What is plane spotting?
Plane spotting is the hobby of watching aircraft, working out exactly what each one is, and keeping a record of what you've seen. Spotters note the type, the airline or air force, and often the registration painted on the side, and many photograph them too.
What spotters do
The dictionary definition is simple: a plane spotter is “a person who observes, photographs, and catalogues aircraft as a hobby.” In practice that means a few things:
- Identify it. Not just “a plane,” but a 787-9 or a A321neo, from the engines, the wings and the tail. How to tell Boeing from Airbus.
- Read the registration. Every aircraft has its own registration, like a car’s license plate. Two 737s are the same type; their registrations make them different airframes.
- Log it. Spotters keep a list of what they’ve seen. The fun is in the first time: a new type, a new airline, a special paint job, an aircraft you’ve been hoping to see for years.
- Photograph it. Many spotters are photographers first, chasing the perfect shot of a landing in good light.
Where it came from
Aircraft recognition started as serious work. Britain’s Royal Observer Corps, founded in 1925, was made up of civilian spare-time volunteers who watched the sky and identified and reported every aircraft they saw. It was vital in the Second World War and wasn’t fully stood down until the 1990s.
The US had its own Ground Observer Corps: hundreds of thousands of volunteers watched for aircraft during the war, and the corps was brought back in the 1950s (Operation Skywatch began in 1952) before it was disbanded in 1959. Many people learned to tell aircraft apart from silhouette cards and recognition charts, and the habit stuck. Air-Britain, one of the best-known enthusiast societies, was founded in 1948.
Why people love it
It’s collecting, outdoors. Every day brings something different: the regular airliners, then a tanker, a Chinook, an air ambulance, a special livery, or once in a while something that makes your heart jump. Some aircraft are everywhere; some you might see once in your life. That’s what makes the rare ones rare.
Spotting today
Spotters still go to the airport fence, but the hobby has gone digital too. Most aircraft broadcast their position and identity over ADS-B, so a phone can tell you what’s overhead before you’ve finished looking up. Many airports welcome spotters with viewing areas, and some run their own spotters’ days.
Is plane spotting allowed?
Watching and photographing aircraft from public places is a normal, welcome hobby in most countries. The lesson every spotter knows comes from Greece: in November 2001, fourteen British and Dutch spotters were arrested after an open day at a military air base in Kalamata and accused of spying. They were convicted, then cleared on appeal in November 2002. Stay in public areas, and obey “no photography” signs, especially near military bases and abroad.
Ready to start? A beginner’s guide to plane spotting.
