journalist working on plane spotter story

[sovide]

Hello,
I'm a journalist here in New York working on a story about plane spotting. I'm interested in learning more about spotting, how you got started, your favorite airports and any hassles you've had from police or airport neighbors.

I'm particularly interested in talking to non-NYC area folks, but the more the merrier!

My latest story was published on the Web at
http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2006- ... ecommuters (http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2006-02-28/ovide-bikecommuters)
and my pieces are syndicated as part of the New York Times News Service.

Regards,
Shira Ovide
Columbia News Service
917-974-7707
[email protected]

[Midnight Mike]

Hello,
I'm a journalist here in New York working on a story about plane spotting. I'm interested in learning more about spotting, how you got started, your favorite airports and any hassles you've had from police or airport neighbors.

I'm particularly interested in talking to non-NYC area folks, but the more the merrier!

My latest story was published on the Web at
http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2006- ... ecommuters (http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2006-02-28/ovide-bikecommuters)
and my pieces are syndicated as part of the New York Times News Service.

Regards,
Shira Ovide
Columbia News Service
917-974-7707
[email protected]

Shira

I will forward your information to a buddy of mine, he is very much into Plane Spotting.

Mike

[PhilDernerJr]

I spoke with Shira onthe phone last week, and we had a pleasant conversation.

Anyone who fels that they have something good to share should reply. (like Tom Turner....hint hint)

[Midnight Mike]

I spoke with Shira onthe phone last week, and we had a pleasant conversation.

Anyone who fels that they have something good to share should reply. (like Tom Turner....hint hint)

Phil

Thanks for doing the screening. :wink:

I was thinking of putting Shira in contact with Mike Carter, since Shira wants to contact non-New York people as well.....

[PhilDernerJr]

Mike Carter is ideal. Great guy.

[Iberia A340-600]

Dear Ms. Ovide

My name is Gordon Gebert and I am 14 years old. I live in Poughkeepsie, New York. I got into spotting when I was very young when my dad would take me about to EWR to watch the planes take off and land. Since then whenever I have travelled my dad has always taken me out to the airport of that city to go spotting. I have been all over Europe and the Carribean as well as parts of the US.
In terms of my favorite airport to spot at I find the Madrid Barajas airport a great airport to spot at. There are a couple of great spots there right next to the main taxiway for the airports main runways. The airport also recives a great variety of airlines and aircraft.

Spotting in Europe I have never had any hassles with the authorities. I have always been able to enjoy spotting without worrying about being khassled. But in the United States it's a total different story. I have spotted heavily at LAX and always go down to JFK to spot. Whenever I visit California and spot at JFK I always end up being hassled by the cops. They come up to you and ask you what you are doing and I always tell them I'm just taking photos for the fun of it. They always proceed to ask me why I am and I tell them it's my hobby. After a bit of telling them about spotting they usually tell me that I am not allowed to.

Once when I was spotting at JFK for the last flight of the British Airways Concorde flight out out of JFK I was spotting on one of the overpasses leading into the airport that gives you a great view of Terminal 7 where the Concorde was parked. A cop stopped where my dad and I where spotting and told us that we where not allowed to be taking photos on the airport perimiter especially on the bridge. He then proceed to get on my dads case by telling him that it was irrisponsible to bring me up to the bridge since it put my life in danger. The cop took us in his cop car back to where we had parked are car and asked us to leave the airport.

The last time I was spotting at JFK, which was back in September, I found a spot to spot at and take some photos that gave a great view of the planes landing on 13R. There was a security guard station around the corner from the area where I was spotting but it seemed like there was know one in it. I continued to spot through the fence and take somephotos but then I heard somebody running up behind me and it was a security guard approaching me and yelling at me for taking photos. He told me that me camrea would have to be confiscated and told me to come with him to the secruity station. I told him that I really didn't think there was any need to confiscate my camrea since I was a 13 year old just taking photos of his favorite hobby. When we got to the security station he told me he was going to call the police. My dad came over to the station after seeing the situation while he was parking the car and asked what was going on. The security guard told him that I was taking photos and that was illegal. My dad then told him about the hobby and that kind of calmed the security guards nerves some. After waiting outside the station still being able to watch the planes land on 13R, but without taking photos, two Port Authority cops came and told me that I was not allowed to take photos inside the airport and told me to go somewhere else to spot.

In Scotland the spotters have it lucky. The local authorities use them to report if they notice any unusual behavior around the airport since they know it best. I can only hope that someday the cops would start to use spotters in that way and not hassle the.

I continue to spot at JFK inside the airport and outside regardless of what I am told since spotting and aviation is my passion and hobby.

Well thats my story about spotting. I hope it helped.

Thank you,

Gordon A. Gebert