Identify by airplane characteristics

The U-2 can be regarded has a big, jet powered glider with its enormous wing span. The single engine in the rear is fed by big D-shaped intakes at the side of the fuselage, behind the canopy.

The name of this fighter aircraft is really appropriate when you look at the shape of the nose: it looks like that of a velociraptor. The shape contributes to the stealthiness of the aircraft, as do the parallel leading and trailing edges of the wings and stabilisers. Additionally, the F-22 has rectangular exhausts and outward tilted double vertical fins.

Very easily recognisable characteristics of this single jet fighter are the oval, smile-like air intake below the fuselage and the blended wing-fuselage attachment. The F-16 has a bubble canopy with one bow frame, behind the seat. This is how to distinguish it from the Mitsubishi F-2.

This family of amphibian aircraft has a single hull integrated with the fuselage. The centre float extends in front of the main fuselage and radial or inline piston engine. Typical is the empenage: the horizontal stabilisers are attached to a rounded rectangular dorsal fin, ahead of the rudder. The single wheel main landing gear is retractable in the sides of the float.

On the photo is the L450F piloted version of the XQM-93 drone aircraft with a turboprop engine in the nose, long slender wings and a fixed gear with all legs close to each other. The XQM-93 has no canopy.

A VSTOL research aircraft of which the short wings could tilt 90 degrees so that the four large propellers would generate lift. Has a very box-like fuselage. Each landing gear has two wheels.

Thanks to its sleek shape the Macchi M.39 could achieve high speeds, even though it has floats and wire braced wings. The tail fins are (nearly) equal in all directions. There are long streamline bodies on top of the nose around the cylinders. 

The original EM-11 looks like a Partenavia P.68 with piston engines in the trailing edge, driving pusher propellers. The cockpit windows are large. It has a fixed gear with streamline covers, and low mounted horizontal stabilisers. An intermediate version has a retractable gear and a cruciform tail. The production version shown here has in addition a T-tail, but retains the basic appearance. 

The Martin 2-0-2 and 4-0-4 look quite similar to the Convairliner; both have a curved vertical stabiliser and rectangular cabin windows. The Martins have a sideways opening cabin door though, more dihedral on the outer wings and no main gear doors visible when the gear is extended. Finally, they have an airstair door underneath the rear fuselage.

This mid-size bomber has quite a slender look thanks to a narrow fuselage and long, transparent nose. Under the wings are long nacelles with radial engines and a place to store the single wheel main landing gear.