Class 1: Bomber and surveillance
These are military or paramilitary aircraft of widely differing size and performance.
- Strategic bomber (2)
- Maritime reconnaissance four-jet (2)
- Maritime surveillance twin-jet (1)
- Maritime surveillance twin-turboprop (3)
- Airborne early warning and control system (3)
- Airborne ground surveillance system (3)
- Airborne multisensor command and control system (1)
- Multisensor surveillance twin-turboprop (1)
- Multisensor surveillance turboprop (1)
- Multisensor surveillance twin-prop (1)
- Multisensor surveillance lightplane (4)
Class 2: Fighter and trainer
- Air superiority fighter (5)
- Multirole fighter (20)
- Attack fighter (9)
- Light fighter/advanced jet trainer (1)
- Advanced jet trainer (5)
- Advanced jet trainer/light attack jet (7)
- Basic jet trainer (2)
- Basic jet trainer/light attack jet (5)
- Basic turboprop trainer/attack lightplane (1)
- Basic turboprop trainer (6)
- Basic prop trainer/attack lightplane (1)
- Basic prop trainer (2)
Class 3: Miscellaneous and/or government
Aircraft of diverse or multiple duties employed generally, but not exclusively, by the state.
- Missile defence system (1)
- Multirole twin-jet (1)
- High-altitude platform (1)
- Technology demonstrator (7)
- Ornithopter (1)
Class 4: Transport
Generally of a military nature, often with rear loading ramps. The larger aircraft are usually, but not exclusively, jet-powered. Light transports are those not exceeding 5,670 kg (12,500 lb).
- Tanker-transport (2)
- Medium transport/multirole (9)
- Twin-turboprop transport (15)
- Twin-turboprop light transport (5)
Class 5: Airliner and freighter
Civilian passenger and cargo aircraft. Jet power is implied for all large airliners; number of engines given only for medium-size aircraft; regional jets are all twins.
- Supersonic airliner (1)
- High-capacity airliner (1)
- Wide-bodied airliner (9)
- New concept airliner (1)
- Outsize freighter (1)
- Four-jet freighter (2)
- Twin-jet airliner (12)
- Twin-jet freighter (6)
- Regional jet airliner (20)
- Twin-turboprop airliner (12)
- Twin-turboprop freighter (2)
Class 6: Business
The established configuration of a business jet being a twin, only single- and tri-jet configurations are specifically noted. Detailed strata devised by participants in the business jet market are not reproduced here. Instead, the main category is subdivided into small business jets with accommodation for six or fewer passengers; long-range (sub-airliner size) business jets with the 4,000 n mile (7,400 km; 4,600 mile) range necessary to fly from the US eastern seaboard to Western Europe; and the central core of twin-jets with upwards of seven seats.
- Supersonic business jet (4)
- Long-range business jet (5)
- Large business jet (2)
- Long-range business tri-jet (2)
- Business tri-jet (1)
- Business jet (27)
- Light business jet (14)
- Private jet (6)
- Two-seat jet sportplane (4)
- Business mono-jet kitbuilt (1)
- Business twin-turboprop (2)
- Business turboprop (7)
- Business turboprop kitbuilt (1)
- Business twin-prop (2)
- Business prop (2)
Class 7: Utility
Restricted to single- and twin-engine passenger or passenger/light freight aircraft with accommodation, typically, for four or six persons. An intermediate category bridging commercial and private ownership. Crop sprayers are included.
- Utility turboprop twin (7)
- Light utility twin-prop transport (8)
- Six-seat utility twin (2)
- Five-seat utility twin (1)
- Four-seat utility twin (6)
- Light utility turboprop (19)
- Light utility transport (7)
- Utility biplane (1)
- Six-seat utility transport (10)
- Agricultural sprayer (23)
- Agricultural sprayer ultralight (1)
Class 8: Amphibian
All such aircraft (including the occasional flying boat) are included here for ease of reference, even those assembled from kits or classified as ultralights.
- Four-turboprop amphibian (1)
- Twin-turbofan amphibian (1)
- Twin-turboprop amphibian (4)
- Twin-jet amphibian (1)
- Twin-engine amphibian biplane (1)
- Utility amphibian (2)
- Six-seat amphibian (5)
- Six-seat amphibian/kitbuilt (1)
- Five-seat amphibian (2)
- Four-seat amphibian (5)
- Four-seat amphibian kitbuilt (2)
- Three-seat amphibian/kitbuilt (1)
- Three-seat amphibian kitbuilt (1)
- Two-seat amphibian (1)
- Two-seat amphibian kitbuilt (4)
- Two-seat amphibian/kitbuilt (1)
- Two-seat amphibian ultralight kitbuilt (3)
- Two-seat amphibian ultralight/kitbuilt (1)
- Two-seat flying boat kitbuilt (1)
Class 9: Lightplane (factory built)
Single-prop aircraft seating up to five persons and available only in complete form, unless otherwise stated. The US's LSA category includes some aircraft in Class 9 as well as others categorised as Ultralights, including homebuilts.
