Aircraft reg's. Why do you collect them??

[GOOSE]

A wee play with my stats can also tell me how many different machines of a particular aircraft type I've see -

F-16 = 847
KC-135 = 514
A-7 = 493
F-15 = 341
F-14 = 128

and then something special like F-4's = 1309.

I just wish I had complete records from the first aircraft I actually noted. One day, probably when I retire, I'll computerise all my sightings.

[RichC]

So how many log books do spotters generally keep, one log book for life? Are they big enough to hold everything? Or do you have log book for each aircraft type?

[urkles]

Well I believe everyone does it differently but as databases become more prevelant, such as freebird, you can see percentages of different types you have seen, how many from each air force you have seen, etc, etc. Im like Goose, I love the stats. And chasing the planes, well that has taken me all over the world where I have had a great time, see some fantastic machines (im my eyes anyway) and also some fantastic countries, meeting great people having a great time. Better than listening to someone talking on a radio about waypoints and other diatribe anyday !!

[GOOSE]

Must be on notebook number 30 or so!

OCD point of note here too, I like the notebooks to be all the same size and type and am absolutely gutted when a stationary maker discontinues a line I've started using. The books must be lined up, on the top left shelf and woe betide anyone who gets them out of order.

My youngest once doodled all over a page which listed a load of F-4's dropping into the Heath, same time the F-117's were deployed, and I was inconsolable!

[RichC]

Better than listening to someone talking on a radio about waypoints and other diatribe anyday

Indeed, when i have been to Nevada, California, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, New York, Caribbean, Europe & Mediterranean, Newfoundland and Canada (lived there) i have found great people to talk too and sights to see whilst using my radio to listen to certain things! No log book needed!
You should take one when visiting Nevada and Edwards, you'll find a lot to get your teeth into that you Cannot see to log on the ground

[blakey]

Better than listening to someone talking on a radio about waypoints and other diatribe anyday

Indeed, when i have been to Nevada, California, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, New York, Caribbean, Europe & Mediterranean, Newfoundland and Canada (lived there) i have found great people to talk too and sights to see whilst using my radio to listen to certain things! No log book needed!
You should take one when visiting Nevada and Edwards, you'll find a lot to get your teeth into that you Cannot see to log on the ground

Have you ever got it out in Greece Rich

[RichC]

Only in the shower in the apartment

[urkles]

So in other words, both sides of the hobby ( And I know a few people do both) is a great way to get out, see the world, and meet some great people . So in conclusion, they both have a healthy social aspect in society and should be respected for the enjoyment they bring the protaganists?

[Mike]

A wee play with my stats can also tell me how many different machines of a particular aircraft type I've see -

F-16 = 847
KC-135 = 514
A-7 = 493
F-15 = 341
F-14 = 128

and then something special like F-4's = 1309.

I just wish I had complete records from the first aircraft I actually noted. One day, probably when I retire, I'll computerise all my sightings.

How many of these were in service at the time ?

[PeteHemsley]

I enjoy taking photos whilst out and about, got my first DSLR in 2006.
But i have noticed something too. And it is only with those who frequent the "loop".
If i am near a helicopter hovering, taking pics. I hear next to me several other photographers (usually from the loop on an outing to SPTA) with their 6fps capability firing away 30-40 shots in a few seconds of one helicopter hovering.

I am there taking one or two photos and if i see something different happening (change of light, swing the fuselage around etc) i will take more. I always take a few shots in around 30 seconds just incase one or two are blurry due to the slow shutter speeds which is sensible if you don't have Image Stabilising or a tripod.

But after taking my second or third shot, they are at it again, another 30-40 shots firing away like a machine gun. So within 5mins, these fiesty photogs have taken 50-60 photos of one helicopter hovering in the same location with the same background and nothing different. Then the funniest thing is when something juicy happens or something more interesting, they are on the floor hurrying to change their memory cards because they run out so quickly......

We was having a discussion about it on our last trip up there and it baffles us! Those who regularly take photos of helicopters stand back with these fast jet picture takers machine gunning the helicopters to death with their DSLR's! Most have expensive IS lenses and their shots will come out great anyway.

I suppose each "Category" of the hobby have their own geeky thing. Yes i agree, monitoring is geeky..
My friends in the Marines, Air Force and Army think its geeky but the funny thing is, they are always wanting to know what i am listening to and enjoy it when they do too and think its cool being able to hear what i can monitor.
Those of us who think other people are geeks are geeks ourselve as we are frequenting this forum

I must be even more geeky as i remember setting up all these forum boards for you all to enjoy and argue with me about geeks

i know what you mean about these 'togs shooting off hundreds of shots on the same thing. as it happens, it is advised that when your shooting at slow shutter speeds, shoot off three shots and your guaranteed that the middle of the three shots will be the sharpest

i myself, cant bring myself to be trigger happy. i reckon there's no skill in keeping your finger on a button.

[GOOSE]

Ah, but I love the sight, sound and smell of live aviation too. Numbers apart, there is nothing so satisfying as seeing an aircraft in the air!

[wokka]

Here's a thought... perhaps FC is the key here? We've all mentioned what we think of each others peculiarities, such as number collecting and running, or listening to a radio in the back room and not going out, but everyone on here has said they dont do it! I reckon that those who really do like the aircraft aspect of it all find themselves a website to talk about it on, while the weirdo behaviour and stereotyping we're recounting is the people without interest and they dont do the "FC" side of things!
Or is doing the hobby and then spending all your time in a virtual world typing on your PC the saddest, geekiest most spottery thing of all and people from outside would look at us all with disdain?

