i HAve a friend who lived in the cambridge area and he used to go out ev ery sunday by pushbike to visit the pubs with real ale, had a half pint in each and by the end of the day had to call his wfie to drive him home, he always said that he was reviwing each on!!!! but not as bad as the real hard core CAMRA MEMBERS, giong into the pubs and filling up small pots with the ale and taking them home, now that is sad........

Scary thing is, I've never seen or heard of any female spotters of anything (except maybe large bank balances)

At the Leagate, a CAMRA pub I am told, one night was a bearded sandalled (well he should have been) type proping up the end of the bar and nursing a bottle of beer.

As it was our party, and he appeared to be sort of watching, we asked him what he was doing, polite like. He was waiting for pubset and then going to try and exchange his bottle of beer, a spare, with one mine-host had, that he wanted for his collection.

:(

Brokenlink I won't have a word said against Stobart spotting. My Basic course at Linton had a Stobart spotting contest which was fiercely contested.

Admittedly it was all done from 250 ft and perhaps we should have been paying more attention to our navigation....

;)

Depends what you class as spotting -

I don't class taking great photos of aircraft doing their thing as being spotting - mind you I mean military aircraft - nothing interesting about civvy airliners flying straight and level.

But I do know of a civvy ATCO who is a real spotter. He notes down reg numbers and scores them off in a book.

Seemingly there is a large loose-leaf publication with all the worlds aircraft reg in it, which is updated yearly. He gets a new copy every year for his Christmas, then spends the next few days cross referencing the old and new book so that he can score of all the aircraft he has seen in his new one.

That's what I call spotting

One person's harmless hobby might seem utterly bizarre to others...

Train spotting? Watching some steam locomotive in the 1950s thundering across the contryside in a fury of smoke, steam and mechanical mayhem I can understand. Sitting on a platform recording numbers - well, that's another matter.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...rnet/zxzxz.jpg

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*?

Bus spotting? Anyone visiting Oxford doesn't have any choice, there are so many of the damn things driving round with probably just half a dozen pensioners aboard enjoying their free journey.

Aircraft spotting. Photographing rare types and (perhaps) airline liveries is one thing. Recording serial numbers; well that appeals to some, I guess. We once had a letter asking whether the next time we delpoyed to Leuchars, we could please take a particular airframe as the letter writer had seen all the others we had, but not the one in question. We politely told him that we'd love to, but the thing had been tits-up with fuel leaks for over a year and we too would like to see it back again!

The very first encounter I had with a 'spotter' was at a static at Brize some years ago. His question? Could he please have a copy of the safety card from the seat back as his hobby was collecting the things.....:\ But as we had lots of spares, I gave him what he wanted and he went away a happy shareholder......






*OK - Norbert Dentressangle. Another?

A pal of mine went for an interview with one of those "Janes: All The World Aircrew" type things once and as part of the interview process, he was asked questions like "Do you hang around airbases taking pictures in your spare time, because we do?" and "do you collect aeroplane serial numbers?". Sounded too much like "Do you hang around schools taking pictures in your spare time, because we do?" and "do you collect illegal images on your computer?" :eek:

One development of the spotting game that I came across a few years back, was a RAF ground equipment fitter who not only collected Houchin (ground power set) numbers but actually took brass rubbings of the manufacturers data plate. :hmm:
....right, where did I leave my thermos?...

BEagle: Preston's of Potto? Kuehne+Nagle - because #1 son works for them...

Oh, sh*t; did I just bite? :eek:

Odd collections
 

For Beagle.

Seat back cards are small beer - the chap who ran the motion-sickness desensitisation trainer at Farnborough had (so he claimed) the world's biggest collection of honk bags. As I mentioned that I was going on hols to Vietnam soon and would be flying with Air Vietnam from KL he was keen I should fetch one of theirs back. Strange!
The Ancient Mariner

A story I recall at Laarbruch as Tornado was being introduced, they got a call reporting someone acting suspiciously outside the fence.

