What do the number writers do with the information they collect?

[SpreadEagle]

I'm sorry if this sounds like a silly question, but as a pilot I can't wrap my head around this one and would love to know the answer.

I am aware there are different types of spotter.
The photographers, the listeners, the casual observers, but it is the notepad holding reg collectors that intrigue me.
I was at the North Weald classic fly in on the weekend just gone, with my aircraft, a Sportcruiser/Pipersport.
Stood by it, few had any questions to ask me. Most asked if I would mind standing out of the way whilst they photographed it, but many leaned around, wrote down the registration and serial number, and without a word shuffled on.
I tried broaching the subject with a couple of these chaps, but apart from discovering that they all seem to possess an encyclopaedic knowledge of aircraft and their individual histories, I didn't get a straight answer.
What do they do with all this data?
Of course, I used to think live and let live, they could be out murdering people in their free time, but this seems to be a peaceful hobby that doesn't hurt anyone. That was until one chap asked my colleague in his best nasal voice (and I'm not baiting, it was very nasal)
"Errrrr, this aircraft was at Connington on" ... flicked through his note pad ... "Wednesday wasn't it?"
Well, yes it was. I flew there. No flight plan and just a polite ppr. It seems a little akin to the aircraft having a stalker.
Do these guys upload the information onto the internet?
Are all my aircraft movements collected in some mutual, shared by all database?
Some of the hangers on the airfield were deliberately left open so these guys could peek in, and on the doors the registrations were listed for them, to save them having to enter the hangers which were off limits.
I asked one chap if he'd ever flown in a Sportcruiser. This was a leading question, as I probably would have taken him for a quick flight just to get the answers to the questions above, but was mystified by his answer.
"Oh no, I have never been for a flight in a small aircraft. I don't think I would like that at all." :confused:

The internet is plastered with pictures of me taxiing, flying and even standing by the aircraft.
Really I just want to know where all that data goes, and why do they collect it? Is there an end once they have every registration or is it the movements that they are interested in? If there is a central bank of data, could someone post a link? I'd be very interested to see how the information is displayed.

thnx and apologies if this seems woefully naive, placed in this forum.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

I collect the numbers for my own fun. I do occasionally photograph aircraft at fly-ins and I sometimes put the pics on the net. My "log" is for my own use and the listings go nowhere except in an Excel spreadsheet on my PC. I get something of a kick out of seeing an aircraft again after a 50-year break. The Dak that crashed in Germany recently I had seen over my parents house in 1957 when I was 13.

No ulterior motive, just fun.... like those collecting steam engine numbers. My wife and I also collect "Eddy" numbers during long-distance car journeys.

[superspotter]

Ah Spread Eagle...Pandoras Box!!
I have been a spotter now for 34 years this year and also work as a loadmaster, I think I added that just to let you know I am sane? :confused:
I put all the registrations I note down in a commercially available database that costs me around £100 a year with all the weekly updates it generates. This Db has around 1 million registrations in it, with all the historical data included.
Why do I do it?? That's the big question! and I have yet to find a satisfactory answer :ooh: All I can say is that I get an enormous amount of pleasure from it and it's harmless as you say. Why I get an enormous amount of pleasure from it, only a psychiatrist may be able to answer that!
I once read that it is an ancient need instilled in us humans, the hunter/gatherer in us :sad:

[SpreadEagle]

Thanks HD, that's all I wanted.

It still seems like a full day's work without pay to me, but I suppose the guy seeing the same plane in the same week in two places was one of those 'Yep I got that one' moments so he mentioned it.

I asked loads of pilots on the day and we were all equally baffled. As long as you guys aren't keeping tabs on us for the CAA, MI5 or our employers then jot on.:ok:

Ah, just seen the database answer ... mmm feel a little less happy about it now. I assume it is wiped after 7 years - data protection and all that ???

[JEM60]

I was once in what was then the Soviet Union, doing a tour of museums etc. We had quite a sophisticated gentleman with us who noted down absolutely everything that he saw, every number that was in a Mig.21's undercarriage bay etc., etc., I made a copy of my videotape for him, which he came to collect. He had his pile of books etc., with him. My wife asked him what he did with all this information. His reply, 'Absolutely nothing!!, But it's there!!'.
We all have our hang-ups. Me, it has always been sunshine, motor racing, aeroplanes and pretty women. With others, it's registrations etc., Harmless.

[Avman]

By the way SE, as a pilot you of all people should know that it's a hangar. Are you sure you're not a spotter? ;)

[LN-KGL]

Even among hard core aviation enthusiasts at East Midlands the spell check doesn't work all the time. The sign at the upper right hand corner can be seen at the gate. :8

http://www.plane-spotter.com/Jpegs/840/May_2010_Tour/East_Midlands_Aeropark/Banner_840.jpg

I'm not into collecting registration numbers of aircraft. During my childhood in the 60s and early 70s we didn't have any airport or railway in my neighbourhood (on an island on the southwest coast of Norway). During the summer months we did have a number of funny cars with the steering wheel on the wrong side and black license plates with silver letters and digits visiting though, and they ended up in my notebook. In the spring of 1975 an airport opened only 8 miles from my home, but with only the familiar DC-9-21s, DC-9-41s, Friendships, Fellowships, Dornier 228s, Twin Otters and now and then an Aero Commander weren't that interesting for a 14-15 year old.

