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.

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?

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.

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.

Some highlights from the new winter scheduled timetable at London Heathrow may prove popular amongst the spotters. The timetable begins on Sunday 25 October. Here are the edited highlights:

Aegean Airlines will start using Airbus A321 aircraft on their Athens route, twice daily. Arrives 1115 and 1920.

Aeroflot will use Airbus A321 aircraft on all flights.

Air France will start using ATR42-500 aircraft on two of their Paris CDG flights, arriving 1505 and 2115.

CSA will use Airbus A319/A320 aircraft on all flights.

Ethiopian Airlines will use Boeing 757 aircraft on all flights.

Rossiya Russian Airlines will use Boeing 737 aircraft on all flights.

Gulf Air will use Airbus A330 aircraft on all flights.

Libyan Airlines will use CRJ aircraft on all flights.

Northwest Airlines will use Boeing 767 aircraft on all flights.

Qatar Airways will start using Boeing 777 aircraft on QR11/12 and QR17/18 flights.

Transaero will use Boeing 737-800 aircraft on all flights.

Birmingham Airport will host a day of celebrations on Wednesday 9 September, 2009. The airport is celebrating its 70th year since opening. It is also opening its new International Pier for business on the same day.

The first official aircraft to use the new pier will be an Emirates Airbus A380 operating the regular scheduled service from and to Dubai, in place of the usual Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

To coincide with the historic day, a number of other aircraft are due to visit, including:

* Classic Flight Dragon Rapide G-AGTM from Coventry – a Rapide having operated the first service from Birmingham back in 1939!
* KLM 73H PH-BXA which is in their 90th anniversay scheme is planned to operate the mid morning Amsterdam service
* Lufthansa 321 D-AIRX which is in the retro scheme is planned to operate the evening Frankfurt service
* on the lighter side 20 “classic” light aircraft are expectedto be present during the day on the Elmdon apron.

Thanks to Gordon Stretch at www.bhxflightguide.net for the info.

Sharjah Airport has reintroduced the airside photo pass scheme which was abandoned a few years ago. Traditionally, this was one of the best opportunities for spotters and photographers to get amongst the excellent selection of rarer aircraft that could typically be found at this UAE airport.

Sharjah is famous for the Russian types, cargo aircraft, and Western types from years gone by. It also has been used extensively for storage and scrapping. Sadly the airport is much quieter these days, and many of the stored aircraft have gone. It has instead turned into a major hub for Air Arabia, and services a number of other airlines.

The airport’s website has the application form for the pass. Although it stated the price is AED350, the application form has the true price of AED1000. A little steep perhaps. A minimum of 10 working days is required to process the pass, with the UAE working week being Sunday to Thursday.

What does the pass allow? Well it allows airside access to the various ramps. Whereas in the past you were often free to roam as you wished, these days you will be escorted by an agent.

A quick link to the application form: http://www.sharjahairport.ae/photographyform.pdf

Airbus have just announced that company Airbus A380 F-WWOW will be making an “approach and go around flythrough” at Birmingham Airport on Saturday 5 September 2009 as part of a UK tour on that day.

The Birmingham flypast is scheduled for 1540. The aircraft will also be visiting Edinburgh, Prestwick, Port Rush for the Northern
Ireland International Air Show, Belfast City and Broughton on that day before returning to Toulouse via Birmingham – times
at - http://bhxflightguide.blogspot.com

This visit is in addition to the planned visit by an Emirates A380 to Birmingham on Wednesday 9 September 2009 – again more information on that visit can be found at the link above.

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?

As the new airport at San Bernardino, CA nears its official opening, the locals are asking whether it will ever actually attract and airlines.

The San Bernardino International Airport is opening on the site of the former Norton Air Force Base, which closed in 1994. A new terminal has been built, and is already fitted with check-in kiosks, arrivals and departures screens, escalators, offices, and an automated voice which warns passengers not to leave baggage unattended. Coupled with 3000 new jobs being created in the surrounding areas recently, on paper the outlook seems rosy. But in these times of airlines cutting back routes or closing down, and recession hitting hard, does this part of California need another airport?

You can read the full story here.

If the airline does start to attract operators, you can be sure we’ll cover the opportunities for enthusiasts. If you’re a local, why not tell us what the new airport is like by leaving a comment?