It turned out the call was from a (possibly Dutch?) spotter who had noticed the activity and informed the guard room. The suspicious vehicle was one of those seemingly immune Soviet diplomatic "spy" cars that appeared to have free roam about BFG.

So, I guess there is some use for spotters.

There was also a spotter who take a series of photos of the FG1 which pranged at Alconbury when the radome folded on the approach - I gather his photos (of good quality) were very helpful to the accident inquiry team.

Anotherthing. Yep, I think I know the ATCO. If it's the same one, he retired last Christmas. He inhabits Duxford, as do I.

Similar story to FedEx727's post:

RAF Waddington about 10 years ago. Watched a member of the public taking a rubbing/impression of the numbers and text from a man hole cover. When I asked him why, he said that military establishments often had quite old and rare examples of the things, because they don't get replaced as often as those out there in "the real world". Wasn't sure what to make of this unique pastime of his, so decided to return to the beer tent to carry on with mine!

Also flew with a chap on the E3 who would come up to the flightdeck during AAR to get the tail number of the tanker. We'd ask the boom operator for their number and he would make a note of it. Still had to see the aircraft with his own eyes or it didn't count apparently. The boomer (sp?) would often query why we had asked for his tail number, as that wasn't the norm. Never knew how to explain it without sounding too daft. This chap would take serious banter from the rest of the crew but just didn't care. Water off a ducks back. Good for him.

None of you has found the really esoteric spotting subject - try this website:-

Drainspotting

Just DON'T ask how I know about it!

Plane-spotting Nirvana

:ok:

JEM60

must be another one(!!!), the one I know works for NATS, is in his late 20s now and got picked up by the FBI for loitering around a couple of American airports a few months after 9/11.

He was picked up once and let go, then he did it again the same weekend. His girlfriend of the time (who had gone off to do her own things whilst he spotted) had to vouch for him and get him sprung.

He had only just started training in ATC at the time, but you'd have still thought he would have had more sense.

I think she still regrets ever having vouched for him. Fortunately she has come to her senses and is no longer with him!

Bit off message but I once went on a steam railtour from Worcester up to Scotland to ride behind Union of South Africa. Bit like Mallard but not quite as fast. Don't know the number because I'm not a spotter.:uhoh: Any way, my point is as we went through Crewe every one except me and Lorna, (the reason I went, she thought the trip sounded romantic), stood up and started calling out all the numbers of everything in sight into dictaphones. As we continued on our journey all these numbers were transcribed into books. All of a sudden one of the chaps in our compartment let out a strainge cry of joy that was immediatly stifled by sheer pain. He had now spotted everything on the network. He sat there broken harted, What could he do now for the rest of his life? "Start again?" suggested Lorna. At first he seemed a bit confused that a girl had spoken to him. Then He smiled, thanked her profusely and did just that as we went through Preston.

And just what was young Master BEagle doing with his Mum peering through/over the fence at Merryfield if he was not spotting?

I wasn't taking down numbers! Honest!!

Just watching the antics of the sky gods of the jet age in their aerial steeds...and wondering whether one day I might perhaps become one of them.

Beat watching Marsh Warblers swooping in the undercroft!

Living there was like having a non-stop air display in those days! Although there was an excellent air show in later days - eveything from a Bleriot IX to a VULCAN B1 as well as the superb Black Arrows.

There was a Belgian F16 that took the fence down at Waddo a few years back with its main wheels and then the spotters ended up coming onto the airfield, it landed ok though

I must admit that, sad though it is in a way, I find UK Control Tower & Airfield Photographs of WW2 very useful. Not so much for the towers, but to find out a bit about the history of a place if I spot a building/tower/bit of hard standing and wonder what it was.

Tim

The Avro Vulcan B1. B*gger. Missing from the checklist of serial numbers from my 1959 deluxe English-translated edition of "Planeboy: Book of Planes Observations".