Nowadays I'm collecting UK airports - mind you I have to either fly in to and out of them on scheduled flights to make them count. I'm at 31 UK airports now, and number 32 and 33 are scheduled for September (Kent International/Manston and Newcastle/ Woolsington). JEM60 said something about our hang-ups :}

[fdcg27]

It's just a matter of interest.
Did we fly on this 737 before?
Is this the same Martinair MD-11 we saw at SJU last year?
Wow, which 737-200 is that?
And so on.

[PaperTiger]

Do these guys upload the information onto the internet?
Are all my aircraft movements collected in some mutual, shared by all database?Yes. Not a database that I'm aware of (although there may well be one or more), but certainly on blogs, bulletin boards and groups such as in Yahoo.

I will make a note of unusual (to me) registrations - tail numbers we call them here - just to do some googling into individual airframe histories, age, type (if I don't know - I mean who can actually tell Citation models apart ?) but I don't "keep" them afterwards.

I think it's something to do with the hunter-gatherer reptile brain. That's not an insult, nor was it intended to be.

I guess the corresponding question is: why does spotting evoke such emotion (not you personally) in those who do not participate ?

[paulc]

SpreadEagle - why do you assume the database is wiped after 7 years? It is only the sighting of the aircraft that is logged not the pilot / owner name although this information is often available online. As HD says above - part of the fun is seeing a 'new' aircraft only to find that you had seen it previously with another operator in another country. Last year I visited a small town in Wisconsin which has an airfield so a brief visit was made to note a few tail numbers - on checking those seen i was surprised to find one that was based at my local airport during the mid 80's. A case of 'oh that's where it went'.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

"I wouldn't like my daughter to marry one".

My Father-in-law never said such a thing....... possibly because his daughter had been a spotter long before we met! We've been married 43 years and we both still love aeroplanes.

[dubh12000]

It's an autistic trait....all of us blokes have it to some degree or another.

Find the Baron-Cohen test somewhere on line.

[Ridge Runner]

"I wouldn't like my daughter to marry one".


What, in the same way that your daughter shouldn't marry a stamp or antique collector? Probably an intellectual, possibly monied?

The interest is in the eye of the beholder whether its planes , trains, birds, stamps, coins, antiques, etc, etc. What the individual does about it is as varied as life itself. I started spotting in the early/mid-sixties. Nowadays I look for my pleasure, I'm selective about what I like and I note things that interest me. I'm sane (I think), solid and dependable (again, I think) and it has never been presented as an issue. Its far better, more comforting, and less anti-social than many things that people do!

RR

[olivermbs]

It's not just visually movements are logged, many logs are generated by SBS/AirNav radarboxes or ACARS decoders although that tends to be for the larger stuff (fitted with Mode-S transponders or ACARS). Good example of that here Heathrow & Gatwick Airport Movements (http://www.lhr-lgw.co.uk/)

[G-APDK]

Spreadeagle
I was good to say hello last friday.

Much of the data collected by enthusiasts helps organisations like Air-Britain produce the detailed aircraft histories we produce in our publications. Had you been able to join us on over the weekend we could have shown you the level of detail to which some of our researchers and publications go into.

It is by using some of the data gathered by todays enthusiasts that will helps piece together the historical records in the future.

Its not all about producing books for example I was recently contacted by an owner restoring his aircraft and from our members "records" we were able shelp find the correct markings of that his aircraft wore in the early 1950's when it was based in Africa.

The "spotter" fraternity covers a broad church and too much to go into here, perhaps Vic can fill you in further, or I would be happy to meet for a chat (and a flight?) if you want to know more.

Hopefully you can join us next year with your aircraft.

May I take this opportunity to thank all those pilots who did join us over the weeekend at North Weald especially as the conditions were somewhat trying at times

G-APDK
Air-Britain Fly-In Director

[treadigraph]

Ah, the old notebooks, still got most of 'em mouldering in the loft...

I had a pen and paper filing system and started graduating onto a PC database when I lost interest in yer actual spotting...

I just liked aeroplanes, still do, preferably fairly small and old - The Tiger Club hangar at Redhill was a treasure trove in the 1970s and one of my favourite places; and had anyone offered (thanks to Mike Hall who did!) I'd far rather have gone flying in anything than seen something incredibly rare (except maybe a Connie!).

Mind you I still have a mental note of most of the warbirds I've seen over the years, and it's amazing how many reggies I can still remember from well over 25 years ago...

Going for a ride in a Rapide this weekend... ahhhh!

[LN-KGL]

With trying conditions G-APDK, the Squadron is the place to stay.

http://www.plane-spotter.com/Jpegs/840/UK/NorthWealdAirfield2007/ThePub.jpg

And yes, it is Mr. Moreton to the right in this picture.

