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Thread: Idiocy in Spotting (Post Your Stories!)

  1. #16
    Administrator PhilDernerJr's Avatar
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    Great shot, Peterman! Worth it!
    Email me anytime at [email protected].

  2. #17
    Senior Member NickPeterman's Avatar
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    Thanks, Phil. Sadly it kinda bit me in the butt the next week when I was moving a little too slow to get a few shots as I was favoring the other foot a little bit.

  3. #18
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    You know how it is, you're spotting, it's a slow day, so you decide to pack it up. As you're in your car, driving away, something actually appears.

    I was in my pickup getting ready to pull away from the parking lot north of the tower at KBFI when a Boeing 737 AWE&C began taxiing by for a test flight, so I spun my truck around so I could at least watch it when all of a sudden *WHAM* and my truck stopped immediately. I'd hit a bright yellow concrete-filled pipe in the parking lot, short one (out of sight below my hood), but stout one. My interest in the 737 was gone as I got out to look at the damage. Miraculously, aside from a cylindrical dent, I was able to drive home (turned out I had a bent tie rod). Stupid, embarrassing and ugly. And I didn't even have a chance to get a shot. LFMF.



    As you can see from the rust, I haven't set about to fix it...

  4. #19
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    I have a pretty good story from way back in 1992. I almost always attend the very AWESOME Airliners International Conventions (I still don't know why more from this site don't attend them, they ROCK) anyway the 1992 one was held in Orange County, California and one of the cool tours I took was about a 3 hour ramp tour of LAX. On one part of the tour we where allowed on a roof of a United Airlines Building overlooking the south complex at LAX, Runways 7LR-25LR. I was shooting arrivals and trying to juggle a large camcorder and 35mm camera with a large zoom lens, everything was going great until I fell/tripped about 3 feet. Luckily no damage to my camera gear but my short fall was broken by a metal railing which I impacted about mid chest level. I felt moderate pain from where I impacted the railing but it was tolerable and I kept it low key. This was the last day of the convention and back at the Hotel the pain was still I didn't feel bad enough to seek medical attention and I didn't want to miss the Banquet where Captain Al Haynes of United 232 fame was the guest speaker and I wasn't about to miss that, and it was so worth it. I went to bed hurting but still tolerable pain then about 5:00AM my 2 friends and I awoke to a rather large earthquake, my first and only and it was a beauty see below.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Landers_earthquake
    We where on around the 23rd floor of the Hyatt Regency Irvine (right next to SNA) and both our Hotel and the Office Towers out the window where all swaying back and forth. We where told to evacuate via the stairs and even though its easier going down than up I started feeling a lot more pain after about 20 floors. We where due to return to NYC later that morning and fearing aftershocks all I wanted to do was get out of SoCal the pain didn't matter, we ended up being in a second quake a few hours later while sitting on our ride home at LAX, an Air Canada 747-200 Combi bound for YYZ. Upon my return to NYC I was feeling much better so foolishly didn't seek Medical Attention. Strangely about a week later I was driving, hit a large bump and the pain instantly got much worse, I was off that day so I said screw it I am going to the emergency room. Ended up that I had two broken and two bruised ribs, I felt like an idiot and it took about 6 months to fully recover. Sorry so detailed but lots of parts to this adventure.

    Cheers

    LGA777
    Last edited by LGA777; 2012-05-24 at 07:01 PM.

  5. #20
    Senior Member hiss srq's Avatar
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    Every time I would listen to LGA777 and sprint across or out of the tower with my camera for a phantom airplane like a 727 or something only to find a boring ass ERJ145 limping by on Alpha. Or, the day I drove my car up onto a 4 foot snow bank on Rockaway at 40 MPH while the first ever JFK A380 was still almost 15 mins out, I was soo worried about getting the 380 that going east on Rockaway just west of the runway center line I floored it and smashed myself up into the snowbank on the curb to make sure I was parked off the road and in position. it took about 5 people pushing to swing the front end of the car around enough that I could launch off onto the road again and scrape the front bumper along the road in the process.
    Southwest Airlines-"Once it pop's it's time to stop" Southwest Airlines-"Our Shamu's are almost real" Southwest Airlines -"We blow our top real easy" Southwest Airlines- "You can't top us..... really"

  6. #21
    Senior Member Delta777LR's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wunaladreamin View Post
    I once shot a Eurofly A330 from the top of the mounds while urinating. Does that count?
    Kenny, u can probably urinate and shoot at the same time..
    Dont forget the time at the mounds i blew a Swiss A330 shot because i decided to get a milkshake from Mr Softee... Also Adam Thrilling dropping bottles of water at the mounds trying to catch Air Berlin A330.. That was funny!!
    Sergio has been a huge Delta Air Lines fan since 1992!!

