Spotters at Sao Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport's control tower.

Aircraft spotting or Plane spotting is the observation and logging serials of aircraft: gliders, powered aircraft, large balloons, airships, helicopters, and microlights. Guarulhos International Airport (IATA: GRU, ICAO: SBGR), officially known as Aeroporto Internacional de São Paulo/Guarulhos - Governador André Franco Montoro, is an airport that serves São Paulo, Brazil, located in Guarulhos municipality, 22 km northeast of the São Paulo city centre. ... Flying machine redirects here. ... For other uses, see Glider (disambiguation). ... USS Akron (ZRS-4) in flight, November 2, 1931 An airship or dirigible is a buoyant lighter-than-air aircraft that can be steered and propelled through the air. ... For other uses, see Helicopter (disambiguation). ... Ultralight aviation is a segment of aviation that is permitted in the United States of America by the FAA as long as certain weight, speed, and fuel capacity restrictions are observed. ...

When spotting planes, observers notice the key attributes of an aircraft. They may notice a distinctive noise from its engine or the number of vapour trails it is leaving. They will assess the size of the plane and the number, type and position of its engines. Another clue is the position of wings relative to the fuselage and the degree to which they are swept rearwards. Are the wings above the fuselage, below it, or fixed at midpoint, perhaps it's a biplane or triplane. The position of the tailplane relative to the fin(s) and the shape of the fin are also clues to its type. If it is an antique or light aircraft it might have a tail wheel. Some aircraft types have a fixed undercarriage while others have retractable wheels. Reproduction of a Sopwith Camel biplane flown by Lt. ... Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 87s, with fixed conventional landing gear. ...

Other features include the speed, cockpit placement, colour scheme or special equipment that changes the silhouette of the plane. Taken together these clues will enable the identification of a plane. If the observer is familiar with the airfield being used by the aircraft and its normal traffic patterns, he or she is more likely to leap quickly to a decision about the aircraft's identity - they may have seen the same type of aircraft from the same angle many times.

Spotting styles

Photographers watching the landing of a SriLankan Airlines Airbus A340 at London Heathrow Airport.

Some spotters will note the markings, a national insignia or airline livery or logo perhaps, a squadron badge or code letters in the case of a military aircraft. Published manuals allow more information to be deduced, such as the delivery date or the manufacturer's construction number. Camouflage markings differ, depending on the surroundings in which that aircraft is expected to operate. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2035x1339, 346 KB)Spotters enjoying the landing of a SriLankan Airlines Airbus A340 at Heathrow Airport, London, England. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2035x1339, 346 KB)Spotters enjoying the landing of a SriLankan Airlines Airbus A340 at Heathrow Airport, London, England. ... SriLankan Airlines Limited (previously known as Air Lanka) is the national airline of Sri Lanka. ... For the road in England, see A340 road. ... Heathrow redirects here. ... An Airbus A380 of Emirates Airline An airline provides air transport services for passengers or freight. ... This article is about protective camouflage used to disguise people, animals, or military targets. ...

Ancillary activities might include listening-in to air traffic transmissions (using radio scanners, where that is legal), liaising with other "spotters" to clear up uncertainties as to what aircraft have been seen at specific times or in particular places. A Scanner is a radio receiver generally capable of picking up AM and FM (and sometimes SSB) radio signals anywhere from 100kHz to 2. ...

The hobbyist might travel some distance to visit a different airport from their usual one, to see an unusual aircraft or to view the remains of aircraft withdrawn from use. Some aircraft may eventually be placed in the care of museums (see Aviation archaeology) - or perhaps be cannibalised in order to repair a similar aircraft already preserved. Aviation archaeology, also known as aerospace archaeology or wreck chasing, is a hobby actively practiced throughout the world by both outdoor recreationists and academics in pursuit of finding, documenting, recovering, and preserving sites important in aviation history. ...