[Ridge Runner]

Ah, I digress, but i remember it from 15-18 years back when I frequented it with my mate Norman Lees (now sadly departed). A nice place, nice people, with nice planes!

[LN-KGL]

Are we now talking about the Radial Pair and the Harvard Formation Team Ridge Runner?

[grow45]

If there was a planespotter equivalent of this - Train Spotting Simulator (http://www.ratbike.org/tspotsim/index.html) - they could all stay at home and do it.

g45

[Ridge Runner]

With Norman, LN-KGL? Yes, by the way, th Radial Pair with Gary. He also flew with Dave Gilmour's group, amongst many other things.

[ThreadBaron]

Some of them do this ...

EBOS-SPOTTING.BE (http://ebos-spotting.be/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=13000&sid=2278e9605a0e6b9324d987d4fd6e1e31)

[GeorgEGNT]

I'm by no means a serious number logger however, I do note the registrations down when I am at the airport. I prefer talking photographs myself.

I have an Excel document that I use to note my jottings down. I just think its nice to see an aircraft that you have already seen before, eventually by taking the registrations down, you do get to know the aircraft too. I'm struggling to explain it, but I enjoy it.

[Skipness One Echo]

If there was a planespotter equivalent of this - Train Spotting Simulator - they could all stay at home and do it.

Oh the hilarity.

Being an aviation enthusiast is "hilarious" because :

It gets me out of the house with the camera when as a 21st century Scot I should be sitting on my fat arse in front ot the telly / PlayStation with brain rot eating a deep fried pizza. ( They DO exist )

This practice of "exercise" is sadly not confined to good weather.
It gives me something impossible to strive for, which is clearly irrational. I mean as soon as I get see basics, say the BA Airbus fleet, they go and buy another one. My attempts not to get angry at Willie Walsh for this do me immense credit.

This lesson of never ignoring what's right in front of you is also "hilarious". Just eyeball that one as it goes past just in case, never growing complacent is also "hilarious".

Becoming engaged in a fascinating world like ATC and boring your friends with the intricate patters of LCY 09 arrivals turning down Whitehall as their LHR 27L / R inbounds lumber overhead is also sad. As is the practice of being arty with the camera trying to get a B747, a Fokker 50 and Big Ben all in shot at the same time.

Putting the whole glorious escapade into Excel and spotting trends and patterns can also help me in my job as an analyst (no really, it does (!) )

Not to mention travelling the world and having more to do than sit in the bar or the beach and listen to my skin sizzle.

Yup, being an aircraft spotter can be hard, but you meet all sorts of really nice people. As for Nigel with his flask and notebook, perhaps not. I'll give you that, we do attract some oddities.

I must away, summer solstice and Gatwick in the evening light beckon with a chance to put away those last elusive easyJet A319s. My sadness that they keep giving some of the G- ones to easyJet Switzerland before I see them is a burden I am struggling to carry alas....

[One Outsider]

The lives of others.......

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<If there was a planespotter equivalent of this - Train Spotting Simulator - they could all stay at home and do it.>>

Well, there is SBS and that isn't a simulator...

[ConstantFlyer]

Plane spotters who collect registration numbers are fulfilling a basic psychological need that all of us humans feel to some extent or other. It is partly a need to complete a set, whether that be by seeing all G- registered aircraft, owning every type of Hungarian postage stamp issued, or noting every Eddie Stobart lorry on the road. The racier side of collecting covers areas where the is no finite list (as in a Stanley Gibbons stamp catalogue), and you therefore don't know when you've got every one of something, such as airline timetables, Beatrix Potter thimbles, or telephone cards. It could be argued that the collecting gene manifests itself differently in men and women, with the female version having an element of practicality about it (e.g. shoes). But that's a whole other debate...

[One Outsider]

What is a a basic psychological need is the need to appear 'normal' and this sometimes leads to the need to rationalize behaviour in order to normalize it.

I suppose collectors can be divided into three main groups, those who collect for investment purposes, those who collect for enjoyment purposes (displaying and/or using the items) and those who collect for prestige purposes. Many collectors will naturally belong to more than one group.

One thing they all have in common is that the items they collect are of a physical nature. Is it 'collecting' or a 'collection' when nothing physical is involved and the item involved is manufactured by the 'collector'?

Freud, of course, believed it could all be traced back to toilet training.

[Rob Courtney]

I thought trainspotters where a bit barmy but a guy from work tells me his teenage son is a Eddie Stobart Truck spotter!!:confused:

He has a log book with the cab and trailer numbers and also the names on the front, there is also a Stobart truck spotters fanclub as well.

Thinki will be sticking to things with wings and engines

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Yes, Rob, but on the way to see the flying machines what better than to cop a few Eddies? Great fun and when the drivers see you almost drive up a tree to get the name they'll give you a friendly wave...!

