You might be an aircraft spotter if...

[Phill]

Can you spot a spotter?

A few years ago while working at a small civ' airfield chappy pulls up in a BMW M3. Smart dressed fella and he had a WAG style girlfriend with him, both tanned and top to toe in designer gear, if someone had said he was a pro footballer with the model wife I would have believed it.

He comes over and asks if it's OK to have a quick look around and in the hangars etc. (before airport security went silly) not an unusual request and whilst maintaining a watchful eye we gave him the nod..... then the little pocket book came out of his shirt pocket and he went off like a man possessed with the WAG nearly going on her face trying to keep up in her Jimmy Choo's.
Not once did he stop to actually look at the aircraft, there were some unusual and old types, but he just scribbled the reg's down and in a whirlwind was back to his motor with his better half still trying to keep up.

Looks can be deceiving!

He probably played golf too!

[JEM60]

As I said in a previous post, I don't run other peoples hobbies down.
HOWEVER, I was down at Thunder City, Cape Town, 3 years ago, taking video of Lightnings and things. Two English guys drive up. We engage in light banter. After a couple of minutes, two people come out in full flying kit [one was John Cauldwell, Fones4U ex owner] and climb into the silver two seater Frightning. It starts up, whereupon the 2 other spectators say 'cheerio' to my friend and I. I point out that the aircraft is about to fly, whereupon the comment from them was 'we've got the number, we're off to Stellenbosch to get some light aircraft'.
All that way, and then they don't want to see a Frightning fly!!!!!!.
I have since heard that one of them owns a Piper Cub and an RV6!!!

[bubblesuk]

Eddie spotting? A clever marketing move by Mr Stobart who was determined to raise the profile of long distance hauliers. So he insisted on smartness for his drivers and vehicles - and all his trucks had individual girls' names. Hence his company became a household name, thanks to the interest this generated. Name one other truck company*?

Knights Of Old, Prestons Of Potto, Pullun, Leicester heavey Haulage, Heanor to name a few.

I like aeroplanes and i have hung around the odd fence now and again. however i do not own a step ladder nor do i own a Thermos, theres no bored bird sat in the car cos shes at home looking after the 5 kids. I blame me dad personally for my love of all things (well most things) and i couldnt tell an airbus from a Boeing nor could i tell the various marks etc so not all of us are total geeks!


I do like cranes though

[Willard Whyte]

...the airshow list comes up on the sqn. One half of you wants to stay at home with the family and forget about work. But then you spot RIAT....Waddington......and one or two more, and remember sun, rain, beer, tents, women, burgers, the after show party, and the planes.

I'd rather be at the Goodwood FOS

[Doctor Cruces]

Saw on the telly last night or night before, someone actuall goes "wide load spotting". Unbelievable, he actually has some contacts "in the know, wink" who tip him off and he goes rushing to a suitable motorway bridge to get photos.

I've heard it all now.

Doc C

edit for bad spellingz

[diginagain]

I have to share office-space with a lifeboat spotter, who, when he's away from water collects fire appliance numbers.

He lives on Orkney.

With his mother.

[Dop]

I'm sure I read a short story once about the trainspotter who fills up his notebook with numbers, then keels over and dies. Up comes a young lad, who picks up the notebook, sees the train at the next platform, and crosses off its number.

The thing about trainspotting is that it started in the age of steam, when there were lots of different trains about and people didn't have satellite TV, the internet or computer games to keep themselves entertained. They had to make their own entertainment in them days...!

But now you see guys standing at the end of platform 5 at London Bridge, who've probably watched dozens of completely identical trains go through that day, and you just can't see what the entertainment value is!

[ricardian]

It isn't me!
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney

[Moversaregreat]

Uhm...great thread

Being a self confessed and proud aircraft photographer and semi spotter I see no problem in the hobby at all...yeah you can maybe put it down to a mental illness that is the root of my infliction...but at least i'm not out there beating up little old ladies, shop lifting, smoking dope ( even though spotting can send you to the verge of that ) etc.....

But just to add another angle to the thread what about all those in the RAF who are under cover spotters? Aircrew, Engineers etc etc....oh I have met many during my time in the mob....many! As I was once told by an unnamed Hercules pilot "gives me something to do down route".
Surely a few of you are out there reading this! Don't be embarrased...COME OUT and be PROUD I AM

[AT Mov]

No problem with being open about being a spotter, no problem for the 25 years I was in. Lost track off the number of times I was asked by ops/eng 'what is a 'x' aircraft' and helped them understand what it was, how big it was, what bay it could park on etc.