- US Light Sport Aircraft (17)
- Five-seat lightplane (2)
- Four-seat lightplane (38)
- Three-seat lightplane (2)
- Three-seat biplane (1)
- Two-seat lightplane (57)
- Aerobatic two-seat turboprop sportplane (1)
- Aerobatic two-seat sportplane (9)
- Aerobatic two-seat lightplane (4)
- Aerobatic two-seat biplane (2)
- Aerobatic single-seat sportplane (6)
- Aerobatic single-seat biplane (1)
- Primary prop trainer/sportplane (11)
- Motor glider (5)
- Glider tug (2)
Class 10: Utility kitbuilt
This class reflects the growing number of kitbuilt aircraft intended for more than recreational use. The largest has 10 seats and turboprop power.
- Two-seat jet sportplane kitbuilt (1)
- Two-seat kitbuilt twin (4)
- Utility kitbuilt (5)
- Six-seat turboprop/kitbuilt (1)
- Six-seat kitbuilt (5)
- Four-seat kitbuilt twin (3)
- Four-seat kitbuilt (28)
- Three-seat kitbuilt (3)
- Three-seat biplane/kitbuilt (1)
- Aerobatic three-seat biplane/kitbuilt (1)
- Aerobatic two-seat sportplane/kitbuilt (1)
Class 11: Kitplanes and/or ultralights
One- or two-seat, single-prop machines intended for private ownership. ‘Kitbuilt’ aircraft are in the lightplane category, unless described as ultralights (and flyable as such in at least some countries). Certain aircraft are available only in complete form, while kit manufacturers may offer the option of fly-away aircraft to those requiring the aeroplane, but not the assembly work. A forward slash (/) before the word ‘kitbuilt’ indicates that the aircraft is available complete or as a kit, as in ‘ultralight/kitbuilt’; whereas an ‘ultralight kitbuilt’ is only available in pieces.
The upper weight limit is taken to be 544 kg (some 1,200 lb), although some national limits for ultralights are far lower. In the US, the new Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category extends upwards to 598 kg (1,320 lb), meaning that several European ultralights, while well outside the US equivalent category, fall comfortably within the privileges of the Sport Pilot licence. Typical LSA aircraft appear in a separate list under Class 9, Lightplane (factory built).
- Single-seat sportplane kitbuilt (11)
- Single-seat ultralight/motor glider (1)
- Single-seat ultralight kitbuilt (13)
- Single-seat ultralight/kitbuilt (5)
- Single-seat ultralight biplane (1)
- Single-seat ultralight biplane kitbuilt (4)
- Single-seat motor glider ultralight (1)
- Single-seat motor glider/kitbuilt (3)
- Tandem-seat kitbuilt (11)
- Tandem-seat sportplane kitbuilt (13)
- Tandem-seat turboprop sportplane kitbuilt (2)
- Tandem-seat turboprop sportplane/kitbuilt (1)
- Tandem-seat ultralight (9)
- Tandem-seat ultralight kitbuilt (10)
- Tandem-seat ultralight/kitbuilt (10)
- Tandem-seat biplane kitbuilt (4)
- Tandem-seat biplane/kitbuilt (1)
- Tandem-seat ultralight biplane (1)
- Tandem-seat ultralight biplane kitbuilt (5)
- Tandem-seat ultralight motor glider (1)
- Tandem-seat ultralight twin/kitbuilt (2)
- Side-by-side kitbuilt (29)
- Side-by-side sportplane kitbuilt (2)
- Side-by-side lightplane/kitbuilt (8)
- Side-by-side lightplane/motor glider kitbuilt (1)
- Side-by-side ultralight (46)
- Side-by-side ultralight kitbuilt (29)
- Side-by-side ultralight/kitbuilt (34)
- Side-by-side ultralight biplane (1)
- Side-by-side ultralight motor glider (1)
- Side-by-side ultralight motor glider kitbuilt (1)
- Side-by-side ultralight motor glider/kitbuilt (1)
- Side-by-side ultralight/motor glider kitbuilt (1)
- Side-by-side ultralight twin (1)
Class 12: Rotary wing
Includes tiltrotors, autogyros and lifting platforms. This class not presented on the website.
Class 13: Lighter than air
Includes balloons, nonrigid airships (blimps) and dirigibles. This class not presented on the website.