[Rob Courtney]

Tried it this afternoon on my way back up the M6, its ok I guess when you are passing one of them as you can keep pace with the cab (slowing everyone else down in the middle lane:E) and read it from the side but how the hell do you do it when they are on the other carrigeway? youve got a closure speed of approx 140mph, and the writing is tiny!! You really need a steady nerve

Also noticed theres always more on the other carrigeway than yours.

Aircraft are far more relaxing, sitting in the avaition park at Manchester with a coffee and a tray of chips.... bliss.:ok:

[asyncio]

I thought trainspotters where a bit barmy but a guy from work tells me his teenage son is a Eddie Stobart Truck spotter!!http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/confused.gifSounds positively thrilling, compared to the Bus Spotters I saw in Bristol coach station a few years ago!!??

[sharksandwich]

Sheesh! You guys have it so easy!
You should try Birdwatching!
They don't have registration numbers.
It takes a great deal of skill to work out that the sparrow you see on Tuesday morning is not the same one you saw a day before in a different field!

[JEM60]

There is a great difference between birdwatching and twitching. I'm a bird watcher, I can't fail to be in this area. I look onto my front garden to find it occupied, as this morning, by six pheasants, 8 goldfinches, 4 jackdaws, longtailed tits etc etc. They give me a great deal of pleasure, as they do other people. Remember TWITCHERS are the collectors, birdwatchers are observers, not collectors.
The Tornado at 100 feet past my garden yesterday afternoon was pretty impressive, as was the Puma OVER my garden at the same height. {Frightened the lesser spotted woodpecker out of my tree. Ah well.]

[Avman]

OK, I've summoned those men in white coats to come and take you all away before you all become a real danger to society. ;)

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Better get some extra white coats down here, and a padded van too. My wife and I are aircraft spotters, Eddie collectors and birdwatchers! We don't twitch now for health reasons but we used to collect lists of birds seen by the month, year and all-time. Is there a place in Heaven for such illustrious souls I ask?

[Rhino1953]

My first post.
An intersting discussion.
I have a slightly different method. I take a photo, and use that in a photobase to see which different aircraft I have seen. I have to say this is purely military aircraft. while I may have lots of photos of one airframe, only one picture is used in the photobase.
I presume there must be others out there doing something similar.

[Malaysian28]

I enjoy Spotting, I dont always collect regs for some reason.
Only when there is something interesting such as the Trooping of the Colour Flypast I would like to know the aircraft involved.

I also collect the regs of the aircraft I have flown on just to keep as personal record. (The Excel spreadsheet sounds good, might try it).

I also Like trains, but a certain type of trains, STEAM!!
These Electric and Diesel Boxes on wheel dont appeal to me even though I drive them.

I also like Birdwatching, I like birds with long hair and a BIG CHEST :rolleyes:

[angels]

jem60 - have you considered what would happen if a Tornado flew through a flock of your feathered friends at 100 feet?

Be easy to spot in your living room! :}

[JEM60]

ANGEL. Yes, but I can't do much about it. I once had a birdstrike when I was flying a C.150, and killed a seagull. Put a dent in the wing, and before you wags get your humour into gear, the birdstrike wasn't from behind!!!:):):):):):)

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Everyone to their own thing. I'm told that there are thousands who pay to watch a couple of dozen obscenely overpaid, intellectually deprived cretins kick a ball around....! Now that I really do not understand.

[Malaysian28]

Everyone to their own thing. I'm told that there are thousands who pay to watch a couple of dozen obscenely overpaid, intellectually deprived cretins kick a ball around....! Now that I really do not understand.

You Have Hit the Nail on the Head,
Its a Barmy World.

[DILLIGAFF]

I'm with you re the football HD, now we also have two not quite so overpaid people hitting a ball back and forth between themselves all day on the telly. Whats all that about?, if they both don't want it why not just walk away. Any way I used to spot many years ago. I can remember when I gave up - May 1978 walking round the ramp at Fort Lauderdale, (bet you can't do that nowadays) writing down all these N numbers. Thought to myself, what's the point? they all look the bleedin' same. Threw my notebook in a bin.Took up aircraft photography instead, still do it when I can. Went to Farnborough yesterday spent a few hours sat in the sun at the end of the runway, took some piccies. Quite a pleasant way to spend a sunny afternoon. Met some weirdos in my years around airfields but they are not a patch on bus spotters, went to a bus do at Brooklands a few years back, jeeeesus they are strange.
D

[bobward]

What's coming through is that we don't seem to take ourselves too seriously, do we? That's great.

Years ago I went on an organised trip to what was then the Jaguar museum at Coltishall. Later in the bar I got talking to the bus driver, who gave me ear-ache about silly people logging airframe numbers etc. He then told me he was a bus spotter....did you know that London transport had 5000 big red buses, whilst there were only 500 in all of East Anglia....

Each to his own. It's legal, and doesn't frighten the horses, so carry on folks!
Just off to buy a new numbers book, and get the anorak dry cleaned. the airshow season's under way.

