This scheme is intended to cover specific aircraft designs (such as theBoeing 747 orP-3 Orion), variants of those designs (such as theWP-3D Orion), and articles about broader categories of aircraft (such asbomber aircraft). Other categories exist for manufacturers, powerplants, etc.
Primary categorisation includes three schema:
| Category | Example |
|---|---|
| Nation androle | Category:U.S. bomber aircraft |
| Role anddecade | Category:Bomber aircraft 1940-1949 |
| Manufacturer | Category:Boeing aircraft |
In nearly all cases, the nation refers to the nation in which the aircraft was produced. More specifically, it refers to the nation in which the manufacturer was headquartered at the time that the aircraft was first produced. Thus,Dornier aircraft of the 1920s are still listed as German aircraft even though they were actually being assembled in Italy. Also, Learjet aircraft whose production began before 1991 are considered U.S. aircraft, but those whose production began afterLearjet's acquisition byBombardier are considered Canadian.
Aircraft manufactured by multinational consortia (such asAirbus andEurofighter) and aircraft built as one-off joint ventures (such as theConcorde) are listed inCategory:International aircraft.
Special cases apply when the nation of origin no longer existsper se. The system for dealing with these cases is as follows:
| Time frame | Nationality |
|---|---|
| 1900s | Russian |
| 1910s | Soviet and Russian |
| 1920s-1980s | Soviet |
| 1990s | Soviet and CIS |
| 2000s onward | CIS |
| 1910s-1980s | Czechoslovakian |
| 1990s | Czech and Czechoslovakian |
| 2000s onward | Czech |
| 1910s, 1990s | Yugoslav and Serbian |
| 1920s-1980s | Yugoslav |
| 2000s onwards | Serbian |
| until 1940s | Chinese |
| 1940s onwards | PRC, Taiwanese(separate categories) |
Role categories are intentionally broad—the danger of over-precision would be the creation of multiple closely-related categories with only hazy or semantic distinctions.
The role classification is based on the primary role an aircraft was designed for. Aircraft that were designed for multiple roles should be classified in as many trees as apply. A common example are 'tactical fighters' or 'strike fighters' that can serve both as bombers and fighters.
Subcategories
Subcategories:
Although all airliners carry freight and some carry mail, the 'cargo' and 'mailplane' classifications should be reserved for dedicated freighters and mailplanes.
This category should be used for pure research aircraft, not for prototypes. Distinction is not made here between civil and military types.
Aircraft in this category have been designed for a single, often unconventional or uncommon purpose. Most are modifications or specialised variants of existing aircraft types, and are designed for their mission at the expense of any other capabilities they may have had. An example is theWP-3D Orion.
Aircraft are classified into the decade that theirfirst flight occurred in. Usually, this will be the first flight of the prototype, but for an article about a specific variant the category should reflect the date that this variant first flew, which may or may not be in a different decade. Unlike other schemes, first flight has the advantage of being a single, unambiguous point in time.
Aircraft projects that were cancelled without ever flying are categorised by the year the project was terminated or abandoned—the closest that it got to a first flight.
Additionally, many aircraft have been given categories according to various distinguishing features. This is a moread hoc set of categories, which currently include: