Zakluor t1_j4hidss wrote
Reply to comment by Severe-Archer-1673 in The Stratolaunch Roc, the largest aircraft ever flown, has just completed a 6-hour test flight. It aims to be a platform to launch reusable hypersonic craft from an altitude of 10 km by lughnasadh
You're both right. Take-off weight is an important measure since cargo (passengers count in this context) is often measured that way.
Wingspan and, to a lesser degree, length, of the aircraft are often considered, too. Sometimes when they say 'largest' they talk about the width or diameter of the fuselage, as well, but that's usually in relation to an aircraft designed specifically to carry certain things. The Super Guppy and other cargo aircraft would fall into this category.
It really is context-dependent.
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