Gresley A4 Pacific 60009 Union of South Africa
 

Some information about this locomotive for the closet trainspotters on this Forum:
Train Photos - Rail Pictures and Images | 60009 union of south africa on the serven valley

OK Thread drift - but my Railway Anorak story dates from 1959, when at the age of 15 I was waiting for the local stopper train to stop in the village to take me to Derby to meet up with the rest of the school CCF Contingent to catch the 'Devonian' to Bristol en route to RAF Locking for Summer Camp.I was the sole [prospective] passenger when the Station Master approached me and said the stopper had broken down at Chinley.I expressed my alarm and informed him how important my journey was.He promised to do what he could. Twenty minutes later the Devonian - consisting of two Jubilee Class locos pulling 14 coaches - pulled in to this tiny station to pick up this pimply 15 yr old cadet.For the two spotters this was Train Spotting Heaven

it's a fine line spotting
 

Little off thread but last year as a bday present was bought a behind the scenes tour at Mytravel in Manchester. This included the Cabin crew side of things, then a bus to Ringway and a flight in an A320 whilst they explained what was going on up front etc. Then to the Engineering to see a B767 being worked on. The next day had a go in the A330 sim too!

1. I knew the anorak count would be high, and this was proved when during a coffee break I got talking to one of the lovely FA's who it turned out recognised me from school and so got chatting to her, and later the 2 other girls. I turned around and it dawned on me that 20+grown men were talking to the Pilot, and as the only other pilot in the room (Going through CPL hour building at the time) I was talking to the girls.......

2. One guy asked 3 FA's weather they had any knowledge of a DC-10 girt bar.........must have been his chat up line! I kid you not.

I'll bet the poor benighted woman I saw at RIAT a few years ago would love to be one of the the above rather than following hubby/brother around the static park.
He was running about with a pair of Binoculars shouting tail numbers at her while she entered the numbers into a tablet /palm computer, while also carrying his spare cameras, camera accessory bag, folding chairs, cool box and stepladder. I last saw her disappear into the crowd watched by a squad of Gurkas who appeared to have been suddenly struck down with feelings of bergen inadequacy. :}

You night be an aircraft spotter if...
 

...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.

people that use radios to listen to ATC. and commentating to people around them what's being said.

:hmm:

Having run a shop for collectors for about 30 years I think I have finally cracked this spotting business. I believe that ALL men are borderline autistic (Asbergers at least) and have an obsessive desire to complete patterns, be they train numbers in a book, badges in a series, pubs to visit, or even those whose motto is "so many women - so little time". As a button collector and former trainspotter I dont exclude myself, and I always have a little smile at those who come out with the same tired old anorak/thermos/egg sandwich jokes, because if you dig deeply enough their own autism will be manifesting itself in one way or another. It's true that woman don't seem to suffer much, although possibly their desire to own a separate pair of shoes and handbag for every day in the year may be a feminine version of the same syndrome.

By the way did you know there is a barbed wire museum somewhere in the US? I believe it has quite a lot of visitors.

Just prior to the closure of Binbrook there was a large amount of spotters for the final few days of flying. We got to popping over and chatting to them on one occasion.

One lady, when asked if she would miss the place, replied.

"For the last 10 years I have spent my 2 week summer holiday with my husband (a crazy Lightning enthuiast) in a camper van parked at the crash gate so No I won't miss the place one bit."

I knew just two spotters and they did not conform to the stereotype. One was a Lightning/ Hunter mate and bucket and spade captain, the other was a TP (from VC10 days) including every Uk built Jag and most Uk built Tonkas. Flew with the latter to Schipol on company bizjet and with six hours to kill before taking our pax back home went Dutchmil spotting (nice warm day and better than kipping) The Dutch spotters were dumbfounded when they discovered his pedigree (they quizzed him because he looked like the police!).
So next time you get airborne, look a little bit deeper at your captain, you never know:eek:

We imported a couple of L39's that were some of the, if not the first into the UK...... we were out flatting one down for a repaint and I put a nice Vatican Registration on it for the Visiting Spotters that stood along the end fence to view it from a distance.:ok:

