Recently, I have decided to try something completely new.. something completely out of my comfort-zone.. and that is ‘plane spotting’. Plane spotting, or aircraft spotting, is an activity that people have developed so much so that it has become an actual hobby. Do note that this activity is not something of the past three to five years. It has existed since airplanes have been introduced to the world for commercial and military purposes.
Though there is a time and place for plane spotting in professional environments, I will not dive deeper into that area. I will keep the scope of this article to the hobby only.
Before I had my first encounter with plane spotting, I knew that this activity/hobby already existed for many years. Multiple people within my close circle are somewhat of enthusiasts when it comes to aircraft, and I recently listened to their stories and experiences with plane spotting. Now, I do not have much affinity with the hobby. However, I do have a personal relationship with aircraft and air travel. And this gave me a reason to give it try.
Before I share you my story on plane spotting, I would like to take this opportunity to get a common understanding on what plane spotting actually is, and why people enjoy doing it.
What is plane spotting actually?
In a nutshell, plane spotting is the activity of observing and documenting various aircraft. Aircraft are identified by their formfactor (shape and design) as well as their aircraft ID (a unique code combining both characters and numbers).
The observation component can be done in various ways. You can observe aircraft with the naked eye or with the help of an optical instrument, such as a pair of binoculars or low-powered scope. Alternatively, for those who go by the notion of “no pictures, no proof”, you can use photos or videos to identify and document your observations.
Furthermore, there is no right or wrong way when it comes to documenting your observations. Of course, using photos and/or videos are just a couple of ways to do so. Keeping track using pen and paper or a simple Excel-sheet are also viable options. Whichever method works best for you, go for that one.
Now, is this a hobby that requires equipment that will cost you an arm and a leg? Absolutely not! You can make this as modest or extensive as you want it. Never forget, you are doing this hobby because you have a personal interest in aircraft. You don’t do this to impress or proof something to other people.
Why do people enjoy plane spotting?
To enjoy this hobby, you likely already have affinity or an interest in aircraft. Even people who dislike or have a fear of flying, may end up being interested in the beauty of aircraft, and take up this hobby.
Yet, the reason(s) why people take an interest in aircraft can vary greatly per individual. Some people are interested in the different models, whilst others are interested in the design and colour schemes. Another may have an interest only in older military aircraft due to being a war veteran.
If you are keen to find out, visit spotting locations and talk to these people. You already have something in common, and people enjoy talking about what they like. If you are interested in their stories, they will open up and tell you all about it.
My experience and thoughts
Initially, my idea of plane spotting was a bunch of people using binoculars to see different models of aircraft. This sounded quite boring, and it may have been one of the reasons why I procrastinated trying this out for the longest time. When I listened to more stories about it, my entire view broadened. Now, photographers with their expensive cameras and massive lenses (those which you also see along the side-lines of soccer matches) came into the picture.
Now, my photography gear is incredibly modest. I use a 10-year old Nikon D5100 with a Nikkor 55-200mm lens. For those of you who are not familiar with photography equipment, this is an entry-level camera and entry-level lens. As you can tell, nothing fancy. I presume that this somehow made me shy away from trying out this different form of photography.
But one afternoon, I decided to not allow my own shyness to hold me back from doing what I enjoy, which is taking photos. I packed my gear, started my motorcycle, drove past the McDonald’s (everybody knows that McNuggets are the perfect project snack), and head towards the spotters’ location.
Twenty minutes and 6 McNuggets later, I arrived at my destination. I would not say it was packed, but there was a fair amount of people. Surprisingly, not a single person with expensive and impressive photography gear could be found. Certainly, there were many people with cameras, but they had rather modest equipment as well. Sure, it would easily outperform my gear, but hey.. we are not here to compare. Though it did feel like holding my camera felt similar to standing in the frontline of a medieval army wearing nothing but a dagger. Maybe not the perfect example, but you get the analogy. Make of it what you want.
Another surprise was that there a good number of families with small children as well. Who knew that an activity like plane spotting is fun for the whole family? As adults, we sometimes forget how big the world appeared when you are only 3 feet tall. Kids may look astonished just by the sight of those metal birds.
Moving on, I used the tools that I had to make the most out of it. And you know what, it is surprisingly fun. Looking at those aircraft taxi on the runway and finally taking off made me somewhat feel like a kid again. The idea and feeling of travel and exploring resurfaced just by looking at the entire scene.
Knowing myself, I would not dive deeper in observing and documenting the different aircraft models or airline brands. I also would not participate in this on a regular basis. I like to keep my photography the way I want it, to tell my stories.
Below I will share with you some of the photos I took from my experiment. They may not be published in the next National Geographic magazine, but they are still the winners to me.