37 Types of Planes

Commercial and Regional Airliners

Airliners carry passengers and freight on scheduled routes. Large aircraft with many seats fly between major hubs, and smaller regional aircraft feed those hubs from smaller airports.

1. Commercial Airliners

Mainline airliners are large transport-category aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and 747 and the Airbus A320 family and A380. The A380 is certified to a maximum of 853 seats, the most of any airliner, though airlines normally fit far fewer.

Flying one as pilot in command takes a type rating, which 14 CFR 61.31 requires for turbojet-powered airplanes and for large aircraft over 12,500 pounds maximum certificated takeoff weight. For what these aircraft cost to buy, see our guides to Boeing and Airbus prices.

2. Regional Airliners

Regional airliners are smaller jets and turboprops, such as the Bombardier CRJ series and the Embraer E-Jets, used on shorter routes and from smaller airports. Many are flown by regional carriers on behalf of larger airlines, so a ticket sold by one airline may be operated by another.

3. Cargo Planes

Freighters carry cargo instead of passengers. Some are built for the job, such as the Antonov An-124, and many are airliners converted or built as freighters, such as the Boeing 747-400F. Large freighters have a main-deck cargo door, a reinforced floor and cargo-loading systems. They move packages, mail, machinery and aircraft engines, and they are used in disaster relief when roads are cut.

Military Aircraft

Military forces fly fighters, bombers, transports, trainers and unmanned aircraft. Their designs are driven by a mission rather than by airline economics.

4. Military Planes

Combat aircraft include fighters such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-35 Lightning II and ground-attack aircraft such as the A-10 Thunderbolt II and Su-25 Frogfoot. They trade cabin space and fuel efficiency for speed, maneuverability, sensors and weapons.

5. Military Transport Planes

Military transports move troops, vehicles and supplies. The C-17 Globemaster III, C-130 Hercules and Airbus A400M Atlas are built to operate from short, rough runways as well as long paved ones.

6. Military Trainers

Trainers teach military pilots, and the aircraft grow faster as students advance. Examples are the T-6 Texan II, a turboprop, and the T-38 Talon, a supersonic jet, with the Leonardo M-345 a newer jet design.

7. Military Drones (Unmanned)

Military drones are flown remotely or autonomously. The RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9 Reaper are large aircraft used for surveillance and strike missions, and the RQ-11 Raven is a small hand-launched drone.

8. Warbirds / Vintage Planes

Warbirds are former military aircraft kept flying by collectors and museums. The P-51 Mustang, F4U Corsair and B-17 Flying Fortress are regular airshow performers, and keeping them airworthy costs far more than a similar modern aircraft.

General Aviation Aircraft

General aviation (GA) covers civil flying other than scheduled airline service and the military. That includes private flying, flight training, business flights, agriculture, air ambulances, sport flying and more.

If you are budgeting for a small plane, this small plane cost comparison puts six popular families side by side.

9. Single-Engine Piston Planes

Single-engine piston airplanes are the backbone of GA. The Cessna 172, Piper PA-28 and Beechcraft Bonanza are common examples, used for training, personal travel and sightseeing. One engine means lower cost and simpler handling. See the Cessna 172 and Piper PA-28 cost guides.

10. Multi-Engine Piston Planes

Twins such as the Piper PA-44 Seminole, Cessna 310 and Beechcraft Baron add a second engine for redundancy and more load. They are costlier to buy, insure and maintain. A pilot needs a multiengine class rating, one of four airplane classes listed in 14 CFR 61.5. The Cessna 310 cost guide shows what a twin costs to own.

11. Turboprop Planes

A turboprop uses a turbine engine to turn a propeller through a reduction gearbox. It is lighter for its power than a piston engine and efficient at medium altitudes and moderate speeds. The Pilatus PC-12, Beechcraft King Air and Cessna Caravan are widely used examples. See the Pilatus PC-12 cost guide.

12. Small Private Jets

Light business jets such as the Cessna Citation family, the Embraer Phenom 100 and the Hawker Premier fly faster and higher than piston aircraft, and they cost much more to buy and operate. A turbojet-powered airplane needs a type rating under 14 CFR 61.31. See the Learjet and Gulfstream cost guides.

13. Training Planes

Training aircraft are simple, forgiving and cheap to run. Common examples are the Cessna 152, Cessna 172, Piper PA-28 and Diamond DA40. Most pilots earn a private certificate in a single-engine piston airplane of this kind.

