Heathrow spotters balcony...
Heathrow in particular has had numerous opportunities to provide some facility for people to watch the aircraft be they enthusiasts, photographers or just seeing loved ones off on holiday but as there is no money in it there is no interest in providing anything. Many airports worldwide do provide such facilities and from my own experiences are well used by the local populations. Such a shame that Heathrow and Gatwick are woeful when compared to many others.
Some airports fail to see that this, too, ultimately affects their bottom line, even if the bean-counters are incapable of making that connection.
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The rooftop viewing areas above Tokyo Haneda airport's domestic terminal 2 are vast and crowded with families at weekends. However there's plenty of space, and many aircraft movements to watch. The shops, cafes and restaurants are busy (strangely there is a particularly nice Italian as well as those offering Japanese fare) and there is no charge for access. Families arrive on the Metro (Subway) trains and seem to spend the day there. However the aircraft are essentially clones and for an enthusiast it starts to get a tad repetitive. But it is a great way to introduce young children to the wonders of flight.
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Some airports also do airside tours on buses. Why UK airports have to pretend that security issues prevent this kind of thing is beyond me. EDI gives over it's old runway to a charity car racing event, or it has done a few times. They could easily offer airside tours, for example. Charge a small fee and it'd be a money maker from local school groups and visitors too.
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Doesn't Heathrow incorporate solid panels into its perimeter fencing at what would be eye level in order to obscure the view of those interested in looking at aircraft?
Doesn't Heathrow incorporate solid panels into its perimeter fencing at what would be eye level in order to obscure the view of those interested in looking at aircraft?
Airports should be enouraging spotters in particular those who are regulars, such as at Manchester or Coningsby. They are the eyes and ears of the place.
http://www.tasmanchester.co.uk/man-airport-watch.html
https://www.raf.mod.uk/rafconingsby/...visitingus.cfm
Both sites have phone numbers people can contact the police in case of suspicion of criminal acts.
http://www.tasmanchester.co.uk/man-airport-watch.html
https://www.raf.mod.uk/rafconingsby/...visitingus.cfm
Both sites have phone numbers people can contact the police in case of suspicion of criminal acts.
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One other idea that comes to mind is like Pal-Waukee Airport, in the north Chicago suburbs. I don't think they have a viewing area on-airport but at the south end of the field they have a parking area and set of 'bleachers':wooden tiered seating like you'd find at a sports stadium.
https://binged.it/2EJY3oC
Cheap and effective, the top rows having a view over the fence. Not sure if it'd work in the UK though, someone would mention the 'liability' word.
https://binged.it/2EJY3oC
Cheap and effective, the top rows having a view over the fence. Not sure if it'd work in the UK though, someone would mention the 'liability' word.
One other idea that comes to mind is like Pal-Waukee Airport, in the north Chicago suburbs. I don't think they have a viewing area on-airport but at the south end of the field they have a parking area and set of 'bleachers':wooden tiered seating like you'd find at a sports stadium.
https://binged.it/2EJY3oC
Cheap and effective, the top rows having a view over the fence. Not sure if it'd work in the UK though, someone would mention the 'liability' word.
https://binged.it/2EJY3oC
Cheap and effective, the top rows having a view over the fence. Not sure if it'd work in the UK though, someone would mention the 'liability' word.
Probably the best current hotel facility for stuff on 27R short final has been mentioned earlier - the customers only outdoor seating area adjacent to the car park at the back of the Bath Road Premier Inn ( not the T5 Bath Road Prem Inn, the one at the eastern end of the airport.). No view over the fence to be had but at least in summer you can indulge in your spotting whilst nursing a warm beer
Yup, my favourite place around the airport. Has all the conveniences there as well as 2-3 hours free parking. The purple car park next door to it would make good money from a small corner space on the roof for spotting I reckon. That would have a great view over the fence.
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I've found the next best thing though - Big Jet TV.
They are old enough to know better but there is extensive use of "awesome", "no way", "fantastic", "cool" and "wow" for bog standard shots of rotations. Language I'd expect to hear from an enthusiastic 13 years old. One of the presenters is apparently the son of a pilot and should be far better informed.
On the footage filmed at MAN on Valentines Day they didn't know where Hurghada was (surely a pretty common package destination); introduced one aircraft as a TUI Boeing 757-400 series (new one on me); commented that the Icelandair 757-300 was "super-stretched" (stretched - yes, but super?). The 15 knot crosswind had many aircraft apparently "struggling to get off the ground". One aircraft 787 I think - "had to have a longer spool up than normal - said to be 30 seconds - because of the colder conditions" - all of maybe 2C.
Glad my PC has a mute button.
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A Red Rover bus pass oft found me on top of the Queen's Building in the late '60's. I recall seeing two brand new BOAC 747's on the tarmac below. With a pal, we somehow got ourselves lost in the T2 offices only to be rescued by a nice Iberia lady who gave us some rather nice DC9 lapel badges.
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If you take a paranoid, small minded idiot with a poor education, bully them and then give a job where they are answerable to nobody then you have described the average security clown at an airport. After receiving abuse for several years from everyone around them because they lack social skills, promote them to a level where they can stipulate what can and cannot go on around their airports. Then is it any surprise that a spotter cannot get a direct view of an aircraft let alone close to one - "for security reasons". How stupid can you get? Their belief is that terrorists will flock to these places and shoot down aircraft with MANPAD's. Couple that with the average spotter's on-site spend on a day out and you'll see why there are so few spotting spaces. Short-sighted management greed means that opportunities for passengers to see aircraft will also be limited - after all, we can't have these unpleasant people looking at aircraft instead of shopping, can we?
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Don't get me started, security got to the stage of stopping us going airside with a a Burger King. Answer chuck it over the the fence to a mate and pick it up there. You coulf shoot down anything wiyh a MANPAD from Ringway Road, Has anyone ever attempted to target a stationary aircraft?
The IRA lobbed some mortars over the fence at Heathrow from a truck in a hotel car park on the Great West Road. They went over the roof of the police station.
No aircraft damage was done.
No aircraft damage was done.
Towards the end Heathrow's viewing area became really run down, the glass house on the top was always full of strange caricatures like Herman the German with top secret information.
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I was there for that and for the time car park 1 was the site of some scary explosions. Great fun to read about it next day from the safety of home..... but not such fun if you work in the middle of it. I'm a spotter and spent many hours of my youth on the roof gardens but on balance I prefer security.
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but on balance I prefer security.