Source order
We prefer manufacturers, operators, military fact sheets, regulators and museums responsible for preserved aircraft. Secondary references are used only to resolve context, and never silently override a more authoritative technical source.
Variant discipline
Aircraft families contain materially different variants. A passenger configuration is not mixed with a freighter payload figure without labelling the distinction. Where a source publishes a range, the profile explains the operating condition where possible.
Ranking rules
Rankings include completed aircraft with a published value for the named metric. Wingspan rankings use geometric wingtip-to-wingtip span. Weight rankings use published maximum takeoff weight, not empty weight. Missing figures remain missing rather than being estimated.
Verification
Every profile carries a last-verified date and source notes. Time-sensitive operator information is described as a reviewed snapshot, never as live fleet tracking.