The BBC News website today published an article about plane spotting. It has been put together in the wake of the problems in India with Steven Ayers and Stephen Hampton. The article goes on to interview a number of spotters who spend time at Toulouse, Heathrow and other airports. It even interviews a bmibaby pilot who combines his hobby with flying around.
You can read the article at this link http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8530716.stm
Be sure to leave your comments here, or on the BBC site.
It’s that time again - some spotters have been arrested for acting ’suspiciously’ and a newspaper has printed the story (click to read it).
Two spotters in India had booked into the Radisson New Delhi, requesting a room overlooking the airport. When the pair didn’t emerge from their room for 24 hours, hotel staff got suspicious and called the police, who promptly arrested them.
The spotters were found with binoculars, laptop containing Google maps of the airport, cameras, and an electronic ‘gadget’ which can track individual movements of aircraft.
Now, to all of the fellow spotters out there, we know these tools as part and parcel of the hobby. You take binoculars to note registrations, cameras to photograph aircraft, maps to find the best spotting locations, and an SBS (read, electronic ‘gadget’ for tracking aircraft movements) to monitor which aircraft are coming and going - particularly at night when you can’t see the registrations.
And as for not emerging for 24 hours - well, when you find a good, comfortable room with a great view of the aircraft, then why would you leave before you had to?
So, is this going to start a whole new wave of suspicion and unneccessary arrests of innocent people enjoying their hobby - just because of the jittery nature of air travel these days? Will this make you think again about booking your favourite plane-spotting hotel for a future trip?
Airline Business Blog today reports that the final day of operation at London Heathrow’s Terminal 2 is upon us. The last passengers will pass through today, before the building is demolished to make way for the new Heathrow East site, which will cater for Star Alliance carriers.
Terminal 2 has been with us for 54 years, and last year handled 7.5 million passengers instead of its projected 1.2 million. Many will remember the viewing terraces above the terminal which closed in 2002. Read all about it here:
Farewell Heathrow T2 - Airline Business
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Following complaints from aircraft owners over the taking and subsequent use of photographs of their stored airliners at Mojave Airport, photography by spotters on their airside tours are now firmly banned.
The airport has run tours on request for many years, giving spotters the chance to ride out to the lines of stored airliners at the desert airfield in California. This offers the chance to catch up with many older types stored here either permanently or temporarily. It can be difficult to log registrations from the perimeter road, so this tour is a major bonus.
Being able to step out of the van and take photographs at close quarters was also welcomed by spotters, but owners are apparently sick of seeing their aircraft in YouTube videos and social networking sites. It is not clear whether this is a result of malicious use, or simply enthusiasts sharing photos and videos.
The airport now encourages spotters to leave behind video and photo cameras before getting in the van to take a tour.
If after this news you are still interested in taking a tour at Mojave, you can do so by reporting to the Control Tower and asking at reception. In most cases the driver (Javier) can accommodate you for a spontaneous tour immediately.
Various enthusiasts sites exist for some of the airports in Scotland which can help in planning a trip to any of them, or in simply finding out what’s been happening up there. We have collated this information for some of the airports:
Glasgow Airport
EGPF.co.uk
Enthusiasts site for Glasgow Airport, with timetables, SBS list, spotting locations and charts, photos, live arrivals & departures, and logs of recent movements.
Prestwick Airport
Prestwick Airport Movements Site
Similar to the Glasgow enthusiasts site, with movements, photos, spotting information, airfield charts and live flight information.
Edinburgh Airport
EGPH.co.uk
A similar site for Edinburgh Airport enthusiasts. Lists frequencies, live flight arrivals & departures, airline information, photos and SBS information.
egphforum.co.uk
A forum for discussing Edinburgh Airport and its operations.
The next new airline to operate the Airbus A380 after Singapore, Emirates and Qantas is Air France, who will start flights on 23 November with their first aircraft, F-HPJA. Another two will follow by Spring 2010.
The airline has announced the routes the aircraft will operate as:
Dubai (1 February 2010)
Johannesburg (early 2010)
New York JFK (23 November 2009)
Tokyo Narita (spring 2010)
All will operate from Paris CDG airport. Interestingly, the route to Dubai will start 15 days before Emirates start using A380s on their Dubai - Paris route.
The aircraft will visit Paris Orly on 11 November to test the airport as a diversion field from CDG.
On 18 August, the UK Home Office released a circular to clarify counter-terrorism legislation in relation to photography in a public place. This was a result of sections of the Counter Terrorism Act being used to stop innocent photographers taking photos and pursuing their hobby in public places.
Whilst this covers the whole spectrum of photography, no matter what your subject is, it is naturally of importance and relevance to aircraft enthusiasts who take photographs near airports as part of their hobby.
The circular can be read at this link. It is advisable to familiarise yourself with the rules and laws contained within, and even keep a copy handy in your camera bag. For a brief summary, here are some important points:
The full article: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/publications/home-office-circulars/circulars-2009/012-2009/
I just read an e-mail about Biggin Hill in which a security guard has indicated that soon access to the hangars area, where many of you spot aircraft at the airfield, will be restricted in the near future.
The gates which you must pass through will be only for those with the pass number, or with a swipe card.
Will this hinder spotting at Biggin Hill much? I’m not too familiar with the airfield. Where else can you spot from?
Fancy a trip away to pursue some spotting with like minded enthusiasts in 2010? Aeroprints, one of the longest established aviation spotting tour firms in the UK, have released their 2010 brochure, listing all of the tours you’re able to book on, along with details of which aircraft/flights involved in each trip, and the day-by-day opportunities for spotting.
I’ve personally used Aeroprints for a tour a few years ago and highly recommend them.
You can download the brochure here
Jaunted has posted another excellent piece on plane spotting. Get Thee To The Jetty: Perfect Plane Spotting in Vancouver is a nice little overview on wandering along the waterfront as small seaplanes buzz over your head as they land in the harbour.
Take a look at the blog post.
The new book by the author of this blog covers 35 of Europe's best airports for spotting.
Each guide includes a map, spotting locations, technical information, contact details, list of airlines, list of aircraft stored/preserved/wrecked at each airport, and details of the best hotels and rooms to stay in.