Run! It's the Spotter Police
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I would agree with your comments about some of them displaying a lack of common sense at airfields and I will admit that I nearly got run over by a DC-3 at Jersey once when I was "spotting" (airside was alot less secure in the late seventies).
At least they're not Train Spotters. Now that IS weird;-)
Adam
At least they're not Train Spotters. Now that IS weird;-)
Adam
Not so N, but still FG
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Being keen on aeroplanes is one thing, but collecting registrations is plum bizarre. As mentioned above, the more extremespotters seem to have little interest in the aircraft themselves, or are only interested in extreme geeky techie detail, rather than, as Aussie Andy put it, the wonder of flight and flying machines (not to mention the drop dead gorgeousness and general all round fabulousness of all pilots) . I love the idea of Spotter Patroller number 1 arguing with Spotter Patroller 2 about the number of fins on a Mark 2 as opposed to a Mark 3 Stinger Missile whilst Mr al Shaheed lights the blue touch paper and retires to a safe distance.
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Hellfire
Where did you get that picture of my wife
I must admit I know her well and I know that smile....
What she's thinking is...
"When you guys tuck your shirts into your pants, do you use the overlap method or the split middle method to aid access".
Where did you get that picture of my wife
I must admit I know her well and I know that smile....
What she's thinking is...
"When you guys tuck your shirts into your pants, do you use the overlap method or the split middle method to aid access".
Join Date: Mar 2001
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Is it some sort of Spotter self test?
If you're looking at the girl thinking, "Nice legs" and trying to see if she's wearing a ring - you're a normal bloke.
If however, your looking at the Spit and thinking, "I wonder what mark that is" - you probably live at home with your mum.
If you're looking at the girl thinking, "Nice legs" and trying to see if she's wearing a ring - you're a normal bloke.
If however, your looking at the Spit and thinking, "I wonder what mark that is" - you probably live at home with your mum.
Join Date: Dec 2001
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Would you like to see her in colour 
The photo was taken at
01:38 UTC on 20030211 - but in the Southern hemisphere it was naturally daylight.
Now if she was ** then, well add on 15 months.
Spitfires - so well preserved!
SS
The photo was taken at
01:38 UTC on 20030211 - but in the Southern hemisphere it was naturally daylight.
Now if she was ** then, well add on 15 months.
Spitfires - so well preserved!
SS
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She reminds me of a girl I used to entertain back in 1997 who went off to become an Emirates hostie.
Is her name Rebecca by any chance and do her parents come from a village near Telford.......?
Is her name Rebecca by any chance and do her parents come from a village near Telford.......?
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I've just watched it on the news!
The spotters at Luton (I think) over the moon that they are being involved in airport security.
"We even have a special telephone number to call!" said one. I thought he was going to drop his thermos he was so excited.
The best quote was from a copper who actually kept a straight face while saying, "We want to use the aircraft spotters' expertise to look out for unusual people hanging around the aiport perimeter." Priceless.
Reichman
The spotters at Luton (I think) over the moon that they are being involved in airport security.
"We even have a special telephone number to call!" said one. I thought he was going to drop his thermos he was so excited.
The best quote was from a copper who actually kept a straight face while saying, "We want to use the aircraft spotters' expertise to look out for unusual people hanging around the aiport perimeter." Priceless.
Reichman
Oh dear, the kind of people who will want to do this are exactly the kind of people who should not be allowed to do it. I only hope that the special phone number goes to an answering service so as not to waste the time of the police listening to their well-intentioned but ultimately useless information.
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I was teaching a spotter friend to fly in the 90s at Eastleigh and at hold Bravo for 20. We were cleared to line up after the landing xxx on short finals - whatever it was, it was obviously exotic to a spotter. Bob - sorry - this mate just said 'you have control, read that back will you, I've got to get this reg' - he then turned to a new page on his kneepad and started scribbling time date, etc.
A few minutes Googling using the terms "spotting", "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder" and "Asperger's Syndrome" is quite interesting, with a number of articles and academic papers identifying obsessive spotting and list-making as a form of mental abnormality at the milder end of the range of autistic disorders.
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Sharpshot, you have shown that you aren't actually a true spotter at all.
No true spotter would have taken a picture of an aircraft with some bird obscuring the view and especially the numbers. A true spotter would have moved to a better vantage point.
No true spotter would have taken a picture of an aircraft with some bird obscuring the view and especially the numbers. A true spotter would have moved to a better vantage point.
What a honey! Nice undercarriage and fine curves.
But the Spit in the background sure isn't a Mk XIV. Mark V?
Trainspotting in the 1950s I could understand. No TV worth mentioning, no Internet, so the sight of a proper steam hauled express belting past at close range must have been quite something. Collecting numbers? Can't see the point of that - but photography is certainly something else.
