Posted November 3, 2008 12:44 PM
By James Mellon
Interesting Thoughts from a Plane Spotter? A Complete Oxymoron Surely?!
Well I’d like to challenge that. This article aims to help you understand the aircraft enthusiast. To try and provide a better understanding of what we do. Not just the members of Ascend’s Aircraft Data Team but aircraft enthusiasts the world over. Welcome to Spotters 101…if you like.
I think many people are unkind towards enthusiasts simply because they do not understand what they are doing and why. “Why does somebody want to go and stand around at an airport and watch aeroplanes…in their free time…for fun? It makes no sense!” It makes perfect sense to those who do it. But explaining it however is another matter, and is not very easy.
Enthusiasts usually discover the fascination of flight at a young age. Many who have grown up in the post World War II era have been to airports to watch friends and relatives arrive and depart on flights, or have gone just to watch the aircraft anyway. Once that fascination has taken hold, many find it hard to let go, and your interest in aviation will literally last forever.
In the times when you could see active DC3’s, Viscounts, Tridents, VC-10’s and Caravelles, flying was much more of an adventure. Even the days of watching Boeing 747’s and Concorde in their early years during the 70’s are well and truly over. Aviation is less appealing nowadays as travelling is more commonplace, and what we fly on now can only be described as buses in the sky. But even till this day, people are still fascinated by watching aircraft, the introduction of the A380 is bringing a bit of that back.
Spotting also provides an escape from everyday life, something that everyone needs from time to time no question. It also gives groups of enthusiasts a chance to meet up, just as you would when meeting friends to go out.
What many people don’t get is ‘the whole writing down numbers thing’. It remains a mystery to those who don’t understand, but basically it boils down to creating a record of what aircraft we have seen.
It stems from the fact that there are many people who like collecting things. Many Brits in particular are natural born collectors. There are so many things you can collect, football stickers, film memorabilia, vinyl records, Beanie babies…the list goes on. Look at how many people across the country do stamp collecting. There are lots of people who partake in bird watching, and of course may we not forget the bus and train spotters amongst us too.
For those who watch different types of transport, there is a lot of commonality between us. In this case for aircraft enthusiasts it is making a collection of the registration numbers of the aircraft that the enthusiasts see (or for the photographers, a collection of photographs or slides). The ways that different enthusiasts collect the numbers (and how they store them) vary and are just down to personal choice. But ultimately whether it be collecting the registrations or taking photos, you are creating a collection. You are a collector.
So what enjoyment does this bring? Those involved do get satisfaction from what they are doing. It’s a pleasant feeling that you have seen a good aircraft (or taken a photo of it) that you had never seen until that point in time. That is all!
It is often said that people who take part in these hobbies are boring or ‘sad’, for knowing so much about their specialist interest. Granted, many enthusiasts have an almost encyclopaedic knowledge about aspects of aviation both from the present and the past. They express a lot of enthusiasm and devote a lot of time to what they enjoy doing. In an industry where knowledge is power, surely this amazing amount and depth of knowledge is valuable to the global aviation community? A force for good?
A lot of enthusiasts are shy and reluctant to talk about what they do, which is one reason why it can be hard to explain what we do. Personally I am not afraid to explain and promote our hobby. From now on, I’d like to share my views, thoughts and opinions from people who take part in this harmless and fun pastime.
That was spotters 101. Class dismissed!
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