start logging from now. Note the aircraft type on every flight going forward. Within a year or two of regular flying, you'll have a meaningful and accurate list.
Types Worth Actively Seeking Out
For enthusiasts who want to add specific types to their log:
Airbus A380 - book on Emirates (Dubai hub), Singapore Airlines, Qantas (London-Sydney, Singapore-Sydney), or Lufthansa. Widely available if you pick the right routes.
Boeing 747 - Lufthansa still operates 747-8s on some routes. Korean Air operates a 747 fleet. Check seat maps when booking to identify routes that still use them.
Boeing 787 Dreamliner - widely deployed by most major long-haul carriers. Relatively easy to find on transatlantic and transpacific routes.
Airbus A350 - Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Air France operate large A350 fleets. Often the default aircraft on newer long-haul routes.
ATR 72 or Dash 8 - if you want a turboprop on your list, regional routes in the UK, Scandinavia, the Balkans, and many island destinations still use these regularly.
Embraer E2 series - the newest generation of regional jets from Embraer. Widerøe, KLM Cityhopper, and several other European regional carriers operate them.
The Satisfaction of a Complete Log
There's something specifically satisfying about a flight type log that a simple country count doesn't replicate.
Countries are about geography. Aircraft types are about machines - the engineering history of commercial aviation, compressed into the list of types you've actually been on. Each one represents a different era, a different manufacturer's philosophy, a different set of engineering choices.
Your aircraft type log is, in a sense, a personal history of aviation told through the machines you've flown.
The Crew yearly subscription gives you access to full aircraft type stats and the complete flight logging suite. Free plan covers up to 20 flights per calendar year.
You've already flown some remarkable aircraft. Do you know which ones?