Nowadays trains are distinctly dull things. About 10 times a year I have to travel from Didcot to Paddington on whatever Western Region is called these days. Now and again there's a whiff of steam engine exhaust and a chuff-chuff sound from the museum which has all the old boys craning their necks in misty-eyed nostalgia whilst the broing diesels go past. However, when the 'stand back, this train isn't stopping here' tannoy goes out they aren't kidding! Even a diesel going through the station flat out is impressive - would be even better had it been a Castle or King (oops!) with shrieking whistle hauling chocolate-and-cream coaches!
Aircraft spotting - harmelss if they keep out of the way. Even in Greece! But some are as bad as 'militant twitchers' who will seemingly stop at nothing to pursue their hobby.
But as for bus spotters....
But the Spit in the background sure isn't a Mk XIV. Mark V?
Trainspotting in the 1950s I could understand. No TV worth mentioning, no Internet, so the sight of a proper steam hauled express belting past at close range must have been quite something. Collecting numbers? Can't see the point of that - but photography is certainly something else.
Nowadays trains are distinctly dull things. About 10 times a year I have to travel from Didcot to Paddington on whatever Western Region is called these days. Now and again there's a whiff of steam engine exhaust and a chuff-chuff sound from the museum which has all the old boys craning their necks in misty-eyed nostalgia whilst the broing diesels go past. However, when the 'stand back, this train isn't stopping here' tannoy goes out they aren't kidding! Even a diesel going through the station flat out is impressive - would be even better had it been a Castle or King (oops!) with shrieking whistle hauling chocolate-and-cream coaches!
Aircraft spotting - harmelss if they keep out of the way. Even in Greece! But some are as bad as 'militant twitchers' who will seemingly stop at nothing to pursue their hobby.
But as for bus spotters....
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Bus Spotters!
You've just reminded me! Mrs K & I used to go to Mildenhall Airshow on the local Residents association coach trip. The airshow was full of aircraft spotters, and the coach park was full of bus spotters. Accordin to the coach driver, there were guys there who used to book onto coach tours with the sole intention of bus-ticking.
I don't think that we are having a pop at spotters here, the vast majority of them are perfectly normal. OK, so we may think their chosed hobby is a bit strange but I'm sure that 99% of us collect something, CDs, stamps, beer-mats, or whatever. What we do find hilarious are the activities of the fanatic spotters.
(Now theres a thought - Extreme Plane Spotting!)
Unfortunately, every hobby has its extremists, which tar all the moderates with a bad name. I enjoy birdwatching, but to most people I am instantly labelled a twitcher - hey, I've not done any twitching for about 15 years .
The time to worry is when you find some guy not only taking your reg, but recording the a/c serial number, then unbuttoning the cowlings to record the engine's serial number!
You've just reminded me! Mrs K & I used to go to Mildenhall Airshow on the local Residents association coach trip. The airshow was full of aircraft spotters, and the coach park was full of bus spotters. Accordin to the coach driver, there were guys there who used to book onto coach tours with the sole intention of bus-ticking.
I don't think that we are having a pop at spotters here, the vast majority of them are perfectly normal. OK, so we may think their chosed hobby is a bit strange but I'm sure that 99% of us collect something, CDs, stamps, beer-mats, or whatever. What we do find hilarious are the activities of the fanatic spotters.
(Now theres a thought - Extreme Plane Spotting!)
Unfortunately, every hobby has its extremists, which tar all the moderates with a bad name. I enjoy birdwatching, but to most people I am instantly labelled a twitcher - hey, I've not done any twitching for about 15 years .
The time to worry is when you find some guy not only taking your reg, but recording the a/c serial number, then unbuttoning the cowlings to record the engine's serial number!
Not so N, but still FG
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"Extreme Spotting"? There's already a TV show about that: catch it at 0330 on the Granada Men and Morons channel, presented by A A Gill and the fat floppy haired bloke fom Top Gear.
As for discussions of Spitfire variants, a salutary tale: two of us were arguing in the bar at North Weald over the one hanging from the ceiling. "It's a Mark whatever". " No, it's a mark something else, look at the tail". Sensible bloke at next table intervenes: "It's a model. Hanging from a ceiling. In a bar."
As for discussions of Spitfire variants, a salutary tale: two of us were arguing in the bar at North Weald over the one hanging from the ceiling. "It's a Mark whatever". " No, it's a mark something else, look at the tail". Sensible bloke at next table intervenes: "It's a model. Hanging from a ceiling. In a bar."
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BEeagle, fair point I've looked again and it's not a MkXIV, but the exhaust stacks are wrong for a MK V, How about a MKIX?
Hmm, now I'm worried, maybe I am a spotter after all
Hmm, now I'm worried, maybe I am a spotter after all