Finmally, thanks to the member who started this off. Sadly I didn't make the Fly-in this year, but I know that I, and all the other anoraks, do appreciate that people fly their aircraft down there, for we penguins to look at.....

:ok::8

[PaperTiger]

collecting the reg numbers of endless identical aircraftSo not quite identical then Simon ? :8

[Ridge Runner]

Better get some extra white coats down here, and a padded van too. My wife and I are aircraft spotters, Eddie collectors and birdwatchers! We don't twitch now for health reasons but we used to collect lists of birds seen by the month, year and all-time. Is there a place in Heaven for such illustrious souls I ask?


You're not alone HD. I started aircraft spotting in the 1960s (eventually only military) and even now I jot down things that interest me on my travels. I also note every plane I fly on (on an excel sheet). When I was in my early yers I collected butterflies and moths, and stamps too. Some where in the loft I still have a box of one and two shillin coins. I have every year from 1947. The list goes on...... Am I mad? No, it gives me a lot of satisfaction and has been a means of learnign a lot about the world - natural, geography, aviation, etc etc.

RR

[DILLIGAFF]

Careful Bobward, using the A word. I once posted a question and finished it with "just wondered if any fellow anoraks out there can help". All I got was a load of abuse along the lines of " don't expect any help if you call people names " etc. Some people.
D
Motto: Never take life too seriously, you will never get out of it alive.

[Art Smass]

Great replies one and all

Personally, I have worked in the industry as have most of my family - thus aviation is in the blood.

Collecting registrations is something I have been doing for 30 odd years for no other reason than the pleasure it gives me in analysis of the data afterwards - which aircraft I have seen before, which have changed mark etc etc. Probably pointless in the grand scheme of things but it's harmless and gets me out in the fresh air.

I also maintain production lists of an aircraft type which is close to my heart - collecting data on changes of registration and ownership, collecting photos and anything I can get my hands on relating to this aircraft type.

When I pass on to the great airport in the sky - I'm sure it will all be binned straight away by my horrid children:ugh: - but heck it's given me some pleasure and in the end .. that 's what counts:ok:

[Ridge Runner]

it's given me some pleasure and in the end .. that 's what counts

You've pretty much captured it for those asking.

[JEM60]

ART SMASS. As you say, pointless. But then, that sums up most hobbies, be it modelling, painting soldiers, fishing etc., It's the pleasure it gives to the individual, of course. Beautiful women were my hobby for many years. Totally pointless, as I was already and still am married to one, so could only look but not touch. Pointless!! but pleasurable.:)
Other hobbies are, of course, more useful with a permanent end result, like DIY etc. But for those of us who don't do that, perhaps registrations are fun.
I cannot, however, forget the time in South Africa, when the silver two seat Lightning [sadly no longer extant] is being crewed up and about to start, forgive the couple of English spotters who left, saying 'no, we don't want to see it fly, we've got the numbers so we're off.' Those two had no soul.:hmm:

[Ridge Runner]

I suppose JEM60 it is whether you are an aviation enthusiast that also "spots" or simply a plane spotter. Both are pointless by your good definitions and illustrations but the latter do lack something!!! I am certainly one of the former. RR

[PaperTiger]

but heck it's given me some pleasure and in the end .. that 's what countsBut that doesn't count at all to the various knockers and mockers who hang around this site just waiting for some hapless spotter to pop up so they can give him both barrels.

Maybe I should start a new thread: Why do those who hate number writers have nothing better to do ?

[TrafficPilot]

I started "spotting" aircraft when I was about 8 years old!

I remember buying the Ian Allan "reg" books from around 10 years old. There was enormous satisfaction (at the time) in managing to spot and log all aircraft in a particular fleet. I used to spend free afternoons with my friends at Boarding School spotting aircraft in the Ockham stack above us.

Then I "grew up" a bit and started collecting nav charts! I used to have thousands of Aerad and Jeppesen maps/books/SIDs/STAR charts covering the entire world. Why? Not entirely sure...but I do still love maps.

Then I learnt to fly at 18 and it all took on a whole new meaning!

Spotting is a hobby pure and simple. Nothing wrong with it. So why be so critical about people who enjoy it?

[JEM60]

TRAFFIC PILOT. O.K. I confess. I too had the Ian Allen Reggie books and collected at Heathrow for a time, entering the where and when seen etc., Smoking radials, Dc6s 7s Stratocruisers etc. etc., What memories. I too grew up, but it started, as I suspect it did in many people, a love of aviation that endures to this day, although the overseas airshows have stopped [Teresa has discovered cruising], tho' we did manage a day on the beach at St. Maarten recently:):). People move on from the reggie books, as you and I both did, we both learned to fly, glide, skydive etc., but it all starts with registrations, and visits. At Oshkosh last year, I watched a very nice pilot lift a youngster up the better to see inside his Grumman Mohawk. The kid was wide-eyed and very pleased. I remarked to the pilot that his little gesture has probably started something for the kid, and we talked long in the hot sun about how all of us, reggie spotters included are simply Aviation Enthusiasts, and that, I am very pleased and proud to be!.:)

[paulc]

JEM60,

agree 100% re Oshkosh - in terms of friendliness and a willingness to encourage an interest in aviation. The EAA with the 'young eagles' programme does a great job in this respect. Another example is a particular P51 owner who encourages chldren to sit in etc - perhaps he more than most appreciates that the children of today are the pilots / engineers etc of the future. I wonder how many aviation careers can be traced back to a single incident such as you mention or even a simple flight deck visit.

