WEFT is the wartime spotter's mnemonic for reading a plane fast: Wings, Engines, Fuselage, Tail. Work through those four regions in order and almost any airliner
narrows down to one or two candidates before you've finished looking at it. Each section below covers one visual
question from that method, with a couple of real types side by side so the tell is obvious rather than abstract.
Wings
wings
What does the very tip of the wing look like?
Plain and flat
The wing simply ends — no upward bend, blade, or fin at the tip.
Wingtip fences
Small flat plates jutting both above and below the wingtip — the classic Airbus A320-family look.
Upturned winglet
A single blade curves sharply upward at the tip, like the wing was bent skyward at the end.
Split scimitar winglet
A curved blade sweeps up and also splits into a smaller downward blade underneath — looks like a stylized fishtail.
Raked tip
The wingtip is swept back at a sharper angle than the rest of the wing, tapering to a point with no separate upward blade.
Airbus A320ceoBoeing 737NGBoeing 787-9
wings
Are the wings attached near the top or bottom of the fuselage?
Low-mounted wings
The wings attach near the bottom of the fuselage, roughly level with the belly — most airliners are built this way.
High-mounted wings
The wings attach near the top of the fuselage, above the windows, leaving the belly clear underneath.
Airbus A320ceoATR 42/72
wings
Do the wings angle backward, or stick straight out to the sides?
Swept back
The wings angle noticeably backward from the fuselage toward the tail — standard on jets built for fast cruising.
Straight
The wings stick out roughly perpendicular to the fuselage with little or no backward angle — typical of slower propeller planes.
Airbus A320ceoATR 42/72
Engines
engines
Do the engines have spinning propeller blades, or are they smooth tubes?
Jet engines
Smooth, tube-shaped engines with no visible spinning blades — just a dark round opening that sucks in air.
Propeller engines
Engines with visible spinning blades mounted on the nose of the engine, like a giant fan out front.
Airbus A320ceoATR 42/72
engines
How many engines can you count?
Two engines
One engine under or beside each wing — the most common setup on modern airliners.
Three engines
Two engines plus a third tucked into the tail or base of the fin — rare on aircraft still flying today.
Four engines
Two engines under each wing, four total — a hallmark of the biggest jumbo jets.
Boeing 737NGMcDonnell Douglas MD-11FBoeing 747-400
engines
Where are the engines mounted on the plane?
Slung under the wings
Engines hang in pods beneath the wings, well ahead of the wing's leading edge.
Mounted on the rear fuselage
Engines are attached to the sides of the body near the tail, with clean wings underneath.
Wings plus tail
Two engines under the wings, with a third built into the base of the tail fin.
Airbus A320ceoEmbraer ERJ145McDonnell Douglas MD-11F
engines
How big are the engine covers compared to the wing?
Modest size
The engine covers (nacelles) look proportional to the wing — noticeably smaller than the depth of the wing itself.
Huge and bulging
The engine covers look oversized for the plane, almost as wide as the fuselage is tall — typical of modern fuel-efficient jets.
Boeing 737NGBoeing 737 MAX
engines
What shape is the back rim of the engine cover?
Perfectly round
The rear opening of the engine cover forms a clean circle, like a simple tube.
Flattened on the bottom
The bottom edge of the engine cover is sliced flat instead of curving all the way around — helps clear the ground on low-slung jets.
Saw-toothed edge
The trailing edge has a zigzag, saw-tooth pattern (chevrons) instead of a smooth circle — a noise-reduction feature on newer engines.
Airbus A320ceoBoeing 737NGBoeing 787-9
Fuselage
fuselage
Guessing from the windows, does the cabin look like it fits one aisle or two?
Narrow body
A slim tube-shaped body with a single aisle inside — seats up to about six across.
Wide body
A noticeably fatter body with two aisles inside — seats seven or more across.
Airbus A320ceoBoeing 777-300
fuselage
Does the body look short and stubby, or long and stretched?
Stubby
The body looks short relative to its wingspan and height, with the tail close behind the wings.
Standard length
The body's length looks in normal proportion to the wings — neither obviously short nor drawn out.
Stretched
The body looks unusually long and slender, like the plane's tube was pulled taut compared to a normal jet.
Bombardier CRJ200Airbus A320ceoBoeing 757
fuselage
Does the fuselage have one level of windows, or does part of it bulge upward?
Single deck
One continuous row of windows runs the length of the plane — no upper bulge.
Hump at the front
A raised bulge sits above the forward fuselage, with a second smaller row of windows above the main one, then the roofline drops back down.
Full double deck
Two full rows of windows run nearly the entire length of the plane, giving it a tall, two-story look throughout.
Airbus A320ceoBoeing 747-400Airbus A380
fuselage
What shape are the cockpit windows at the very front?
Angular with a notch
The windshield panels are flat-sided with a sharp notch or step where the side window meets the front — a boxy, faceted look.
Smoothly rounded
The windshield panels curve gently into each other with no sharp notch, giving the nose a smooth, bubble-like front.
Four flat panes
The windshield is made of four distinct flat panes arranged in a simple grid, giving a plain, slightly boxy look.
Raccoon mask
Dark tinted panels wrap around the windows in a band, making the cockpit look like it's wearing a mask compared to the rest of the fuselage.
Boeing 737NGAirbus A320ceoAirbus A350-900
fuselage
How many wheels are on each main landing gear leg?
Two wheels per leg
Each main landing gear leg has a simple pair of wheels side by side.
Four wheels per leg
Each main landing gear leg has four wheels arranged in a small cluster (a bogie) — common on larger jets.
Six wheels per leg
Each main landing gear leg has six wheels in two rows of three — found on the heaviest widebody jets.
Airbus A320ceoBoeing 767Boeing 777-300
Tail
tail
Where does the horizontal tail fin attach relative to the vertical fin?
Conventional tail
The horizontal tailplane attaches low, near the base of the fuselage, well below the top of the vertical fin.
T-tail
The horizontal tailplane sits mounted at the very top of the vertical fin, forming a capital T shape.
Cruciform tail
The horizontal tailplane attaches partway up the vertical fin — higher than a conventional tail but below the very top — forming a cross shape.