The Plane Spotters Toolkit

[NYCA News]

NYCAviation:

The Plane Spotters Toolkit

So, you have decided to start plane spotting. That’s great, welcome to our hobby! You have already picked out a great camera and lens, but what else do you need to become a master plane spotter? Sure, you could just sit near your favorite airport and hope something good flies by, but you can do [...]
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[Gerard]

I always have my little Pentax 8X binoculars with me!! Great for helo watching and picking up N #s from a distance!!
Also a small notepad/pen, sunglasses, hat especially in the summer!!
Make sure your cars gas tank is filled up in case you need to dash to another location!!

[megatop412]

Great article Jason(except for the hatin on the scanners! lol) Seriously though, that's a good point about making use of available tech. Some day I'll trade my dummy phone for one of the smarter ones and pay for a data plan. Just can't justify the cost at the moment.

One thing I would like to know more about, though, is the infamous ACARS. I've only given it a glance but it seems much more involved than just checking the major websites(like hacking your scanner to receive a data feed from your computer). Do most people make use of ACARS by going that far or are they aware of places on the web where the info can be found more easily? I'd love to know who does what with this if they're willing to part with the info.

And to echo what Gerard said, binoculars are a pretty good investment. It's nice to just have those around your neck for most of a day because let's face it, you won't be holding your camera+lens the entire time. You also want to bring food and drinks if you won't be near any retail establishments, and also scout the area for restrooms. And in the summer, SUNBLOCK, and INSECT REPELLANT are a must

[Gerard]

and also scout the area for restrooms.

Or some discreet bushes!!!

[yankees368]

And to echo what Gerard said, binoculars are a pretty good investment. It's nice to just have those around your neck for most of a day because let's face it, you won't be holding your camera+lens the entire time. You also want to bring food and drinks if you won't be near any retail establishments, and also scout the area for restrooms. And in the summer, SUNBLOCK, and INSECT REPELLANT are a must

I have 2 cup holders on the rear doors of my car. One has sunblock, the other has insect repellant. :-)

[moose135]

Great article Jason(except for the hatin on the scanners! lol) Seriously though, that's a good point about making use of available tech. Some day I'll trade my dummy phone for one of the smarter ones and pay for a data plan. Just can't justify the cost at the moment.

I use my scanner for, well, scanning - and my iPhone battery lasts all day and I don't use any data that way...

And in the summer, SUNBLOCK, and INSECT REPELLANT are a must

And don't forget - watch out for the giant, killer ticks at the Mounds!

[wunaladreamin]

William, I think most of us that decode acars do it for movement purposes than actual tracking of individual aircraft. Say for instance, when decoding acars chirps yourself, and a special plane you want you see pop in a message, you really only have minutes to get to the airport as the majority of acars chirps from whatever aircraft come right before takeoff and landing. Personally, I just like seeing the diversity of it all. But that's for another thread.

[Delta777LR]

Everytime I go spotting i try to pick up Acars way ahead of time to be on the safe and good side, for someone like me who uses public transit for spotting is not all that easy either. I carry limited things with me such as only my camera, Scanner, and maybe a drink on me, all in a small leather backpack, since i have no car and I need to pick up on something that i really wanna catch, its all bad luck for me, but i still make the effort as possibly as i can. And yes since I have an iphone, i look up specific aircraft reg on flightaware or planefinder to see who and wats coming. On Jan I went out to try to catch the AA Astrojet and I did rush to get there by MTA however I blew it within 10 minutes because of waiting a half hour for the Q113.

[megatop412]

Thank you both for the acars info, I'll keep that in mind

[Landing Lights]

This article pushed up a blog post that I had been planning to write on this very subject. For now, I've covered the hardware I use, and in the near future I will add in the software. In short, it agrees with much of what has been said here, ie scanner trumps smartphone app, and sunscreen/bug repellent is essential. I also touch on the importance of having plenty of cold water is to me and how I carry it.

I used to carry a small pair of binoculars with me though I was typically unimpressed with the results. I should probably look into a better pair in the near future. One rant on sunscreen, use lotion and not the spray crap. Up at the Great New England Air Show last summer, a family started spraying themselves down and all of us photographers were sent scrambling to get away from the overspray. That stuff can travel a good distance, especially with a breeze.