14. Agricultural Planes / Crop Planes

Agricultural aircraft spray crops, spread fertilizer and seed fields at low altitude. The Air Tractor AT-502B, a turboprop, carries a 500-gallon hopper, according to its manufacturer, and the piston-powered Grumman G-164 Ag Cat has been used for decades. See how much a crop duster costs.

15. Bush Planes

Bush planes are built for short, rough landing strips in remote areas such as Alaska and Canada. They usually have a high wing for visibility and ground clearance, big low-pressure tires, floats or skis, and short-takeoff-and-landing performance. Examples are the Cessna 206, de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver and Piper PA-18 Super Cub. They carry people, cargo and medical patients, and support wildlife surveys.

16. Seaplanes (Flying Boats)

A floatplane sits on floats, a flying boat sits on a hull, and an amphibian can land on water or runways. The DHC-2 Beaver is often flown on floats, and the Grumman G-21 Goose is a classic amphibian. Flying one needs a sea class rating: single-engine sea or multiengine sea (14 CFR 61.5).

17. Air Racing Planes

Racing aircraft are built for speed around a closed course. Classes include Formula One, with small standardized homebuilt racers, and sport and unlimited classes. The Lancair Legacy is one fast homebuilt that has raced.

18. Aerobatic Planes

Aerobatic aircraft, such as the Extra 300 and Pitts Special, are built to take high loads in loops, rolls and spins. US rules do not require a special rating to fly aerobatics, but they set limits. Under 14 CFR 91.303, aerobatic flight is not allowed below 1,500 feet above the surface or in less than 3 statute miles of flight visibility, and not over a congested area, within controlled airspace surface areas or within 4 nautical miles of a federal airway centerline. Under 14 CFR 91.307, passengers need approved parachutes for intentional maneuvers beyond 60 degrees of bank or 30 degrees of pitch.

19. Light-Sport Aircraft

Light-sport aircraft are simple, light aircraft aimed at recreation and training. The rules changed on October 22, 2025, when the FAA's Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification rule took effect. Many older sources still list the 2004 limits of 1,320 pounds, two seats and a 45-knot stall speed, which no longer apply to new certifications.

Under the current 14 CFR 22.100, an aircraft can get a light-sport category airworthiness certificate if it has no more than four seats for an airplane (two for other types), a stall speed no higher than 61 knots CAS for an airplane, a maximum level-flight speed of 250 knots CAS, and a non-pressurized cabin. The sport pilot certificate has its own limits in 14 CFR 61.316: an airplane stall speed of no more than 59 knots CAS, up to four seats for an airplane and a non-pressurized cabin. A sport pilot may carry only one passenger and may not fly at night except as 14 CFR 61.315 allows. Examples are the Cessna 162 Skycatcher and Aero AT-3.

20. Ultralights

In the US, an ultralight is a single-seat vehicle flown for recreation or sport that has no airworthiness certificate. Under 14 CFR 103.1, a powered ultralight must weigh under 254 pounds empty, carry no more than 5 US gallons of fuel, be unable to exceed 55 knots at full power in level flight, and have a power-off stall speed of no more than 24 knots. An unpowered one must weigh under 155 pounds. Under 14 CFR 103.7, operators need no pilot or medical certificate and the vehicle needs no airworthiness certificate. Part 103 also bans flight over congested areas or open-air assemblies of people (103.15). The Quicksilver MX is a well-known ultralight.

21. Microlights

"Microlight" is a UK and European term, not an FAA category. The UK Civil Aviation Authority uses it for light aeroplanes designed for up to two people. For designs approved from 2021 the limits are a 45-knot stall speed and a maximum takeoff mass of 600 kg for a landplane, and older designs keep a 35-knot and 450 kg limit. The Ikarus C42 and Aeroprakt A-22 are two aircraft often called microlights, and in the US similar aircraft are sold as light-sport aircraft.

22. Biplanes

A biplane has two wings, one above the other. Two wings give structure and lift in a compact span, which suits early engines. Historic biplanes include the Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny," the de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth and the Fokker D.VII. Modern biplanes, such as the Pitts Special, are mostly aerobatic aircraft.

23. Triplanes

A triplane has three wings. The type is mostly a World War I design, and the best-known example is the Fokker Dr.I, flown by Manfred von Richthofen, the "Red Baron." The Sopwith Triplane is another. Monoplane designs replaced them.

