Types         of Airplanes
        By Leo
       Modern airplanes are       divided into five main types:
      1.            Commercial Transport Planes
      2.            General Aviation Planes
      3.            Military Planes
      4.            Sea Planes
      5.            Special Purpose Planes
              Commercial transport planes are large       planes used for carrying passengers and sometimes cargo (also called       airliners).
              Four-engine jets are more powerful than       most airliners. That’s because most airliners only travel 500 to 600       miles per hour or 805 to 966 kilometers per hour, and four-engine jets can travel faster and farther. 
              The       Boeing 747 is a four-engine jet that unlike most airliners, can carry
      1.            1,000 passengers
      2.            Less than 200 passengers
      3.            More than 400 passengers
      4.            50 passengers
       It can also carry six       galleys (kitchens), twelve washrooms, and more than 47,000 gallons or       178,000 liters of fuel. In 1969, the Boeing 747 became the largest jet in       the world. This
      airliner can fly 6,495 miles or 10,475 kilometers non-stop. That’s       farther than the distance between New York City and Tokyo.
       Four-engine jets are not       the only kind of commercial transport planes. There are also three-engine       jets and twin-engine jets.
       As you probably can imagine,       three-engine jets don’t travel as far as four-engine jets and need less       runway to take-off and land. But some three-engine jets can carry as many       passengers as four-engine jets.
       Twin-engine jets are smaller than four       or three-engine jets, but 90% of airliners today are twin-engine jets.       Here’s a question for you:
              Why do you think twin-engine jets are       used the most?
      1.            Because they have less engine failures than three or four-engine       jets
      2.            Because they cost less money to operate
      3.            Because people like the way they look
       Now let’s       learn a little bit about general aviation planes. Most general aviation       planes have two to six seats, and one engine. General aviation planes are       used for many purposes. Sometimes people use them to teach students how to       fly a plane, or they are used to take pictures from a high-up view.       Sometimes people use them for transportation, and sometimes people use       them for enjoyment. Some farmers use them for planting seeds, checking       soil erosion, and counting livestock.
       Military       planes, as you probably know, are planes used by the military. Most       military planes are used to attack enemies on the ground or in the air.       Some military planes are used to carry equipment and soldiers to bases or       battlefields.
       Sea planes are divided into three types:
      1.            Float Planes
      2.            Flying Boats
      3.            Amphibians
       Float       planes have big floats instead of wheels. Flying boats are
 shaped like the       hull of a boat, so they can stay on the water. Amphibians are:
      1.  Shaped like frogs
      2. Able to go on land and water
      3. Able to fly without any wings
       Special purpose planes are planes that       have special purposes such as performing tricks in shows or spraying       chemicals on crops. Some amphibians also have a special purpose. They are       used for putting out forest fires. They fly just above the lakes and ponds       and suck up water so they can later spray it on forest fires.
       So,       there are a lot of different types of airplanes, and as we have learned,       it’s because there are a lot of different jobs for airplanes to do.
Source: http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/00450/typesofairplanes.htm