Any Hobbies pertaining to the Aviation Industry? Let’s see. We have Flight Simulator, Watching Air-Crash Investigations, quenching our thirst for the most recent updates in the Industry using social media, actually flying around in a Micro-Light or Jet just for the fun of it and our personal favourite, Aircraft Spotting. Aircraft spotting or Plane Spotting as people like to call it is not all that complicated. We visit a nearby airfield or the area surrounding it and observe Aircraft movement. Take-off rolls, Landings and surface movement of different type of Aircraft belonging to different Airliners are what Plane Spotters can expect to see. Is it any Fun? Oh Yes! Hours of Plane Spotting and not a trace of tiredness or boredom if people are really enthusiastic about it. If Landing a Cessna 172R in heavy crosswinds (let’s say 10 knots) properly gives the Pilot a really nice feeling, so does it to a Plane Spotter watching it from a hill nearby. Most of us look at the Piper Super-Cub with a slight doubt running in our minds on the ground till such time we see that vintage Bird’s tail wheel lifting off the ground on a take-off roll and it takes off using bare minimum of Runway tarmac. A Jet landing will really give goose-bumps for the first time when a person sees smoke from the wheels on touchdown. One can check the details of the Aircraft they Spot thanks to the “know your Aircraft” link in the DGCA website (Dgca.nic.in) if they find the Registration. The Type and who it belongs to. It will be helpful when cross-referenced. So, where do we get to see and experience all the amazing sights and sounds? If you have Airport Passes and proper permission, you are in for a Welcome to the Jungle scenario. No? Find locations accessible nearby. In Chennai, St. Thomas Mount is a hill at the end of Runway 25 and to the right of Runway 25, there is Thrisulam Hill. Both locations accessible to the Public. For a fee, they will even let you take photos. Runway 07 landings are a bliss to watch from the hills. In Delhi, Kapashera road running parallel to Runway 29 makes Public stop their cars to watch a Take-off or Landing. The New Milan Flyover has attracted a lot of attention in Mumbai for its spectacular view of the Airfield although stopping is prohibited and Juhu beach for the incoming Aeroplanes and Helicopters. Nandi Hills in Bengaluru are a Plane Spotter’s paradise too. After certain days of Plane Spotting or even a few hours in-fact, Spotters might want to take snaps of the Birds they see. High Zoom cameras are of-course the best option. DSLRs with Telephoto lens although costly, promise good picture clarity. Don’t start just yet! It is illegal to take photos inside the Airfield without proper permission and do not even consider Military traffic and Airports like Bhuj or Pune. It all accounts to Aviation Safety and there is no compromise. Feel free to share your Photos and Locations with us. Happy Landings.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Jan 2014 09:50:43 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015