You might be an aircraft spotter if...
One assumes, since this is an aircraft spotter, said bird is his mother.
Nah, sister!!
Nah, sister!!
At one Open Day, the engineers cooked up a good spoof for the 'little aluminium stepladder folk'
- a totally spurious 'Sidewinder Mod Program State' chinagraph board for their resident Hunters was left in a prominent spot on an office wall for the spotters to see......
Nowt better than spotter baiting! 
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I'd say that a trolley bus spotter trumps everything, but has anyone come across a Sheffield Supertram spotter yet? I thought I saw one writing down numbers at the tram stop in Netherthorpe Road as I drove past the other day. If it was then it's game, set and match. 
(a bear of little brain)
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Walking into St. Mawgan Air-Day from the car park, past the area with all the display aircraft. In a gap someone has arrange a couple of chocks, a set of steps and a hand-written sign 'Stealth Aircraft'.
Loud comment from the group in front of 'Oh, damn. It must have left early'.
Loud comment from the group in front of 'Oh, damn. It must have left early'.
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Spotting got one started ...
A 10-year old sees Blackburn Bothas (gotcha ???) and other fine machines flying from Squire's Gate in the early days of WW2 - buys The Aeroplane Spotter instead of comics with his pocket money, can soon "spot" most RAF and German aircraft, later does NS pilot training and some 16 years after that says "G'bye" to driving airframes with a great tour on Canberras in FEAF.
"Get 'em early" say the Jesuits, "and they stay got" (or similar ... ). And 60+ years later, he's still "got" , but don't "spot", 'cos no anorak nor no ladder and very little weight-carrying ability left. He's happy to live near a low-flying route and see C-160s, rescue and copper-choppers and the occasional triangular fast jet or two, plus new-build transports and sometimes a Beluga ...
Keeps the corpuscles circulating ...
"Get 'em early" say the Jesuits, "and they stay got" (or similar ... ). And 60+ years later, he's still "got" , but don't "spot", 'cos no anorak nor no ladder and very little weight-carrying ability left. He's happy to live near a low-flying route and see C-160s, rescue and copper-choppers and the occasional triangular fast jet or two, plus new-build transports and sometimes a Beluga ...
Keeps the corpuscles circulating ...
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Worst spotter of the lot has to be a Telegraph pole spotter. I kid you not, there are even web sites dedicated to the poles
Or even worse the ceramic insulators that were mounted on them.
Contributers to Teleramics 2007.
Or even worse the ceramic insulators that were mounted on them.
Contributers to Teleramics 2007.
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In the early eighties outside the Queens Building near T2 there was a public viewing area, in which was a model Mustang on a plinth in recognition of Brig Gen Blair, the husband of Maureen O'Hara the film actress. It was an overcast lunchtime, drizzling and cold, and there were two chaps leaning on the wall looking at parked aircraft. Along trots a very pretty girl in a black leather skirt and jacket with a guy with professional looking cameras. Girl unzips skirt and jacket and stands beside spotters stark b*****k naked posing whilst colleague takes several photos. Spotter glances at girl standing beside him and turns back to watch aircraft. Girl waves at gawking BA Shuttle Standby pilots staring through nearby window, slips her skirt and jacket back on and trots off.
Now, those two chaps were real anoraks.
p.s. Ten minutes later PC Plod appeared looking rather frustrated.
Now, those two chaps were real anoraks.
p.s. Ten minutes later PC Plod appeared looking rather frustrated.
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Amazingly, some peoples hobby is to hit a white ball with a stick, chase after it, hit it with a stick again, until it falls down a hole. Then, can you believe this, they hit it again and again and again until it falls down more holes. Strange. DON't run down other peoples hobbies!!! At least they are passionate about SOMETHING, unlike a lot of youngsters these days. I started as a spotter when I was young, went onto glide, flypowered, and skydive. Some of these guys are top photographers, are passionate about aircraft, and jealous of the guys who get paid to fly them. It is a harmless hobby, like most hobbies, and, although not a spotter myself, I don't run it down simply because I don't do it.I never saw anything interesting about art either.
Spotters
Nothing can compare to the ardent Eddie Stobart truck spotter who worked at a certain Cambridgeshire logs base a few years ago, very proud of the fact that he had spotted 85% of the company fleet!
Last edited by brokenlink; 1st Apr 2009 at 20:19. Reason: On reflection unsure of the marital status.
Stealth jets
Mad's Dad
When we set up the next spot to our Nimrod at Mildenhall show as you described, the power set lead was (obviously) lying on the ground and the full set of steps and a big board stating "Stealth Nimrod - Remember! You didn't see it here first". People actually stopped and took photos of it, a smallish crowd gathered and the chap delegated to do the "face the taxpayers" role was confronted by a large-ish chap with small step ladder and lots of cameras and a rucksack with the words "'ere! This is a fookin joke - in't it?" Chap puts finger to his lips and shakes his head. Photo gets taken.
The Ancient Mariner
When we set up the next spot to our Nimrod at Mildenhall show as you described, the power set lead was (obviously) lying on the ground and the full set of steps and a big board stating "Stealth Nimrod - Remember! You didn't see it here first". People actually stopped and took photos of it, a smallish crowd gathered and the chap delegated to do the "face the taxpayers" role was confronted by a large-ish chap with small step ladder and lots of cameras and a rucksack with the words "'ere! This is a fookin joke - in't it?" Chap puts finger to his lips and shakes his head. Photo gets taken.
The Ancient Mariner
Tram and bus fleet numbers are available in spotters 'reg' books, as are the London Underground, and even more oddly the Glasgow underground trains. I used to work in a shop a long time ago selling such items, and its fair to say many of the customers had 'issues'.
Similar to telegraph pole spotting there are a select few, and I'm not sure who selected them, who 'do' the post box numbers
Like telegraph poles each post box has a little white number tag 'reg' on it.
In the early 90's in civvy ATC it was not unknown before CFMU and mobile phones, to file a dummy AFTN plan into the unit, from the self same unit, and the plan presented with the originator line stategically torn off. Once the 'duty binker' on the unit had clocked the unusual type/reg flightplan and phoned his mates (landline only) to come and see the movement, the plan was discretely cancelled but the hard copy left on the unit. Cue some very very annoyed binkers
How we laughed
Similar to telegraph pole spotting there are a select few
, and I'm not sure who selected them, who 'do' the post box numbers Like telegraph poles each post box has a little white number tag 'reg' on it. In the early 90's in civvy ATC it was not unknown before CFMU and mobile phones, to file a dummy AFTN plan into the unit, from the self same unit, and the plan presented with the originator line stategically torn off. Once the 'duty binker' on the unit had clocked the unusual type/reg flightplan and phoned his mates (landline only) to come and see the movement, the plan was discretely cancelled but the hard copy left on the unit. Cue some very very annoyed binkers
How we laughed
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Also back in the 70's visited the Saab works making the Viggen.
Some "Spotters" in the group were happy to say they had seen an certain aircraft if all they saw was the construction number on a plate by the piece of metal waiting to be worked on, some were only a few inches square.
Some "Spotters" in the group were happy to say they had seen an certain aircraft if all they saw was the construction number on a plate by the piece of metal waiting to be worked on, some were only a few inches square.