24. Monoplanes

A monoplane has one main wing. It is the standard layout today, from the Cessna 172 to the Boeing 787. The wing sits high on the fuselage, as on a Cessna 172, or low, as on a Piper PA-28.

25. Gyroplanes

A gyroplane is not an airplane. 14 CFR 1.1 defines it as a rotorcraft whose rotors are not engine-driven except for initial starting, and are turned by the air as the aircraft moves, while a propeller provides propulsion. Gyroplane is a rotorcraft class rating under 14 CFR 61.5. Examples are the AutoGyro Cavalon and the Magni M-16.

26. Canard Planes

A canard airplane carries a small wing ahead of the main wing instead of a horizontal tail behind it. The Rutan Long-EZ is a well-known canard homebuilt. See the Long-EZ cost guide.

The Piaggio P.180 Avanti is often called a canard, but it has three lifting surfaces: a fixed forward wing, a main wing and a T-tail. Piaggio says its forward wing is not a canard because it has no movable control surface.

27. Electric Planes

Electric airplanes use batteries and electric motors. The Pipistrel Velis Electro, a two-seat trainer, received the first EASA type certificate for a fully electric airplane in June 2020. Its endurance is up to 50 minutes plus a VFR reserve, and that limit comes from battery capacity. Electric aircraft are quiet and cheap to fuel, but today they suit short training and local flights. For the air-taxi side of electric flight, see our eVTOL safety guide.

28. Hybrid Planes

Hybrid-electric airplanes pair a combustion engine with batteries and electric motors, either to drive the propeller or to charge the batteries. The idea is to get more range than batteries alone allow. Hybrid designs are mostly still demonstrators and development programs, so check a specific aircraft's certification status before counting on one.

29. Homebuilt (Kit Planes)

A homebuilt aircraft is built by an individual or group for education or recreation. The FAA issues an experimental certificate to an aircraft "the major portion of which has been fabricated and assembled" by such builders (14 CFR 21.191(g)). The Van's RV-7 and Zenith CH 750 are popular kit designs. See the Zenith STOL CH 701 and Rutan Long-EZ cost guides.

30. Gliders

14 CFR 1.1 defines a glider as a heavier-than-air aircraft whose free flight does not depend principally on an engine. Gliders are launched by aerotow behind a powered airplane, by winch, or by a self-launch motor, and they stay up by finding rising air such as thermals and ridge lift. The Schleicher ASK 21 is a two-seat trainer, and the Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4 is a long-winged competition glider.

31. Hang Gliders

A hang glider is a foot-launched glider flown by a pilot hanging from the wing. An unpowered hang glider under 155 pounds with a single occupant falls under 14 CFR Part 103. The Wills Wing T2C and Moyes Litespeed RX are two well-known designs.

Specialized Aircraft

Specialized aircraft are built or modified for one job, and often carry equipment you will not find on other types.

32. Firefighting Planes

Aerial firefighting uses large airtankers, such as converted Lockheed P-3 Orions, single-engine airtankers such as the Air Tractor AT-802 Fire Boss, and scoopers such as the Bombardier CL-415, which refills its tanks by skimming across a lake. Aircraft cannot put a fire out alone. They slow it with water or retardant so ground crews can work.

33. Search and Rescue Planes

Search and rescue aircraft look for missing people and drop supplies or equipment. Large turboprops such as the C-130 Hercules fly long searches over open water, and in the US the Civil Air Patrol flies light aircraft such as Cessnas on search missions. Crews use cameras, radar and infrared sensors.

34. Research Planes

Research aircraft carry scientific instruments into the atmosphere. NASA's airborne science fleet has included the DC-8 flying laboratory, the P-3 Orion and the high-altitude ER-2. Flying through weather, smoke or volcanic plumes lets scientists sample places no satellite or ground station can reach.

35. Air Ambulance Planes

Fixed-wing air ambulances move patients between hospitals over distances where a helicopter is too slow or short on range. The Pilatus PC-12, King Air and light jets are common platforms, fitted with a stretcher, oxygen and monitoring equipment, and staffed with a nurse, paramedic or physician.

36. VTOL Planes

A powered-lift aircraft takes off and lands vertically and flies forward on fixed wings. 14 CFR 1.1 defines it as an aircraft capable of vertical takeoff, vertical landing and low-speed flight that relies mainly on engine-driven lift devices or engine thrust in those regimes, and on non-rotating airfoils in horizontal flight. The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is a military tiltrotor. In civil aviation, the FAA's 2024 powered-lift rule created the pilot certification path that electric air taxis such as the Joby and Archer aircraft will use. See how safe electric air taxis are and the private pilot privileges guide.

