Plane Spotting
Aviation draws a lot of interest from the general public as you might have noticed on airshows or at large civil airfields. The ability to fly has always fascinated mankind and still does. Is it not a miracle that a 400,000 kg weighting machine made of aluminium and other heavier-than-air components can take off like a feather in the wind and bring you and 400 other people within 24 hours to almost any place on earth? But being fascinated by airplanes does not make you a plane spotter yet.
The roots of plane spotting lies before the beginning of the Second World War, but became best known during the Battle of Britain. In 1925 the Royal Observation Corps (ROC) was founded, which consisted out of volunteers who would watch for incoming aircraft. Because of the lack of sophisticated radar equipment, these observers were critical in planning and executing the British air defence. They were the first plane spotters who were trained to recognise between the different types of airplanes. Their role continued in the cold war, but because of the more advanced radar technology and faster and better airplanes, it was greatly reduced. The tasks of the ROC would soon be shifted entirely to handling nuclear data. Plane spotting was no more a necessity for military purposes.
Plane spotting these days is a peaceful hobby and performed by many enthousiastics. Plane spotters are aviation hobbyists who are generally quite knowledgeable and travel around the world to see new exotic liveries and airplanes. They have a deep affection for aviation, which will show in their personal lives. A look in the room or house of a plane spotter will say it all. The spotting element indicates the identification of the airplane initially and progressively. Depending on the range of sight, a spotter can identify the manufacturer, generic type, specific type, tail number, construction number, its squadron and so forth. There are some who allege that they probably know the color of the pilots eyes, but this is highly improbable.
Distinguishing plane spotters
Although plane spotters do share the same enthousiasm, the definition of it differs for each spotter. There won't be two spotters who perform their hobby in exactly the same way. There are different specialities in plane spotting, but spotters might perform multiple specialities and therefore it is difficult to catagorise them. Nonetheless, four major groups of plane spotters can be distinguished.
The watchers are people who just like to see airplane flying, take off and land. Most of these people have no aviation related hobbies and are just casual plane watchers. They are no die-hard plane spotters but more likely a family with kids who go for a day to an airshow or large airport. They are fascinated by what they see, but they are not as enthousiastic and knowledgeable as true plane spotters and also do it on a less occassional basis. Their love for airplanes does not go deep as that of the true plane spotter.
The number writers are people who try to read the tail numbers (registration numbers) of airplanes and write them down in journals or put them digitally in databases, along with other information of the aircraft. Besides a few exceptions, every aircraft has a unique tail number and these people try to collect as many numbers as possible. The only requirement is that you have to read the tail number yourself, if not with the help of a pair of binoculairs. Just copying somebody elses tail numbers is not part of the hobby.
Then there are the photographers, which are probably the biggest group of true plane spotters, although there is a strong connection with the number writers. There are many ways to perform the hobby of photography. Some make pictures of every planes that comes past them, while others only take pictures in (near) perfect conditions or of certain types of airplanes only. Photographers generally write down the tail number of the planes they take a picture of for archiving purposes.
The last group are the listeners. These are scanning bearing, air traffic control eavesdroppers. If they are not spotters (which is not very common), they are a spotter's best friend as they can inform you about incoming traffic. However, in some countries the use of scanners is prohibited.
After 11 September
Plane spotting is not a world wide accepted hobby. Especially after the attack on the 11th of September on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon, a lot of airports have tightened up their security. The result is that it is more difficult for plane spotters to practice their hobby and sometimes they risk being imprisoned for being seen as terrorists or spies.
The risks of plane spotting became best known in Europe when 12 British and 2 Dutch spotters were arrested in the town of Kalamata, Greece of suspicion of espionage on a military airfield. It took a months and a lot of political pressure to get the plane spotters set free on bail. A year later the official trial ended and the Greek judges decide to acquit all but one -- he could not attend due to health reasons -- of them.
Previously, spotters were generally allowed on the tarmac of (smaller) airfields, so they could make better pictures of the planes placed here. But after the events of 11 September most of these airports don't allow this anymore, making it harder for the photographers to shoot nice pictures of airplanes.
However, a good relationship between an airport and local spotters can exists as well. A great example is the airport Heathrow, London, where the local spotters keep an eye on security. Because the regular spotters are familiar with the surroundings, they can easily spot unusual situations or suspected persons. In return, they have certain privileges for where they can practice their hobby.
Summary
Concluding this short article, plane spotters are people with lots of knowledge about airplanes and where the love for aviation goes very deep. And although no two spotters practice their hobby in the same way, they all share the same passion for airplanes. But if you don't know what you're exactly doing, plane spotting can bring certain risks.
Last edited: 1 April 2006