    Sergio Cardona

    http://www.jetphotos.net/showphotos....e=1&display=15

  7. #22
    Senior Member Kris V's Avatar
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    Dumbest I have done is spot at -5F without a coat. Does that count as stupid enough?
    Oh here is one of the shots:

  8. #23
    Senior Member moose135's Avatar
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    Totally worth it, Kris!

  9. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Delta777LR View Post
    Kenny, u can probably urinate and shoot at the same time..
    Dont forget the time at the mounds i blew a Swiss A330 shot because i decided to get a milkshake from Mr Softee... Also Adam Thrilling dropping bottles of water at the mounds trying to catch Air Berlin A330.. That was funny!!
    HAHAHA! I remember that!! In the words of Brian, "Adam's run is pretty questionable bro!"
    R.I.P. Matt Molnar 1979-2013
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  10. #25
    Senior Member DWaviation's Avatar
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    I was standing in Costa Rica at the Airport for a Condor 767-200..
    After i got my shot i saw behind me two guys with a stick and one with a stone.
    They told me to give them my bag, camera etc..
    So i went slowly down to put my camera on the ground.. i grabbed some sand from the ground and throw it at them and start running..
    The guy with stone throw it at me but missed and both start following me..
    Luckily the Airport Police drove by and he let me in his car. I never saw them again when i was spotting..

    Thats the shot,

  11. #26
    Senior Member Delta777LR's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wunaladreamin View Post
    HAHAHA! I remember that!! In the words of Brian, "Adam's run is pretty questionable bro!"
    yep. it was a fun laugh though, i couldnt stop, it was way too funny
    Sergio has been a huge Delta Air Lines fan since 1992!!

    Sergio Cardona

    http://www.jetphotos.net/showphotos....e=1&display=15

  12. #27
    Program Coordinator
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    -Once went through a drive-through of a fast-food restaurant in reverse - going about 25mph in order to catch a high priority airplane.

    -In my very early days of spotting I once wanted to grab some pics of AE 145s and WN 737s landing at a certain east coast airport. I couldn’t figure out if a location near the threshold was public, so rather than find one that was, I decided to stay hidden behind a line of pine trees and bushes and then “run” out to the fence in knee deep snow – grab my shots – and then dive back into the bushes. I did that with a buddy for about an hour. To this day I still can’t believe the cops didn’t show up: that had to look unbelievably sketchy.

  13. #28
    Senior Member Big Tim #70's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by NickPeterman View Post
    I have a picture to go with mine!

    Mine came at Nellis AFB back in 2010. I had been trying to get a nice, tight, overhead bank shot from one of the SHAW F-16CJs for the entire week, with no avail. It was my last night in Vegas, and I was getting desperate. I saw the Shaw's enter the pattern, and it became clear they were going to cut inside of where I was standing. Now anyone who has shot from the Speedway is used to having to move around a bit at times.

    I took off in a full sprint with my Rebel Xsi and 100-400 in my arms. About step 3, I became acutely aware that it felt like someone had shot my toe off. Limping, and feeling worse and worse with each pace, I limp-sprinted along. I ended up running the distance between my gate and the next, and then half again as much in killer pain. I got my shot, sat down, and pulled a nail that you might use to built a tree house or attach boards to a patio deck out of my big toe. Thankfully, my tetanus shot was up to date.


    The killer, my father was right behind me, with his truck, the whole time trying to get me to jump in and we could have driven the whole thing...


    But hey, I doubt I would have looked so cool rolling up in an F250 as I did looking like the charge of the cripple brigade.


    And the shot:

    Phenomenal Shot Nick! Bravo Sir!
    EVERYONE IS THERE TO SEE THE SHERPA!

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