Page 4 of 4 FirstFirst 1234
Results 46 to 54 of 54

Thread: Just spoke with KEWR PAPD and guess what they have to say...

  1. #46
    Senior Member Tom_Turner's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    New York
    Posts
    2,193

    Re: Just spoke with KEWR PAPD and guess what they have to say...

    Nice pix Raj!

    Believe me, I've been spotting since the 1960s and it is the death of a thousand cuts... much of it happening pre-911.

    I guess the point is if a spot is "sensitive" its best not to exploit it senselessly and squander it. And these days, that could be just about any spot.

    If its someplace we had no explicit "right" to be, all the more reason not to kill it - and after the fact offer up that well, no one had a right to be there anyway. That's not going to help anyone.

    btw, I remember us getting booted off the Pan Am roof on a number of occasions.. but back then, it was a friendly "ok guys, you gotta wrap it up" - :)

    Tom
    "Keep 'em Flying"

  2. #47
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Posts
    8,285

    Re: Just spoke with KEWR PAPD and guess what they have to say...

    Quote Originally Posted by Tom_Turner
    Nice pix Raj!

    Believe me, I've been spotting since the 1960s and it is the death of a thousand cuts... much of it happening pre-911.

    I guess the point is if a spot is "sensitive" its best not to exploit it senselessly and squander it. And these days, that could be just about any spot.

    If its someplace we had no explicit "right" to be, all the more reason not to kill it - and after the fact offer up that well, no one had a right to be there anyway. That's not going to help anyone.

    btw, I remember us getting booted off the Pan Am roof on a number of occasions.. but back then, it was a friendly "ok guys, you gotta wrap it up" - :)

    Tom
    Tom out of curiosity why would you get booted from the rooftop?

  3. #48
    Senior Member Tom_Turner's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    New York
    Posts
    2,193

    Re: Just spoke with KEWR PAPD and guess what they have to say...

    Hey Tommy -

    Good Question - I can't say for certain 100% what the reason was, but almost positive it was insurance/liability issues in a general sense. JFK had a number of observation decks just prior (give or take a couple of years) to the advent of the Pan Am Rooftop Parking lot, but of course a parking lot is not by design an "observation deck".

    In the big picture there may have been some "security" concerns as people's property (their cars) were there, "hanging out" might lead to other things - getting drunk, littering, urinating whatever, or someone might walk off the roof or otherwise be hit by a car (the more unnecessary people the greater the chance etc..).

    On the matter of "aviation security" for lack of a better term, there was an embryonic awareness of how close the aircraft were and what people were up to, ever since the hijackings of the early 1970s, but no one was overly suspicious..people parking their cars were as likely as anyone else to take in the view, and possibly take a snapshot or two. Then, as now, someone with a small child in tow, was deemed especially innocent of any wrongdoing. And again, at the time, just about anyone was allowed to wander the terminals, so it was probably not terribly disconcerting to find people up there.

    The security guard rounding up folks was fairly perfunctory - usually it didn't happen at all. I don't recall anyone calling the police; it would probably be seen as an overreaction by all parties. Can't recall anyone pushing back on the security guards, or the security guards being hostile either, but Raj may know the score better on that issue.

    AT some point I know the discouragement was fairly passive, but still unmistakable. Hard plastic strips were eventually wound into/through the chain like type fences.

    The one thing I can recall that seemed rather aggressive to me was some people - spotters and others as well - would take to climbing up on the roof of the structures that allowed the elevator to go to the rooftop. The notion of doing something like that, taking that sort of liberty, was alien to me, and it certainly could not have made anyone responsible for that rooftop very happy. [I do admit though, that on one occasion the practice had become so common-place, I took my turn as well, not wanting to be the only one silly enough *not* take advantage of it].

    That's about the best I can remember of it...apart from the friendly Pan AM 747 pilots that were always happy to give a wave from a stone's throw away.

    Tom
    "Keep 'em Flying"

  4. #49
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Orlando, Florida
    Posts
    595

    Re: Just spoke with KEWR PAPD and guess what they have to say...