As for me I would not have been to half the places and met many fascinating people without having such an interesting hobby.

[PaperTiger]

I would not have been to half the places and met many fascinating people...Including all the nice policemen of various nationalities :ooh: .

[Art Smass]

Papertiger

I've met lots of nice people through this hobby including many policemen - not everyone in that profession is anal about aircraft spotting. As long as you obey the local laws (and I'd be the first to admit that some in the spotting community do not - and they deserve everything they get:mad:) I have found the security community to be pretty good in general.

But this is a digression from the original point of this thread which was 'what do the number writers do with the numbers'

AS

[WHBM]

Fancied a jolly up into East Anglia one fine Sunday a while ago.

Landed at a grass field up there where two kids were sat by the ops room with half a page of registrations all they had to show for their time spent there that day. But now including mine. "We haven't got yours before" was their comment to me when I enquired.

Glad to have obliged :)

[PaperTiger]

WHBM: Aaah, 50 years ago (well, maybe a bit more :O ) that could have been me. It's nice to know that some kids still spend a lazy summer's day waiting for a Moth or Auster to float into a pastoral English airfield.

Maybe all is not lost.

[simonchowder]

Actually how anyone can compare standing on some airport terrace mindlessly scribbling down aircraft reg numbers as they trundle past with hobbies that require a fair bit of effort and skill such as fishing / painting/modelling is beyond me

[Avman]

:hmm: Simonchowder, give it up mate. The only skill you display is that of being a complete and total plonker.

[Cymmon]

I feel that trolling takes even less effort, but everyone to there own.

Come on chowder, even you can surely follow numbers, like a plane spotter :eek:, to be able to do painting by numbers, modelling has numbers to follow to construct, fishing is perhaps highly intellectual skill? Deciding which river has which fish, or not, then deciding bait.

My latest skill for collecting numbers is to co-join the hobby by actually fliying to different airports to catch different regs, but sometimes I meet workers in the airport who have no interest in the aircraft, the crews, the passengers and even their own colleague´s......... strange!
They just seem to take pleasure out of berating the people who ultimately feed the pay packets....

I am not a "full time" spotter, but I take pleasure from sitting in beer gardens, on beach´s etc to watch aircraft, therefore I need people like check-in personel, pilots, CC, dispatchers to be there to allow me to travel to conduct my hobby.

Some of the above have no idea how grateful people are for "friendly and knowledgable" staff....:ouch:

ie: For gods sake chowder, SHUT UP about spotters, it is just SO BORING AND CHILDISH!
I feel your life is so sad because if this is the best you can do, even "a thick, lowlife spotter" like me can actually look down on you!:D

[JimmyTAP]

The surprising thing about simonchowder is that he seems to be immune to the same rules as everyone else and remains on here.
Those who are intolerant of other's hobbies must be intolerant in other aspects of their lives.

Anyway, since when did hobbies require skill as a prerequisite? Collecting numbers, stamps, coins, beermats, Beatles memorabilia, antiques are all hobbies but don't require "skill" as such. Some hobbies require skill, some don't - same as jobs eh simon? That's probably beyond you as well though.

[JimmyTAP]

In your case, personal insults seem second nature to you. Your patronizing posts are in fact very insulting to many on here and despite many attempts and reports of your posts, you keep coming back. You do not obey the rules and yet seem to get away with it.

BTW, I am not likely to disappear, losing the ability to post on Pprune is not going to have a great affect on my life, especially when Pprune tolerates the likes of you.

I'll get back to my hobbies and leave you to yours, whatever that may be.

[PaperTiger]

Leave Simon alone, it's obvious he has trouble finding the right thread.
Here it is old boy: http://www.pprune.org/jet-blast/419862-grumpy-old-bastard-je-maccuse.html

[purplehelmet]

when i was a lad we used to "collect" things like matchbox cars,hot wheels, airfix models,subbuteo teams,and the like, never knowing that if they stayed in the box's now'er days they would be worth a mint.
my dad (an ex raf avro anson pilot) still keeps in touch with some of his old buddies and they send and swap stamps from all over world, some might be worth a few quid after all these years,i have no interest in them what so ever.i dont collect reg numbers off aircraft or bus'es etc.
but i love walking my dog's down the back lanes near manchester airport, watching the aircraft takeoff and land, and yep i love the smell of jet fuel,and chatting to the "spotters" all who are very friendly.
my point is each to thier own, no one is doing any harm by plane spotting.
SIMONCHOWDER i think you or suffering some kind of illness,where you feel the need to berate and belittle people who carry out such pass times,
why else would you continue to post on a forum that you have no interest in,please seek some medical help,all the best for a speedy recovery, get well soon ph.

