Plane Spotting - The Quiz

[David48]

No

Yes

... and so close, it doesn't matter. the model 4YO is the real deal.

A Lao Central Airlines Boeing 737-4Y0 (B734) ... no egress information.

.

[Humbugged]

Good God you must be more bored than me!

So you been watching the pigeons take off ?

[Humbugged]

Here is a question I have always wondered...but never had the opportunity to ask.....here is the opportunity.....so here is the question...

What is the allure involved in plane spotting ?

Would train spotters mix well with you guys at a party, or would there be clashes ?

[tw25rw]

I used to go to LHR with my Dad in the 70s to look at the planes. Always loved it. There's a book you can buy with all the serial numbers to tick off when you see one.

I still enjoy going to airports, even when I'm not flying.

Once saw a group of guys in London enthusiastically noting down the serial numbers of passing busses.. I thought that was somewhat sadder.

[lubbkis]

I used to go to LHR with my Dad in the 70s to look at the planes. Always loved it. There's a book you can buy with all the serial numbers to tick off when you see one.

I still enjoy going to airports, even when I'm not flying.

Once saw a group of guys in London enthusiastically noting down the serial numbers of passing busses.. I thought that was somewhat sadder.

Oh yes ... we're all sad. Even my partner says so. Of the 50 folk at Myrtle avenue, Heathrow, on a sunny Saturday fewer than 10 will be solely taking numbers. Most will have cameras and many of those will be wanting a pic of only one aircraft. One guy uses an antique Leica rangefinder. I bet he gets huge satifaction from the odd one that comes out right.

I was taking photos at the eastern end of the London City (LCY) runway during the Olympics and a car pulled up, fellow got out and after a wait of about 20 minutes photographed a bus going over the bridge.

"You'll understand" he said "been waiting for that one for a couple of months". I said he'd be having a field day with all those buses pulled in for Olympic duties from all over the country. He said "No"; he'd decided to limit it to London buses as it would be impossible.

We agreed we didn't know why we did it and I had a similar conversation with "spotter/photographers" from Shenzen, Guangzhou and an HK Engineering student at the end of the runway in Hong Kong about 10 days ago.

It's something about having a detailed knowledge of something - for me it's the interlocking systems are fascinating Even the logistics of the meals being prepared and delivered to the craft is intereasting. I use this knowledge in teaching Information Systems at a leading University. I don't tick off numbers in Ian Allen (I don't think they publish anymore) and I'm not interested in military but I can understand people getting satisfaction out of completing something as they learn to differentiate. I think most of my satisfaction comes from getting a picture that shows the aircraft in a good light.

I've done quite a bit of commercial flying; 5 RTW trips and usually 3 intercontinental a year.

[David48]

Here is a question I have always wondered...but never had the opportunity to ask.....here is the opportunity.....so here is the question...

What is the allure involved in plane spotting ?

Would train spotters mix well with you guys at a party, or would there be clashes ?

Ah ... there you have it ... you have mixed your story with the confusion between plane spotters and train spotters ...

An understandable and maybe common mistake ... much like the one between the Filipino wife and the Thai wife ... same but different breed ... but there is no use speculating.

EDITED to add the link

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[Ricardo]

I used to go train-spotting as a kid, with my Ian Allen pocket-book listing numbers of each type, and tick them off. I also collected postage-stamps. In those days TV had two black-and-white channels, and the computer-age was at the pre-dawn stage, what else was there to do ?

But for me aviation will always be a romance-of-travel thing, even now that billions do it every year, there's something magical when a jumbo-jet rumbles down the runway & sticks its nose in the air & floats away with 500 people inside, heading for exotic distant climes !

This was confirmed when I worked for a charter-airline in the late-80s. I got to see (and design a couple of) the systems, the effort & planning, the engineering & even a couple of flights from the cockpit (a 762ER and a 732, if you must know !), and they do say that life is never the same again once you catch the tang of Jet-A !

These days I travel long-haul a couple of times per year, it's no longer quite the same, but taking an interest in what & how they make it happen passes the time, and I've tried to pass that on to my kids. Who knows, maybe one will become a commercial pilot, so I can get discount-flights someday !

It's really amazing how the prices have fallen in real terms over the years, making travel available to so many more people, we're really lucky to live at a time when normal people can live round the world like this, it cannot last forever ! Compared to my youth, when a holiday meant cycling or rambling, because that was all one could afford, the modern age is a dream-come-true !

I don't collect aircraft-registrations or memorabilia, but I'll always turn my head to watch, when a plane takes-off or flies overhead !

[David48]

This is my 4,000th post and doing it here because I hope this thread will around a little while also.

Platinum Member

• 
  
• Advanced Members
  
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• 3,999 posts
  

My story is not as exciting as yours above.

As a kid growing up, we essentially had little material wealth. The first person in our family to get a car was my sister and I was 15 at the time.

But lots of LEGO and this young boy was happy.

Those early days discovering design principles through the simple LEGO block (imagine what I could have been if only Mum had bought Meccano ... ) developed a liking for understanding how things worked.

No different to many boys, now men, I still have a fascination for large mechanical objects, whether they be an Aircraft or an Aircraft carrier.

So now I'm at the gf's family farm and when I'm chipping weeds on the pond wall I look up and see this ... ... fly by, I do marvel at the engineering feat that it is.

But the main reason I'm spotting at the moment is that the Farm's location is just excellent for that.

It's a holiday for me at the moment and I'm enjoying my time. The gf is OK with it ... it's her camera.

