The rules
Name the plane from the airlines that fly it.
One mystery aircraft. Five guesses. You never see the plane — you see the airlines that fly it. The clues are ordered by fleet size, smallest first, so the game opens with the most obscure operator of the type and each wrong guess reveals a carrier with a bigger fleet.
Guess by typing a manufacturer or model and picking from the list. Variants are grouped by family — every A321 is “Airbus A321”, every 737 is “Boeing 737” — so you never need the exact sub-type. A wrong guess with the correct manufacturer shows a green “Right maker” tile, and the game locks that maker in for your remaining guesses so you only have to pick the model.
Two modes, two puzzles per day
Current mode— the answer is an aircraft flying today, from the A220 and the E-Jets up to the A380. Every clue is a real passenger operator with the exact number of that type it has in service.
Historic mode— famous retired airliners: Concorde, the DC-10, the L-1011 TriStar, the 727, the 747 Classic. Clues are the carriers that flew them across the type's service life, including defunct legends like Pan Am, TWA, and Braniff (marked “former”). Each mode keeps its own streak.
Strategy tips
- The opening clue is a niche carrier on purpose. Read its market: a small regional airline points to a turboprop or regional jet, a leisure carrier suggests a workhorse narrowbody, and a flag carrier with a handful of frames usually means a widebody.
- Fleet counts carry information. Three of a type at a small airline reads very differently from 40+ — big counts at big carriers mean a mass-market family like the 737 or A320.
- Geography narrows manufacturers. Certain types cluster regionally — ATRs are everywhere in island and short-haul markets, Embraers dominate US regional flying, and COMAC types stay close to China.
- Spend a guess to establish the manufacturer. Once the maker tile goes green it locks in, and the remaining guesses become a pure model puzzle.
- In Historic mode, the mix of defunct carriers is a dating clue. Pan Am and BOAC point to the early jets; carriers that survived into the 1990s point to the MD-80s, A300s, and 757s of the later era.
FAQ
How do you play PlaneQ?
PlaneQ hides one aircraft model each day per mode. Your clues are the airlines that operate it, revealed one at a time starting with the operator that flies the fewest of them. You have five guesses to name the manufacturer and model.
What's the difference between Current and Historic mode?
Current mode draws from fleets flying today — every clue is a real passenger airline with the exact number of that aircraft in service. Historic mode is famous retired airliners like Concorde, the DC-10, and the 747 Classic, with clues drawn from the carriers that flew them, including defunct airlines like Pan Am and TWA. Each mode has its own daily puzzle and streak.
How do the operator clues work in PlaneQ?
Clues are ordered by fleet size, smallest first. The opening clue is deliberately obscure — a niche carrier with a handful of the type. Each wrong guess reveals an operator with a bigger fleet, until a marquee airline all but gives the answer away.
What feedback do wrong guesses give?
Each guess shows two tiles — manufacturer and model. The manufacturer tile turns green with a 'Right maker' tag when you named the correct manufacturer but the wrong model. Once you've proven the maker, the game locks it in so your remaining guesses only need to pick the model.
Do I need to know exact variants like the A321neo or 737 MAX?
No. Variants are grouped into one answer per family — every A321 (ceo, neo, LR, XLR) is simply 'Airbus A321', and every 737 from the -800 to the MAX is 'Boeing 737'. You guess the manufacturer and model family, not the sub-type.
When do new PlaneQ puzzles drop?
12 AM Eastern every day, both modes at once. Weekends use the same schedule.
What's the best PlaneQ strategy?
Read the first operator's market. A small regional carrier points to a turboprop or regional jet; a leisure or charter airline with a few frames suggests a workhorse narrowbody; a flag carrier with a small widebody fleet narrows it to long-haul types. Then use the fleet count — single digits of a type at a niche airline reads very differently from 40+.