[steve149c]

Well this is amazing, so many different people with different takes on the same thing - A Military Plane.

My love is the photography, as alot of you have said. But I am also interested in the Scanning side of it, and recently the SBS Radar side too. So many different ways of gathering the information.

Whilst I don't collect serials - I Have set myself challenges at my local to keep me going - eg All the T2's and all the Seakings. That kind of thing.

Cheers

Steve

[PeteHemsley]

Well this is amazing, so many different people with different takes on the same thing - A Military Plane.

Steve

the thing is, is that we all know, see and hear about the photography side of the hobby, but there are so many reasons why we all have this hobby and i think this thread has brought out an insight into peoples lives and why they do what they do.

i thought about not posting this thread in case people got their backs up, but i'm so glad i posted it. great banter.

[hregor]

I love radio and aircraft in equal measures so aeroaunautical comms is an obvious hobby. Like nwmonitor I like to know how things work. Its an enginering thing.

My mind isn't tidy enough to keep logs and records although I'm impressed by those who do. I'm not really into photography, although my friends often admire my collection of photographs of radio aerials from all over the world, Peru , China, Cuba, even Greece without getting arrested. If I was a proper spotter they would all be logged and indexed but they're not, they're scattered about in drawers all over the house. They're not even filed by band or frequency.

BUT the information provided by people who sit on the ends of wet and windy runways or have meticulous records of the when's and why's of callsigns or configurations, and all the others who fit into the niches of the hobby and share their information, enhance my enjoyment of the hobby immensely and I thank them for it. I also hope that us radio geekes help a bit by giving the odd pointer ito what might happen next, or what it was that was making all that noise an hour ago.

And all brought together in Fc and the internet.

Roger

[rattler]

My main interest is photography and comms monitoring. I've been taking photographs since the mid 60s (colour slides since 1972). I've never collected numbers, though at one time I did keep a visits log. While at school in the late 50s and when I first started work, I did keep a log of all the types over-flying the area. Back then there was a huge amount of traffic as we had several military airfields nearby (Pershore, Gaydon, Little Rissington, Upper Heyford, Brize Norton etc). I've since identified several of my sightings through friends that were in ATC at the time and it makes interesting reading.

Because of my hobby, I've made several good friends over the years and also introduced a few to it. It's taken me to places I wouldn't normally venture such as the Loop and the SPTA to the deserts of California and Arizona and the wilds of Poland. Been arrested a number of times both in the UK and abroad by the authorities that don't understand the hobby and I guess my mugshot is by now fairly well known.

I love military aircraft....it's a passion, that's why I enjoy writing about it through the TDA website and uploading my slide collection to A.net (just so much history there).

So that's me - a total geek !!

Mick F

[ArabJazzie]

Good to see this is continuing!

What others have written has made me aware of what i have been and what i want to do.

I like to take a road trip every year if i can, last year i managed 2. As my usual suspects didnt want to/couldnt do this, i chose to go on my lonesome. When planning the trip, my wife kinda puts a price per new reg/serial on me so the number crunching side of me puts a list of target rich airfields in front of me. This allows me to work out if i can spend some time at one of the busier for movements fields in between for a bit of photo therapy. Last few times its been Stansted that ive spent time at in the hope of tagging as much of the Ryanair fleet as possible. Between fields i like to look at as much of whats around me as well so there is the benefit of seeing lots of the country as well. I have also been able to speak to some great people around aviation.

In the past, i remember one road trip where myself and another on here left the show at the Hall early to number crunch a few fields around London. When i compare then and now, i did enjoy that kind of thing as on balance, i was doing 3/4 shows a year and 3 or more F-16, 2 Tornado and the 3 big European team displays were taking their toll on my enjoyment. You have to ask though, how really different were they all year in year out? So seeing 5 or more airfields along with hunners o numbers was in my mind better than sleeping under the sun.

Now im a bit older, i look for the right balance, especially when year on year our air arms are shrinking. However, as civvy is in my bag as well, there are always more new aircraft coming out to try and nab.
Arabest,
Geoff.

[GOOSE]

There are also a host of reference books and a few electronic database type applications in which to store your sightings.

I prefer books, they can be easily taken on spotting excursions for quick reference as to whether a particular machine is new to you.

An old favourite is Military Aircraft markings, others include more speciality publications from someone like MACH3. In particular Ken Wardle's fantastic US directory.

Others aid the enthusiast in locating the locations of aircraft such as Andy Marden's superb US Military out of service series and Ken Ellis's Wrecks and Relics collection.

Don't forget though that there are some superb websites too which are very serial related. Demobbed and UK Serials, by the boys at Wolverhampton Aviation Group, are worth their weight in gold.

[Mike]

UK Serials is a fantastic site,have you ever looked at the "Losses" section - hardly any losses these days but if you go back to the 50s,60s and 70s then it was quite common for the British Military to lose several aircraft on the same day.

Mind you,we don't have many aircraft to lose anymore.

http://www.ukserials.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[GOOSE]

Agreed the loses section is well researched and presented. There's a few lost friends in there though