Plus, it's something different here on the Forum.

So I hope that you continue to enjoy what I can share with you ...

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[David48]

# 012

Try for the ...

• Airline
  

• Make and Model
  

[tw25rw]

# 012

Try for the ...

• Airline
  

• Make and Model
  

It's a 767. I think it's Transaero.

[RabC]

# 012

Try for the ...

• Airline
  

• Make and Model
  

It's a 767. I think it's Transaero.

Beat me to it

[lubbkis]

Another sadness is being able to track my partner's current flight. It will land at Heathrow from Beijing in about five hours.

My interest goes well beyond taking a few snaps. In the 1970s I worked on migrating and redesigning an Air Cargo Handling computer system from valve based computers (LEO IIIs) to ICL System 4s (byte IC machines). The LEO system, LACES, was the world's first EDI system involved 5 airlines at Heathrow and the guys who built it had to develop their own network processing software.

Those who find people interested in the interlocking minutiae of flying, sad, just don't understand curiosity and if it start from pride in recording the observation and having some knowledge of every artefact of a particular class, so be it.

[David48]

# 012

Try for the ...

• Airline
  

• Make and Model
  

It's a 767. I think it's Transaero.

Beat me to it

... and you'd both be correct.

a Transaero flight from somewhere in Russia. A Boeing 767-3P6ER (B763)

and

When it flew over this morning ... so darn close ... you could almost touch it.

Camera with a flat battery this morning.

·

Airline:

Transaero

·

Aircraft:

Boeing 767-3P6ER (B763)

·

Reg:

EI-UNB

·

Altitude:

31250 ft (9525 m)

·

V/S:

-2112 fpm

·

Speed:

445 kt (824 km/h, 512 mph)

·

Track:

16°

·

Hex:

4CA655

·

Squawk:

3366

·

Pos:

·

Radar:

T-VTBD1

[David48]

One of the Member here sent this to me ...

Low Level Mosquito FB.26 fly-bys

His tip was to turn up the volume!

[David48]

... and this one ... thanks ...

[RabC]

One of the Member here sent this to me ...

Low Level Mosquito FB.26 fly-bys

His tip was to turn up the volume!

Beautiful, should maybe post a copy in the British Quality thread.

[David48]

# 013

Try for the ...

• Airline
  

• Make and Model
  

[Tywais]

# 013

Try for the ...

• Airline
  

• Make and Model
  

IndiGo Airlines - Airbus A320-232

//edit - my guess heading to Delhi

[Mosha]

Bangkok Airways Airbus A319-132 IAE engines

[Mosha]

One of the Member here sent this to me ...

Low Level Mosquito FB.26 fly-bys

His tip was to turn up the volume!

Beautiful, should maybe post a copy in the British Quality thread.

I sent these to David, and if Sopha had been in the house when I ramped up the amp. well lets just say the cats would have enjoyed a change of diet. 555

[Thongkorn]

There is a program you can down load on your cell phone, its called plane spotter ,rs. you hold it up in the direction of the airplane it will tell you its height where its come from and wheres it going and at what time it left time of arrival, and make of plane.

[Tywais]

Bangkok Airways Airbus A319-132 IAE engines

For Post #197

From The Hindu

[tw25rw]

There is a program you can down load on your cell phone, its called plane spotter ,rs. you hold it up in the direction of the airplane it will tell you its height where its come from and wheres it going and at what time it left time of arrival, and make of plane.

Is that just iPhone?

[David48]

# 013

Try for the ...

• Airline
  

• Make and Model
  

IndiGo Airlines - Airbus A320-232

//edit - my guess heading to Delhi

Indeed it was a IndiGo plane ... but as for exact details of the plane type ... sorry ... please discuss amongst yourselves and inform me ...

Mosha ... the colours look the same from a distance ... please keep quessing.

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[David48]

014

This photo is not from me, but a mate of mine.

... feel free to add your own plane contributions ...

[lubbkis]

# 013

Try for the ...

• Airline
  

• Make and Model
  

IndiGo Airlines - Airbus A320-232

//edit - my guess heading to Delhi

Indeed it was a IndiGo plane ... but as for exact details of the plane type ... sorry ... please discuss amongst yourselves and inform me ...

Mosha ... the colours look the same from a distance ... please keep quessing.

.

Well it looks like an A320-2?? to me. What time was it snapped?

[Tywais]

Well it looks like an A320-2?? to me. What time was it snapped?

From the EXIF data:

Original Date/Time {0x9003} 2012:12:16 12:24:02

[theblether]

014

This photo is not from me, but a mate of mine.

... feel free to add your own plane contributions ...

Oh aye.....that's the wee Cessna operated by Kan Airways, I love that wee plane......that photo was taken in Pai. I've flown a few times from Pai to Chiang Mai, and once I believe in this aircraft CM to Mae Hong Son.....I highly recommend.

[David48]

Indeed it is ... theblether took the photo.

Any thoughts (anyone) on exactly the plane model?

Thanks tb for supplying the photo ...

Anyone else wishing to contribute ... just post it and let the others and me try and spot the plane.

.

[David48]

Well it looks like an A320-2?? to me. What time was it snapped?

From the EXIF data:

Original Date/Time {0x9003} 2012:12:16 12:24:02

I'm not on a computer that has the plane information at the moment, however, I know Tywais is a wiz at that stuff, so just trust his data.

Actually it fly over today while we were net fishing.

For those interested, this was part of today's catch.