Out now, but now a full time spotter providing data for a company providing info to the finance and insurance industries, so still using those skills.

www.ascendworldwide.com

Regarding the Thunder City thing above, if he did own a RV6 and a Cub, he drives a BA 767 for a living. His interest is in vintage and homebuilt aircraft, he would have liked to see the Lightning, but would have enjoyed his time better at 'bosch.

[Rigger1]

About 20 years ago on VAS at a Welsh airfield, at the end of every month we’d have a Flt Lt from the tower phone us up and ask to go through our log and give him the visitors reg’s for all the days he was on shift, and sometimes the times of arrival / departure to try and work what he’d seen from his kitchen window a week last Tuesday at around 20 past 7!

[JEM60]

AT MOVE.Thanks for that. He certainly struck me as a nice guy. I don't have a problem with spotters or collectors at all, and it would be a dull old world if we were all the same. [I used to be a collector of pretty women when I was single, then I went and married one................]

[tornadoken]

TTN: I believe that ALL men are borderline autistic (Asbergers at least) and have an obsessive desire to complete patterns. I believed that autism, a word only recently known to you and me, was an invention of Newly Qualified female Teachers in Primary Reception. New Woman expects New Man to engage in "togetherness", to understand the meaning of the word "relationship", and to be socially "sensitive". That means, I think, being able to engage in "goss". Prada, not Pravda. Her Mission, in Reception, was to spot the 5-year-old lad tongue-tied in social intercourse, so as to put him early into a rehab programme, to be fit at teenage to goss. So: Wisden cricket lists, Man U results since dawn of time, pub quiz whizzs (in my youth, stamp collecting, marbles, ciggie cards)...= autism.

Still think there's something in this, but have read Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, a "diary" of a teenage autist. That, I think, puts some distance between healthy enquiry/harmless pursuit of an interest, and an obsessive condition.

There are female aircraft spotters - they get everywhere now...angling...FJ jocks. Saw one at the last Kemble fly-in. Remonstrated "is there no safe haven for us", to no avail.

[scarecrow450]

My ex landlord was a train,bus,coach,plane and tube train spotter !

[Ivan Rogov]

..........when you can spot the errors in Janes and the DRJ?

Years ago I read a theory that spotting/collecting was just an expression of modern mans suppressed hunter/gatherer instinct.

[Gainesy]

Well Manfred Von Richtofen collected the numbers of the aircaft he had shot down, where possible. He'd have the bit of canvas with the serial number cut off. He also had a small silver cup made for each kill, inscribed with the date and type of aircraft.

Thinks: Maybe he also had a little ladder to get into his cockpit?

[Old Photo.Fanatic]

Claim to Fame ( Most travelled Ladder?)

On the subject of ladders!!!
On a weeks photo. visit a few years back around California.
Bought a wooden step ladder to help get best shots at LAX and Van Nuys.
Come end of week lumbered with said ladder.
Tried to off load it on "Locals" no joy.
Ended up at Continental Check in , guy says it looks as if Dimentions are as for a second Suitcase! so It went as "Outsize" back to UK.
Then sold it as a "US Ladder" sold no Problem.

This leads me onto my CLAIM TO FAME.

The Most Travelled Step Ladder???(For Photos.)

Couple of years later next photo. trip to US.
Needed ladder!!. Cut top off of good (Aluminium) Five step , Fixed so top was strapped to main ladder. And shaped so top refitted as required.

This ladder then travelled ....
London to Miami
Miami to Dallas
Dallas to Los Angeles
Los Angeles To Houston
Houston back to London

Thats dedication for you!!!!!!!!, all worth it when I viewed the Photos. from the trip.

[DaveW]

Bought a wooden step ladder to help get best shots at LAX and Van Nuys.
Come end of week lumbered with said ladder.

Well, of course.

You should have got an aloominum one.

[MAN777]

Sorry to say chaps , but I have the most travelled ladder. Its a pro photographers fold up ladder that fits in a long bag, it has been to most continents and round the world twice, got lost in Bangkok and reunited with me in Hong Kong.

[Avman]

You might be an aircraft spotter if you don´t go around mugging and beating up 90 year old women to steal 5 quid to feed your drug habbit!