My First Spotting Injury

[Speedbird1]

After 30 years of spotting, I never suffered from pain as a result until recently. I was in severe pain 2 weeks ago. I stretched my neck up to see the US Airways Steelers aircraft fly right over my head. I was at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden which is often used as an approach to LGA. I was thinking about spotters at Planeview Park, where aircraft fly directly overhead when the Rwy 4 Approach is in use. The pain kept me from sleeping for nearly 2 weeks, but fortunately after massage and rest, I am almost back to normal. Please be careful when spotting and avoid tilting your head straight up! I did not learn a lesson, either. I returned to the Garden again last week and did the same thing but escaped without injury. Have any other spotters ever been injured while spotting? Guys, be careful. No airplane is worth a hospital visit!

[moose135]

Phil has pictures of his spotting injuries...not pretty!

[Aviation.High.Guy]

After 30 years of spotting, I never suffered from pain as a result until recently. I was in severe pain 2 weeks ago. I stretched my neck up to see the US Airways Steelers aircraft fly right over my head. I was at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden which is often used as an approach to LGA. I was thinking about spotters at Planeview Park, where aircraft fly directly overhead when the Rwy 4 Approach is in use. The pain kept me from sleeping for nearly 2 weeks, but fortunately after massage and rest, I am almost back to normal. Please be careful when spotting and avoid tilting your head straight up! I did not learn a lesson, either. I returned to the Garden again last week and did the same thing but escaped without injury. Have any other spotters ever been injured while spotting? Guys, be careful. No airplane is worth a hospital visit!

Ouch! Sorry to hear that. The "occupational hazards" of spotting. I know your pain. I have a herniated disc in my neck from a construction site injury years ago. It still bothers me, like when I go to the end of a runway and look straight up under the approach lights.

Glad you are feeling better. These kinds of injuries can be cumulative, so you want to be careful not to have a repeat event. Other than that, the only other spotting pain I know is more of an emotional one- the kind that hit's you when you're leaving the house camera in hand and the Mrs. reminds you about all the sh*t that needs to get done- mowing the lawn, etc. etc.

[megatop412]

Do tick bites count

[yankees368]

Thankfully, my only spotting injury so far is bad sunburn!

[adscram14]

While at the CLT Overlook, I was attacked by fire ants. Both of my legs and arms swelled up all over the place--not fun.

[jerslice]

I've fallen off my ladder several times while spotting at Boeing Field. Ironically I got the ladder to avoid falling off the roof of my car, which all the local spotters kept ragging on me for as an inevitability.

Still never fallen off my car.

[Steven Holzinger]

While spotting at PHL on the New Jersey side, I decided to walk out onto an unstable dock in the Delaware River to get closer and film Air Force One coming in. It was so unstable that I felt like I was going to go overboard. Thankfully I didn't, because I can't swim...

[Speedbird1]

Thanks for sharing your misshaps. Spotting is so satisying for us that we sometimes get carried away and take chances. I once was surrounded by a motorcycle gang up on the hill just north of Rockaway Blvd, by Rwy 22L. It was my favorite spot for many years until it was demolished and fenced-off. Luckily, they did me no harm and yes I always got tick and mosquito bites there as well. I brought insecticide but the spray got all over my equipment. It was quite an adventure especially since I have no car!

[mirrodie]

I has a Concorde scar. I had scaled a fence by propping my bike up against it and climbing on top of the bike and using the bike as support. I was between the ages of five and 10 years old. Living in Queens, I was waiting for Concorde to flypast our house. As she came down to land, the bike underneath gave way and so I was caught with my arm over this fence hanging from a 6 foot fence. The top of the fence was the type that twisted upward in a sharp ending. That sharp twisted end Lodged itself into my armpit. A few hours later, I walked out of Jamaica Hospital with stitches in my armpit. Hence my Concorde scar.

[Delta777LR]

the only thing that ever happened to me at the mounds back in 2007 is I was walking down until it turned out to be a slip and slide off

[Gerard]

Never injured but a number of times came very close to crashing my car while gazing up at some aircraft while driving!!

[jerslice]

Never injured but a number of times came very close to crashing my car while gazing up at some aircraft while driving!!

Well if we're counting near misses! My wife doesn't like it when we drive past an airport because I start to drift. And I've definitely come scary close to wrecking the car a few times (I'm better than I used to be). At least I think so.

[Gerard]

My wife doesn't like it when we drive past an airport because I start to drift. And I've definitely come scary close to wrecking the car a few times (I'm better than I used to be). At least I think so.

Hahahaha!! Love it!! Sudden stops onto the shoulder and quick U-turns!! OY!!

[megatop412]

The number of times I've been honked at while driving past EWR on the NJ Tpke is uncountable