Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/Categories/Proposed update

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The full categorisation tree as described on this page.
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The full categorisation tree as described on this page.

This scheme is intended to cover specific aircraft designs (such as the Boeing 747 or P-3 Orion), variants of those designes (such as the WP-3D Orion), and articles about broader categories of aircraft (such as bomber aircraft). Other categories exist for manufacturers, powerplants, etc.

Contents

[edit] Primary categorisation

Primary categorisation includes three schema:

Category Example
Nation and role Category:U.S. bomber aircraft
Role and decade Category:Bomber aircraft 1940-1949
Manufacturer Category:Boeing aircraft

[edit] Nation

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 after Learjet's acquisition by Bombardier are considered Canadian.

In a few cases, the primary or exclusive user may be different from the producer. In those cases, the nationality of the user takes precedence over that of the manufacturer. Thus, the CF-18 Hornet is considered a Canadian fighter, even though it was produced in the U.S. Likewise, the C-7 Caribou is considered a U.S. aircraft, even though it was produced in Canada.

[edit] International aircraft

Aircraft manufactured by international consortia (such as Airbus and Eurofighter) and aircraft built as one-off joint ventures (such as the Concorde) are listed in Category:International aircraft.

To prevent confusion that could potentially be caused when the adjective 'international' is combined with a role, subcategories of Category:International aircraft will be [[Category:Internationally produced {{{type}}}]].

[edit] Defunct nations

Special cases apply when the nation of origin no longer exists per se. The system for dealing with these cases is as follows:

Category:Soviet and CIS aircraft
Time frame Nationality
1900s Russian
1910s Soviet and Russian
1920s-1980s Soviet
1990s Soviet and CIS
2000s onward CIS
Category:Czech and Czechoslovakian aircraft
1910s-1980s Czechoslovakian
1990s Czech and Czechoslovakian
2000s onward Czech
Category:Yugoslav and Serbian aircraft
1910s, 1990s Yugoslav and Serbian
1920s-1980s Yugoslav
2000s onwards Serbian
Category:Chinese aircraft
until 1940s Chinese
1940s onwards PRC, Taiwanese (separate categories)

[edit] Role

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.

[edit] Military aircraft

Subcategories

The haziest category here is probably 'attack aircraft', because most fighters and some trainers have ground-attack capability, and the distinction between an 'attack aircraft' and a light bomber is not always clear either. The best option is to be guided by how its primary operator classified it.

Most patrol aircraft are can carry out ASW as well, but it is best to reserve the ASW aircraft—those specifically designed for ASW. Likewise, many electronic warfare aircraft can be used for AWACS or command and control. Again, it is best to limit the AWACS and command and control categories to those aircraft that were designed specifically for that purpose, leaving electronic warfare for aircraft with a more general mission. Lastly, many cargo aircraft can and are modified to serve as tankers, but only variants specifically tailored for this role should be classified as tankers.

[edit] Examples
P-3 Orion
Patrol
S-3 Viking
ASW
C-130 Hercules
Transport
KC-135 Stratotanker
Tanker

[edit] Civil aircraft

Subcategories:

Although all airliners carry freight and some carry mail, the 'cargo' and 'mailplane' classifications should be reserved for dedicated freighters and mailplanes.

[edit] Examples
Boeing 747
Airliner
Boeing 747F
Cargo

[edit] Experimental aircraft

This category should be used for pure research aircraft, not for prototypes. Distinction is not made here between civil and military types.

[edit] Examples
Bell X-1
Experimental
Douglas XB-19
Military

[edit] Special-purpose aircraft

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 expence of any other capabilities they may have had.

[edit] Example

WP-3D Orion

[edit] Further notes

All of the above categories are sorted thus: the individual subcategories of civil and military listed are sorted into both [[Category:{{{nation}}} aircraft|{{{type}}}]] and [[Category:{{{nation}}} {civil/military} aircraft|{{{type}}}]]. Additionally, [[:Category:{{{nation}}} civil aircraft]] and [[:Category:{{{nation}}} military aircraft]], [[:Category:{{{nation}}} experimental aircraft]], and [[:Category:{{{nation}}} special-purpose aircraft]] are categorised under [[Category:{{{nation}}} aircraft| {Civil/Military/Experimental/Special}]].

Likewise, [[:Category:{{{type}}} {{{decade}}}]] is placed into [[Category:Aircraft {{{decade}}}|{{{type}}}]] and [[Category:{Civil/Military} aircraft {{{decade}}}|{{{type}}}]]; [[:Category:Civil aircraft {{{decade}}}]], [[:Category:Military aircraft {{{decade}}}]], [[:Category:Experimental aircraft {{{decade}}}]], and [[:Category:Special-purpose aircraft {{{decade}}}]] are placed in [[Category:Aircraft {{{decade}}}|{Civil/Military/Experimental/Special}]].

[edit] Decade

Aircraft are classified into the decade that their first 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.

[edit] Secondary categorisation

Additionally, many aircraft have been given categories according to various distinguishing features. This is a more ad hoc set of categories, which currently include:

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