New USA Spotting Book Coming

March 10, 2010

Airport Spotting Guides USAFollowing in the success of Airport Spotting Guides Europe, Matt Falcus has produced a new book, this time entitled Airport Spotting Guides USA.

The book boasts guides to 67 airports, each with a detailed map of spotting locations, plus descriptions and directions. For each airport, a run down of airlines, radio frequencies, contact details, hotels with views and other statistic are included.

Additionally, nearby attractions are listed for each airport, which includes nearby airports, museums and aviation-themed attractions.

Matt states: “The Europe book has been very well received, and this was the natural progression for the series.” He adds “America is very popular with European spotters who love to visit the storage airports and the big hubs like Memphis and Atlanta. This book has it all in a handy size, you shouldn’t got without it.”

The book is published through Destinworld Publishing Ltd, and available from early April from all good aviation stockists, plus sites such as Amazon.

The BBC on Plane Spotting

February 24, 2010

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.

Spotters in the news again

February 16, 2010

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?

Stansted Plane Enthusiasts Scheme

January 13, 2010

Essex Police have introduced a new scheme at London Stansted Airport entitled Stansted Plane Enthusiasts Scheme, which aims to collect the names and details of known regular spotters at the airport. This information will potentially help the police identify regular ‘harmless’ individuals watching movements at the airport. It will also provide registered members with a pack which presumably dictates expected behaviour of the individual, and what to do if you see any suspicious activity going on.

Those who wish to receive an application pack should contact stanstedplanewatch@essex.pnn.police.uk

Categories: Spotting News

Coventry Airport to Close

December 8, 2009

Breaking news this afternoon surrounds Coventry Airport and its apparent closure with immediate effect.

The airport, in the West Midlands of the UK, has been struggling for a number of months, and has been without passenger services since 2008 when ThomsonFly closed their base. The airport has a well-known reputation for cargo movements, as well as healthy biz jet and light aircraft movements. It is also the base for Air Atlantique and Atlantic Airlines.

What the future holds for the aircraft currently based at the airport is unknown. It has been anticipated that Air Atlantique would move its operations to Kemble in Gloucestershire recently, so this may transpire soon. At the moment, no aircraft are flying apart from the local air ambulance.

It is believed the owners of the airport have now run out of money. What the future holds for the site is unclear.

Please comment with more information if you have it.

Zurich Davos 2010 Ramp Tours

October 26, 2009

It’s nearly time for that annual event in Switzerland which sees spotters flocking to see an abundance of biz jets in one place, and some of them quite rare! The Davos conference is held in January, with most dignitaries flying into Zurich Airport. This year the dates covered are Tuesday 26 January to Sunday 31 January.

Most aircraft arrive on the first day (Tuesday), often positioning to Basle or Geneva to park up for the week, before returning to Zurich to pick up their passengers on the Sunday and returning home.

Buchair offer a number of ramp tours at Zurich during the event, giving you the opportunity to get up close and personal with the biz jets (and other airliners) in attendance. You can find the schedule and booking details at: http://www.buchairnet.ch/de/tour/2010_schedule.pdf

Categories: Spotting News

Mojave Bans Photography

October 22, 2009

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.

Gatwick Airport Sold

October 21, 2009

The long-awaited news of the sale of London Gatwick Airport was announced today. BAA was told to sell the airport, and has now agreed a deal with Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) for £1.5bn. GIP are also the majority owner of London City Airport.

The sale of the airport was ordered to counteract what was described as a lack of competition in the UK airports market, particularly in London where BAA held Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted airports. This should bring much better choice and prices for passengers, with new airlines and routes likely to be announced.

The sale is still to be approved by the European Union - expected to be finalised in December.

For the enthusiast, the sale is likely to spice up the mix of operators flying into Gatwick, although details of this will only come as GIP take over and the new operation takes hold. It is highly unlikely we will see any official spotting locations return, but who knows?

Categories: Spotting News

Resources for Spotting in Scotland

October 13, 2009

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.

East Midlands Fencing Causing a Stir

October 1, 2009

Sheet fencing recently erected around parts of the perimeter of East Midlands Airport is causing a stir as one of the most popular locations to view movements on the airfield is now effectively out of action.

The crash gate area around Diseworth Road has been fenced as a result of concerns over safety, speeding cars, litter and the ever present terrorist threat, according to the airport and other sources in the know. Whilst the fencing does not (yet) circle the whole airport perimeter, leaving some areas still with views, the airport has encouraged enthusiasts to use the Aeropark for viewing. This area now has a raised platform giving views over part of the airfield.

In a separate note, it appears a similar sheet fence will be erected around the area spotters gather at Luton airport to prevent damage caused by enthusiasts cutting holes in the fence.

Categories: Spotting News