Whether you call it Plane Spotting or Aircraft Spotting, either way it's a fun hobby! So what exactly is aircraft spotting you might ask? Simply put it, the hobby or profession of observation and logging registration numbers of aircraft. This includes photography. Think of it as a photographer creating his own collection of photos of aircraft. More is explained when you look it up on Wikipedia. And that's what this blogger does!
Now I said profession in the paragraph above because this hobby has a little history of its own dating back to the early 20th Century. Far back as 1925 with British Royal Observer Corps, it was during the times of World War II and the following Cold War when several countries encouraged citizens to become "plane spotters" of sorts for public security reasons; simply put it, teaching/encouraging people to identify aircraft whether it is a friendly or hostile.
All sorts of spotting styles are used by fellow enthusiast, making the hobby that much more interesting. For example, one would be spotting for a specific type of aircraft to see/photograph (ie. a Boeing 747, easily distinguishable by its size), or even a specific airline, group/company, or even a military squadron. Some spotters learned from previous experiences to just photograph everything that flies in or out of spotter-friendly airports. Reasons being because one can never know what kind of aircraft can show up; it can be an airliner in standard company colors or a special livery commemorating something. Spotters thrive on special or rare color schemes and paint jobs of today's commercial aircraft. That's especially the case when certain paint jobs aren't around anymore due to an airline ceasing to operate because of bankruptcy or mergers.
But by far the most spotter-friendly places to spot are at airshows and other fly-in events. Notable places great for aviation photography are EAA Oshkosh, National Championship Air Races (Reno, NV), as well as various military bases that may hold annual airshows and displays throughout the world. Certain local airports also have various events as well. For example Salem, OR has Hot August Flights.
Of course, there also certain codes of conduct that would be wise to follow as well since we live in a post 9/11 world where airport security is tight. In the wake of all this, spotters and enthusiasts in UK co-operated with law enforcement agencies to pioneer the codes of conduct. This allows spotters to continue their hobby while increasing security at airports by reporting any suspicious activity to the authorities. Such co-operation amongst organizations have become the model for similar agreements among groups in North America.
What else is there to say? Aircraft spotting is fun and enjoyable as well as a benefit in providing security for our worldwide air travel!
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