[scr1]

I thought trainspotters where a bit barmy but a guy from work tells me his teenage son is a Eddie Stobart Truck spotter!!http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/confused.gif Sounds positively thrilling, compared to the Bus Spotters I saw in Bristol coach station a few years ago!!??


it takes all sorts. know a ship spotter!!!!!!

[Skipness One Echo]

The man has a record of not one single post in here that wasn't designed to wind up spotters. A blatant breach of netiquette and also given the fact that he is one and the same as Kevlarcarl, also banned, I am curious as to why he is immune to pprune rules.

If I were to go into the Cabin Crew forum and post a host of derogatory comments about staff, I would be banned. All Chowder does is come into this part of pprune and be derogatory about the people he knows are in here.

MODS it seems to be one rule for some and a different rule for others.

Actually how anyone can compare standing on some airport terrace mindlessly scribbling down aircraft reg numbers as they trundle past with hobbies that require a fair bit of effort and skill such as fishing / painting/modelling is beyond me

It takes foresight and planning to find the elusive aircraft you need Simon. Brains and research, literacy to log them, many use spreadsheets and computer programs. Many use complex SLR cameras with impressive results. If you can show me a UK airport with an airport terrace I'd be delighted to demonstrate. Given that there aren't (m)any left shows you know little about what you are talking about, YET AGAIN. The amount of time money and effort I put into finding, logging and photographing aircraft of interest to me is staggering. It's a boys and their toys thing Simon. It's not dying out as I feared a few years back, if anything there's more of us than for many years. I spent a day in Germany this weekend, got caught in sand storm and was thogoughly impressed by a Lufthansa A380. I had a fulfilling and busy weekend. You have NO idea, sniping at the sidelines like a petulant child is all you seem to do. What a waste!

Once again you belittle and mock, that's all you ever do mate. You come across as ignorant and certainly intolerant of the habits of your fellow men who don't fit into your tiny world view.

This is a forum for decent people enjoying a hobby to share information. So Simon, show me one non offensive post you have posted in here please?

[JEM60]

SOE.Agree with everything. I don't care what people do as a hobby, it's their business and nobody elses, unless they are on the same wavelengthas others. It would be a most boring world if we were all the same!!!

[cherrylock]

I really dont know why certain folk get their knickers in such a twist over simon chowder his comments are clearly tongue in cheek and he must be having a real chuckle at the outrage his comments seem to cause some, anyway onto far more interesting things than mr chowder did anyone see the documenetery last night on the beeb about rolls royce and the new engine for the 787 i really enjoyed it great to see a british company at the cutting edge of technology

[Skipness One Echo]

An unbroken record of winding people up just to cause a reaction goes beyond "tongue in cheek". He adds nothing to this forum. Nothing whatsoever except spiteful ignorant remarks. He actually does get to me as wind up merchants like him can make some people's lives an utter misery. I had a few in my younger days that were frankly bullies and it's exactly the same thing IMHO.

It's why we have strict policies on this sort of crap at work. He annoys me greatly.

I did watch the 787 program last night though. I find it hard to get too excited by the 787 as aesthetically it looks like the 757 and 767 got it together and had a plastic child (!) I am quite proud though that the British can still build something world class though. Good on Rolls Royce !

I do hope the 787 enters service before I die of old age though. I want to write down it's number you see....

[cherrylock]

Oh come on now there is always banter on forums such as this, its hardly bullying and if anyone really allow smart alec comments about plane spotters on a forum to upset them they really should have a word with themselves, there are far more important things to worry about in life, i honestly dont give a hoot what anyone thinks about me being a spotter i enjoy it and thats all that matters, in fact i quite enjoy reading some of chowders rantings there are quite amusing at times:)

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<know a ship spotter!!!!!!>>

My wife and I engage in this devious practice too - very close to the Kebab shop in Hythe, which sells the most amazing chicken sandwiches known to man.

An ex-colleague of mine, with whom I worked for nigh on 30 years, collects airline sick bags!

Another ex-colleague collects Norbert Dentressangle numbers and has even been known to France to catch the latest ones. Of course, Eddie spotters like my wife and me treat such peasants with disdain...

PS... Managed to cop a couple of new ones at Blackbushe this lunchtime.

[Egerton Flyer]

Including all the nice policemen of various nationalities

And the famous car park attendant at Boston. We got to know his life story, whilst waiting for the police.:{
They never did turn up and we parted on good terms.

E.F.

[Skipness One Echo]

there is always banter on forums such as this, its hardly bullying and if anyone really allow smart alec comments about plane spotters on a forum to upset them they really should have a word with themselves, there are far more important things to worry about in life

This individual only does this in the spotters forum. His posts have no other purpose except to inflame. He gets off on it and ruins my enjoyment of reading a post because when I see Simon Chowder's name, I know he comes in here just to p*** off spotters. Having had a word with myself, I still think that's wrong and having been on pprune for a while, have seen many more worthwhile intelligent contributors having been banned for a lot less. EVERY single post the guy makes is a wind up.