First let me point out in register of PpruNe members interests, that I am an aircraft photographer, and my number crunching is limited to getting the serials of the aircraft I photograph

Among the many sights of spotter knobbery I have seen, was a trip to Lossie in 91 to get some of the desert cam stuff. At the same time there was a detachment of 8 USAF A7's at Sculthorpe. I was on the pillbox at the 23 end and another bunch of folk turned up. (They had been at Leuchars earlier, and it was still morning!). We heard the call signs "Otis 51-54" on the scanner calling for clearance to pass the MATZ west of Kinloss. You could just make out 4 dots going S-N, and with binocs they were slightly bigger dots. One of the spotters said "I hope the other 4 turn up and we can "bag"them.

Another time going back to Edinburgh on the train after the Leuchars show, two guys sat opposite me and got out their Ian Allan abc "Military Aircraft Markings" books, and proceded to check off all the stuff they had seen. They stopped briefly to try and get a glimpse of the "Union Of South Africa" steam loco, that lived in a shed at or near Cupar. They also had the equivelent Ian Allan book for train numbers and ticked that, and a lot of others off. A bit strange I thought, but hey its a hobby and they seem to be enjoying it. But before we reached the Forth Bridge, the pulled out another Ian Allen book, this time for Coach numbers. They had been going round the airshow getting the numbers of coaches in the car park?

Quite a few years ago there was a brief question in one of the daily papers concerning 'train spotters', with a rather interesting answer and comment by a psychologist.

Hea reasoned that there was a deep-seated gene in some people who were able to notice pattersn in things, and to make sense of them. Many centuries ago, when we lived in mud-huts, ate berries, and 'high-tech' was a pointy stick, those people who watched things moving and made notes were one of the most important people in the tribe.
They were the ones who noticed that animals went to watering-holes at certain times of the day, and what time of day there were most (and, therefore, best time to hunt them for dinner). They were the ones who noticed that bright shiny thing going behind the hill every day, and noticed that every day it went a little further north, and the days were hot; and then it went so far and then went back the other way, and it got cold. They knew when certain animals would pass through on their migration, and which animals were easiest to catch. They knew which plants grew at which time of year, and which plants attracted which animals, and which of those were the 'tastiest'.

In essence, these people were one of the most important members of the tribe.



The psychologist likened the 'xxxxxxx-spotters' to those tribesmen of centuries ago, just with a slightly different 'thing' to notice and record. If it applies to train-spotters, then it applies equally to plane-spotters.

Personally, I think the psycho was smoking something. Or maybe he played golf?

Sat at Waddo airshow whilst on Dom's and heard a very funny conversation between a middle aged man with all the badges, and three camera's and and ex army guy going through the course with us:

Spotter: So they've never fitted weapons on the Domine huh, must be pretty boring.

Stude: There's weapons fitted now!

Spotter: What? Where?

Stude: There the new GBU-30 stealth bombs, can you not see them?

Spotter: No!

Stude: Exactly!

Spotter: Wow!!!

Couldnt believe anyone could be THAT gullible!

"Hea reasoned that there was a deep-seated gene in some people who were able to notice pattersn in things, and to make sense of them. Many centuries ago, when we lived in mud-huts, ate berries, and 'high-tech' was a pointy stick, those people who watched things moving and made notes were one of the most important people in the tribe."

See my comments above about pattern completion etc. I always knew we spotters were really latter day tribal leaders, so let's have a bit of respect from the rest of you lowly tribesmen, and remember to salute anyone in an anorak from now on.

Scrap Book
 

Back to spotting the spotter.

Anyone who has a scrap book full of 'rivet rubbings' under his bed!

Remember the first time I went on a UK bus trip round local airports, stopped at the perimeter fence at Kidlington (Oxford), never seen a vehicle empty so quickly. They could give lessons on aircraft evacuation procedures. Love that expression, 'pole them off' for the act of using a telescope.