Aircraft Spotting

Aircraft spotting is a fairly harmless hobby that evolved on Earth during the 20th Century. It comprises the making of visual contact with flying machines that might range from hovercraft, airships, balloons, autogyros, helicopters, gliders, drones, microlights and manned spacecraft. The 'spotting' element involves the initial identification of the aircraft and its progressive classification. Depending on the range at which the aircraft is seen, and perhaps heard, spotters are likely to know its manufacturer, its generic type, its precise type, its operator, its owner, its registration, its construction number, its squadron, its base, its delivery date, previous registration and so forth. Those who ridicule spotters, and there are many, allege that they probably know the colour of the pilot's eyes; this is highly improbable.

One fairly distinctive aspect of the hobby is that it can be practised almost anywhere. Thus from a small cafe in Rickmansworth, you could watch a light helicopter heading for Denham, a large jumbo jet climbing away from Heathrow or a quiet and luxurious VIP aircraft bringing the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom back to Northolt.

The range of colourful magazines available at newsagents on the subject of aviation indicates the extent to which it is seen as a topic of mainstream interest. Only a minority of their readers are likely to be dedicated spotters. Some non-profit magazines are available by mail only to meet the more specialised requirements of spotters, such as production lists, changes of registration marks when aircraft are exported, etc. The BBC occasionally televises highlights of air displays held in Great Britain and a few television documentaries show life 'behind the scenes' at British airports, predominantly Heathrow, Liverpool and Luton. The flexibility of the helicopter was demonstrated well in a British prize TV show called Treasure Hunt1. Ballooning and space exploration receive remarkably little coverage by TV stations.

Some spotters will relish the variety of sightings that this hobby opens up and the chance that it provides to spend time outdoors. Some, however, will focus quite precisely on planes of a particular type or from a particular era. Some, for instance, disregard privately owned planes, others disregard all civilian aircraft, and others disregard all military planes. Some work in the aviation business or hope to do so.