    Quote Originally Posted by moose135
    Quote Originally Posted by Mayi757
    Also, if you are sporting a month-old beard, carrying some enormous bazooka lens and standing there in the open aiming it at airplanes, you ain't gonna last too long before the police comes over (trust me)
    Ah, I guess that's my problem...

    :shock:

    Quote Originally Posted by moose135
    We did have NCPD come check us out at Firestone once because of a report of "15 Arab men taking pictures of airplanes". Even the officer was laughing when he told me that one.

    :lol: :lol: :D

  5. #50
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Orlando, Florida
    Posts
    595

    Re: Just spoke with KEWR PAPD and guess what they have to say...

    I remember before 9/11 I saw people with lenses 3 times as big 8) and nobody would get bothered, it was fairly obvious they were taking pictures of airplanes, as spotters were a fairly common sight at most large airports. I never went to JFK before 9/11 but in both Orlando and Miami there were always spotters all around the perimeter, even with 10-foot ladders, scanners, and all kind of necessary geeky spotting accessories right up to the fence. I never, ever got bothered.

    Last month I was with a planespotting friend who wanted to take a shot at a LAN 767 with those new ugly winglets posing on the ramp. I said it isn't worth it, not there. But my friend insisted so I parked the car and stayed inside. 2 seconds later a Miami sheriff patrol car on a leisurely Sunday morning mission around the airport parked next to us and asked to see ID. A blonde girl by the fence all excited about taking a pix but hey, he askes to see id. Sure here's our ID. He said pictures are not allowed there, and recommended the Squadron restaurant by perimeter road, so ok, perfect.

    Then. he just took at least 15 minutes to check our IDs, something that never happened to me before at MIA as long as I can recall, even after 9/11. 15 minutes that all 3 of us could've done something much more productive with our times, including going to church :D . Then just gave our IDs back and drove away.... not even a goodbye or have a nice day. But again, you dont have to remotely care about been classy or look professional if you are in Miami, I guess.

    Moral of the story: well there are many. But mainly, when an area doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.

  6. #51

    Re: Just spoke with KEWR PAPD and guess what they have to say...

    moose135 wrote:
    Mayi757 wrote:
    Also, if you are sporting a month-old beard, carrying some enormous bazooka lens and standing there in the open aiming it at airplanes, you ain't gonna last too long before the police comes over (trust me)

    Ah, I guess that's my problem...

    Image


    :shock:

    moose135 wrote:
    We did have NCPD come check us out at Firestone once because of a report of "15 Arab men taking pictures of airplanes". Even the officer was laughing when he told me that one.



    :lol: :lol: :D


    Report this post

    that was my first day out at JFK...I'll never forget being called "middle-eastern"!
    Have you ever seen a grown man naked?

  7. #52
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Washington, D.C.
    Posts
    627

    Re: Just spoke with KEWR PAPD and guess what they have to say...

    When the FBI DOJ paid me a visit last year, they said their report was that we were "hiding in the bushes taking pictures of airplanes" at Firestone. I outright laughed at him!
    Check out my jetPhotos collection
    Check out my jetVideos collection

  8. #53
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    A word to the wise...keep it under your hat...no one is to know...
    Posts
    3,027

    Re: Just spoke with KEWR PAPD and guess what they have to say...

    Quote Originally Posted by kc2aqg
    When the FBI DOJ paid me a visit last year, they said their report was that we were "hiding in the bushes taking pictures of airplanes" at Firestone. I outright laughed at him!
    You should have told them you were a hobbit of the shire and you were just walking out of your house.
    R.I.P. Matt Molnar 1979-2013
    #DeleteThePickleSmoocher
    LETS GO CAPS!
    [URL]http://www.sopicturethis.net[/URL]

  9. #54
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Washington, D.C.
    Posts
    627

    Re: Just spoke with KEWR PAPD and guess what they have to say...

    LOL DEUCE!
    Check out my jetPhotos collection
    Check out my jetVideos collection

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •