COMAC C909 (ARJ21)
China's first successful jet airliner is clearly the result of learning a lot from licence building McDonnell-Douglas MD-80s. The C909, or ARJ21 as it was called before 2024, has a similar double bubble fuselage as the MD-80 with the length of a DC-9 Series 10. It has no overwing emergency exits. Instead, it has a large exit in front of the engine nacelles. The wings are as slender as that of the DC-9, but with small, tall winglets. The tail is reminiscent of the MD-87, including the flat tail cone with APU exhaust on the right, although the top of the vertical stabiliser is quite rounded. While the cockpit windows at first seem similar but without an eyebrow window, a closer look reveals that the three front windows have been replaced by two curved ones. Finally, the COMAC airplane has wide diameter engines, with separate fan and core exhausts. (top photo by N509FZ/WikiMedia, modified from the original)
The COMAC C909 has six cockpit windows, of which the front ones are curved. For the rest, the appearance is similar to that of the DC-9/MD-80 family. (photo: shimin/WikiMedia)
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The engine nacelles with separate fan exhausts and the winglets are the main recognition points of the C909, next to the great similarity to the MD-87 and Boeing 717. (photo: Windmemories/WikiMedia)
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Confusion possible with
Douglas DC-9, MD-80 family & Boeing 717
The C909 looks much like a small DC-9, MD-87 or Boeing 717. But there are many differences like the cockpit windows, emergency exits, winglets, top of vertical fin and the high bypass ratio engines with separate fan exhausts.
Fokker F28, Fokker 70/100
While having the same basic appearance as the C909, the Fokkers have a blunt tail cone, that can be opened as air brake, oval cabin windows, longer nose gear doors, no winglets, single exhaust nacelles and a large triangular dorsal fin.
BAC One-Eleven
BAC One-Elevens also have a similar basic configuration as the C909. The 111 has no dorsal fin at all, no winglets, long narrow nacelles, oval cabin windows and six flat cockpit windows. Finally, it has an APU exhaust in the pointed tail cone.
Canadair Regional Jet Series 700
The C909 and CRJ Series 700 and 900 have most in common the winglets and engines with separate fan exhausts. The CRJs have only four cockpit windows thiugh, a more pointed tail cone with APU exhaust and a more slender appearance.