37. Spaceplanes

A spaceplane flies as an aircraft in the atmosphere and as a spacecraft in orbit. NASA's Space Shuttle, which flew 135 missions from 1981 to its final landing on July 21, 2011, launched on a rocket and landed on a runway as a glider. The U.S. Space Force operates the X-37B, a reusable uncrewed spaceplane that launches on a rocket and lands on a runway. Its eighth mission launched on August 21, 2025.

Rules at a Glance for Small Aircraft

Several of the categories above are defined by regulation, and the limits are easy to mix up. This table compares them.

How the FAA Classifies Aircraft: Category, Class and Type

The list above uses everyday names. The FAA uses three formal layers, and they decide which pilot certificate and ratings you need.

• Category is the broad grouping used for pilot certification: airplane, rotorcraft, glider and lighter-than-air are the classic examples, with powered-lift, powered parachute and weight-shift-control added over the years. When the word is applied to the aircraft itself, it means a grouping by intended use or operating limits, such as normal, utility, acrobatic or transport.
• Class divides a category into aircraft with similar operating characteristics. For airplanes the four classes are single-engine land, multiengine land, single-engine sea and multiengine sea. A private pilot certificate lists both, for example "Airplane Single-Engine Land".
• Type means a specific make and basic model, such as a Boeing 737. A type rating is required to act as pilot in command of a large aircraft (more than 12,500 pounds maximum certificated takeoff weight), a turbojet-powered airplane or a powered-lift aircraft.

Instrument procedures use a different grouping again. Each aircraft is placed in an approach category from A to E by its reference landing speed, which sets the minimums it may use on an instrument approach.

The speed is the aircraft's reference landing speed, or 1.3 times its stall speed in landing configuration at maximum certificated landing weight if no reference speed is published.

Sources: Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 14 CFR 1.1, General definitions; Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 14 CFR 61.31, Type rating requirements; Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 14 CFR 97.3, Symbols and terms used in procedures.

Where to Go Next

No single list covers every airplane, because a type can sit in several groups: a Pilatus PC-12 is a turboprop, a single-engine aircraft and an air ambulance. The FAA's terms matter most if you plan to fly, because they decide your certificate and ratings. Start with the private pilot privileges guide if that is your plan.

Planes differ under the skin as much as on the ramp. Our guides cover the engines, propellers, fuselages, tail structures, flaps, fuel systems, electrical systems, oxygen systems, antennas, lighting, cockpits and icing found on different aircraft. For how pilots fly and navigate them, see the guides to air traffic control clearances, flight approaches, navigation systems and runway approach lighting.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main types of airplanes?

Airliners and cargo planes, military aircraft, general aviation aircraft (piston, turboprop, jet, light-sport, homebuilt and more) and specialized aircraft such as firefighting and air ambulance planes.

What is the difference between category, class and type?

Category is a broad grouping such as airplane, rotorcraft or glider. Class divides a category, as in single-engine land or multiengine sea. Type is a specific make and model, such as a Boeing 737. A type rating is needed for large aircraft and turbojets (14 CFR 61.31).

What is a light-sport aircraft?

A simple, light aircraft certified under 14 CFR 22.100. Since October 22, 2025, an airplane can have up to four seats and a stall speed of up to 61 knots CAS. A sport pilot flies under the separate limits in 14 CFR 61.316.

Do I need a license to fly an ultralight?

No. Under 14 CFR 103.7, ultralight operators do not need a pilot or medical certificate. The vehicle must stay within the Part 103 limits, which include a single seat, 254 pounds empty weight if powered, 5 gallons of fuel, 55 knots maximum speed and a 24-knot stall speed.

Is a gyroplane an airplane?

No. The FAA defines a gyroplane as a rotorcraft whose rotors turn by air movement while a separate propeller provides thrust (14 CFR 1.1). It has its own class rating.

What is the largest passenger airplane?

The Airbus A380, certified to carry a maximum of 853 people. Airlines usually seat fewer.

What is the difference between a microlight and an ultralight?

Ultralight is the US term and is defined by 14 CFR Part 103. Microlight is mainly a UK and European term, defined by the UK Civil Aviation Authority for light aeroplanes with up to two seats.

Is the Piaggio Avanti a canard?

Not strictly. It has a fixed forward wing, a main wing and a T-tail, so it is a three-surface design.