Some spotters are competitive and may get a thrill from seeing all the planes of a particular operator, military or civil. Aircraft registrations can be found in serial books, such as Military Aircraft Serial Review, or magazines, like Scramble. This Vans Aircraft RV-7 displays the registration G-KELS. The G- prefix denotes that it is registered in the United Kingdom. ...

'Spotters' are generally regarded as a distinct breed, often with little actual interest in aviation. Photographers are not generally described as being spotters due to their lack of interest in the number painted on the aircraft - they fall more in the camp known as 'aviation enthusiasts'.

During hostilities

During World War II and the subsequent Cold War some countries encouraged their citizens to become "plane spotters" in an "observation corps" or similar public body for reasons of public security. Britain had the Royal Observer Corps which operated between 1925 and 1995. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... The Royal Observer Corps (ROC) was, until stood down in 1991, a part of the UK Ministry of Defence. ...

Airshows

Airfields may recognise the public's interest in aviation as something to be encouraged and provide viewing areas in safe locations. Many organised airshows draw large crowds and some raise funds for charitable causes such as museums, organisations restoring historic planes, or bodies that assist injured aircrew or the dependents of Armed Forces' personnel. Some shows have a more commercial motive. Some aircraft photographers make a profit from their hobby, with the internet providing an outlet for their photographs. For the navigational aid displayed to airline passengers, see In-flight Entertainment. ... For other uses, see Museum (disambiguation). ...

Legal ramifications

The high engine position on this USAF A-10 Thunderbolt makes identification easy

The potential legal repercussions of the hobby were dramatically shown in November 2001 when fourteen aircraft spotters (twelve British, two Dutch) were arrested by Greek police after being observed at an open day at the Greek Air Force base at Kalamata. They were charged with espionage, and faced a possible 20-year prison sentence if found guilty. After being held for six weeks, they were eventually released on £9,000 bail, and the charges reduced to the misdemeanour charge of illegal information collection. Confident of their innocence they returned for their trial in April 2002 and were stunned to be found guilty, with eight of the group sentenced to three years, the rest for one year. At their appeal a year later all were acquitted. ^[1][2][3] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1562x1042, 484 KB) USAF OA/A-10A Thunderbolt taxying at the Royal International Air Tattoo, Fairford, Gloucestershire, England. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1562x1042, 484 KB) USAF OA/A-10A Thunderbolt taxying at the Royal International Air Tattoo, Fairford, Gloucestershire, England. ... Seal of the Air Force. ... The A-10/OA-10 Thunderbolt II, often known as the Warthog, is the first US Air Force aircraft specifically designed for close air support of ground forces. ...

Fight against terrorism

In the wake of the targeting of airports by terrorists, enthusiasts' organisations and the police in the UK have co-operated in drawing up a code of conduct. This attempts to both allow enthusiasts to continue their hobby and increase security around airports, by asking enthusiasts to contact police if they believe something they see or hear is suspicious. ^[4]

Spotters and photographers enjoy seeing aircraft in special colour schemes. This is a Boeing 747-400 of Malaysia Airlines

The Boeing 747-400 is the latest version of the Boeing 747 in service. ... Malaysia Airlines (Abbreviated: MAS, Malay: Penerbangan Malaysia) is the national airline of Malaysia, operating scheduled services to over 100 destinations worldwide. ...

See also

• Bus spotting
• Train spotting
• Birding
• Butterfly watching
• Airliners.net
• Satellite watching

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Bus spotting is a pastime in which one seeks to see all buses in a particular fleet or those produced by a particular manufacturer. ... This article is about the hobby of train spotting, for other uses see Trainspotting. ... Birding or birdwatching is a hobby concerned with the observation and study of birds (the study proper is termed American origin; birdwatching is (or more correctly, was) the commonly-used word in Great Britain and Ireland and by non-birders in the United States. ... Butterfly watching (also called butterflying) is a hobby concerned with the observation and study of butterflies. ... Airliners. ...

External links

• Plane spotting links at DMOZ
• Plane Spotting World
• A Wiki for Spotters

References

Notes

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Bibliography