[L4key]

SOE I sympathise but tbf your reaction is exactly what he's looking for. In the absence of mods (I agree the lack of action is odd IMHO) I suggest you ignore or it's just feeding the problem.

Anyway, I'm with Cherry. Occasionally he's funny. This one's my favourite:

There was a rumour they were going to remame the AVP the "cabbage patch" for some reason

Life's too short to get uptight about a little tinker like SC.

[PaperTiger]

I suggest you ignore or it's just feeding the problem.There's a thing called the Ignore List which enables you to do this painlessly - you'll never hear from him again.

Me, I like to see a frothing lunatic from time to time and the great thing about PPRuNe is that there is no shortage whatsoever. :)

[Skipness One Echo]

Can you honestly imagine it being funny substituting "cabbage patch" spotters for "effeminate and orange" cabin crew?

That's the honest test and he fails. Neither are funny, both are against the rules, only one gets away with it. See if you can guess which.

[one11]

To come back to the original question heading up this thread.

This is not a new issue. During WW2 there existed a simple 4 page magazine or newsletter titled "The Aeroplane Spotter" . This referred not to number collecting but the more serious business of aircraft recognition. Post war, it continued to 1948 but the issues from that time show some sort of identity crisis between its original purpose and "spotting" as it is currently understood.
The correspondence columns on the subject are just as vehement ,if possible more civilised in language, than todays. However one letter, from January 1948, is worth quoting from as a direct answer to the thread question.

"Readers of the Aerospane Spotter may be interested to learn that among their number is one who has been a consistent "spotter" for over a quarter of a century, although the term was unknown before about 1938.


On January 4th 1948 I completed 25 years of recording civil aeroplanes. Even during the war years i managed to log a few and so maintain a continuous record. Before 1923 i was a regular visitor to the then London Terminal Aerodrome at Croydon but alas kept on written record. All my "spotting" has been done in the United Kingdom , in spite of which 1,100 air-liners flying under the flags of foreign nations have been logged, apart from several hundreds of foreign light aeroplanes. Altogther I have recorded almost 6,000 civil aeroplanes of which nearly 4,000 were before the outbreak of war,

Looking through the pages of my register , the steady development of aeroplanes during the first 25 years of civil air transport is unfolded and all the types recorded as they actually came into service. The long lines of deHavilland, Handley Page, Fokker and Junkers transports can be traced in chronological order through the years and so revive pleasant memories of happy hours spent on the various civil aerodromes..........


Todays enthusiasts can only envy him the variety, whether they keep records or not.

[Evanelpus]

Are all my aircraft movements collected in some mutual, shared by all database?

Going back to post 1, the answer is Yes. With the advent of the information superhighway, data can now pass quicker between two p[oints faster than you can say JR.

Spotters, in the main, are harmless folk. They are doing something which they get immense pleasure from. I was once one myself, to a lesser degree now but I still look up at the LTN and STN outbounds and tie up the registrations on my radarbox to see if it's one of the new fleet.

Chowder, you are a cock of the first order. Who gave you the right to be Chief of the Intelligence Corps?

[BarbiesBoyfriend]

I'm a spotter.

This month I'm going to go to AZ and spend a lot of happy hours meandering around the scrappies near the bone yard.

I've got my flying logbooks, roughly 10,00 hours in the Shed, J41,Barbiejet RJ100 and Emb 170/ 190SR.

+my spotting logs which add a little flavour to the rather dry flying logs. Of course my photos are also indexed ny date, but when I snuff it, it will all be lost.

Spotting still makes me chuffed although I'm not quite sure why.

I got a wife, two kids and a good job.

If I could explain it....................;)

[Bournemouth Air]

I am an Enthusiast...... I love the Sportcruiser (my database says there 266 sportcuisers 36 of which I have seen)

I do write down down the numbers and log them in the database for my own reference but much rather interested in the Aircraft them self. If i had a Pilot licence then i would have ordered my own.

I have built my Business around aircraft from Sitting around my local Airport and run a highly successful business from it.

I have had flights to USA in Bizjets to flights over to Jersey in custom clearance flights and many jolly to fly-ins in light aircraft (just for taking an interest)

It has brought a great friendship to similar minded people and brought me fortune and at the end of the day I go home to my lovely family happy.

Great topic.

PS Just downloaded shipplotter for the iphone (purely for work)

[JamesT73J]

In terms of a database, even if you're into the photography side, most of the online aviation photo sites have comprehensive tables, and common aircraft turn up all over the place. It's all searchable.

As an aviation enthusiast first and photographer second, I'm not always very diligent with dates and times etc, and really on EXIF data for these things. I just like taking (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23838297@N06/3357926688/in/set-72157614210214485/) the pictures (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23838297@N06/3357925464/in/set-72157614210214485/) and seeing the aircraft in their element.