Military Base Spotting

[nikon50bigma]

anyone here every to go spoting at a miliatry base?
Like at Mcguire ARB when its not an airshow?
If so what happened?

[PhilDernerJr]

Military spotting is generally not something to be advised, as taking photos of a military base is illegal. I know some people do it, but I know that photo of the flightline are quite a no-no.

[T-Bird76]

Yeah I agree with Phil on this be very careful. One could argue if your on public land you can take shots but it could get ugly. Also if you do shoot make sure you are on public land. Alot of people think just because they are on the other side of the fence its public land and the base ends. In many cases that land is also the base's.

[njgtr82]

even if you are active duty, its not a good idea, I had a friend get his camera taken for doing so.... wait til May when Mcguire has the airshow

[SCOTYDEMCO]

Spotting at McGuire is nearly impossible for many reasons including the one above. wait for some shows.

[SengaB]

Shooting at Military bases is NOT Illeagal. Most often its leagal there are some acceptions though.

I will post more in a bit. I actually just got home from West Point where I did some shooting today actually.

Photographing civilian aircraft poses a greater risk (to the photographer) than shooting military a/c in many cases. From my personal experience I feel "safe" shooting on bases infinatly more times than I do at any civilian airport in the U.S. especially in the NYC area.
If this is the case the best thing to do is to call base operations and request a tour. I can guarantee you would have a better chance of getting that on a base than at soe of our well known airports. I have been shooting on military bases going on about 13-14 years now. It helps when they have a park along side the approach path. Some bases are more secure than others just use common sense and one will be fine. I will add that just like on civilian bases its some of the installations that they don't want you to photograph.
Shooting planes in general poses a problem its just how things are. If theres something on a base I want to shoot and I don't know if I should...I go ask.
Senga

[SengaB]

I have engaged in photography at (WRI) McGuire before. The light is just horrible as when you face the runways the sun is in your face all day long. Its like shooting JFK's 31L dep/arrs from JFKs terminals. I haven't been there for an airshow but taking pix from the ramp side its pointless unless its cloudy outside. Plus there isn't much variety there anyway.

Senga

[nikon50bigma]

what other bases have you shot at?
So when you asked for a tour they actually brought you around the enitre base?
Do you have some type of military backround, which could be the reason for this?

[SengaB]

Hi nikon50bigma,
There are too many bases to even begin to list but there have been all kinds. Been on everything from a test field to a boring ANG reserve base at a big city airport. If the situation provides its self sometimes you can just walk up to an ANG ramp and a civilian airport and ask to get a tour and they are like sure come on in!

Personally I don't do (like) "tours" unless there is something I really want then I'd seek access. I like to go shoot where I want and when I want. Adding the people aspect to anything makes things confusing and more of a hassle.
My "Military background" cool tank? :)
http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/me01xx.jpg
Senga

[USAF Pilot 07]

Call base ops at the base you want to spot at and see if they can arrange a tour for you. I don't think they will accodomate you based solely on your spotting desires, but if you say you're a civilian who would like a tour of the base, they may be a little more accomodating, or have a program set up that offers tours on a scheduled basis.

In any case, most military bases are closed to the general public, outside of touring (which have to be set up in advance). Therefore, don't just show up to the base and expect to get on. For example last summer a friend and I drove past McGuire (in his car) and decided to look around the base. But, we had to get a visitors pass because his car does not have DoD stickers on it (even though I have an Active Duty Military ID card, and my personal car is DoD registered). The line for that was like 45 minutes. I think the only three really "open" bases (where all you need is a drivers license to get on) are the Air Force Academy, the Naval Academy and Westpoint, and no one cares if you take pictures there because are they tourist attractions.

Photography on military flight lines is still somewhat confusing to me. When I was at Elmendorf AFB (F-15 and C-130 base) I took a ton of pictures on the flightline right next to jets, and was being very open about it, because I thought it was allowed. But when I talked to a friend of mine later, who tried to take a picture of a plane on the flightline, she said they wouldn't let her because they said photography on the flight line isn't allowed. What the official rules on it are, I dunno, but I would ASSUME that photography isn't allowed, but that most people just don't care, or see it as as long as you don't get in the way or start taking pics of sensitve areas, it's ok, especially since there are millions of military photos out there.

Also, if you're not right on the flightline (i.e. on a parking lot near an approach path, or a grassy area near one), and you look like you belong there and that you're doing nothing out of the ordinary, most people will leave you alone; I think more so than they would at a civilian airport.

I think what you'll find though, is that military spotting gets old quick. Most bases have one or two airframes, and don't really offer great areas to spot from. Fighter bases are a lot "cooler" because fighters in general are more of a thrill to watch, but since there aren't any close to the NYC area, the closest active duty military airfield you'll have to settle for is McGuire (KC-10s, C-17s, not sure if they still have C-5s). If you get lucky, you might catch a different airframe either on a mission to McGuire, or on a stopover at McGuire, although that is unlikely as most "stopovers" happen at Dover AFB. You can call the Passenger Terminal at most bases about 48 hours before you intend to shoot, to find out what airframes are coming in and going out in the next 48 hours. Most bases have recordings which give you this information. As a caution, military flights rarely run on time, and often get cancelled/changed, so don't take what they say as final word.

Anyway good luck!

[cancidas]

a buddy and i were sitting outside Luke AFB just watching F-16s and F-15s landing when MPs rolled up, checked our military IDs and gave us the boot. that was just after 9/11 though. then again, i wasn't air force...

[SengaB]

USAF Pilot 07
Sounds like a Mirror images of what I just said. There you go heard it from 2 similar perspectives.

The Car I drive also has current up to date DOD stickers. This is good and bad as when I get harrased at JFK EWR etc by the cops sometimes they get stupid and ask "whats with the DOD stickers?"

USAF Pilot 07 is correct once you get most of the stuff you see at one airport you see at another one. Once you get the bulk of the aircraft spotting military planes becomes very unfulfilling and is like shooting Virgin Atlantic G-VHOT landing at Costco on 31R. The bases are usually stagnant anyway with little movment and massive repeats of the same a/c type. I mean Tyndall AFB dozens and dozens of F-15s sheehs all I needed was Just one.
I don't bother to shoot much on them anymore outof sheer bordom.
Senga

[SengaB]

Something I ahve always found interesting was that so many of these Corporate ramp that occationally get Military aircraft on them they will not let youi photograph them Business Jet and GA stuff but are always always very accodating when it comes to Military planes. They woudl even tell us when the pilots were due back so we could talk to them.
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=25588

[nikon50bigma]

Senga, what branch of service were you in? See, for you, you are lucky if anyone stops you (from what im assuming) you can say that you have been in the "serivce". But a regular civilian like me, they might no be so happy to give a tour. But in regards to the tour what do they do, do they just let you stay on the ramp?
Speaking of tours it would be realy nice to get a tour of JFK and get to stay on the tarmac or on the grass for a while.
The grass next to a taxi way.

[SengaB]

nikon50bigma,
Sorry for the confusion. I'm a regular civilian like yourself :)
I was never in the military. Circumstances afforded me the opportunities. If a base allows you to take pix they would just have an escort with you thats all. Some bases have visitor tours where during specific days any visitor can get a tour of the ramp and facilities. I don't know if this is still done a lot after 9-11 but before several airports had known base tours. I'd like to get out onto JFK once in a while myself....but forget that. You have a better chance getting onto a military base than at JFK. Unless you have"connections" then its hopeless.
Senga

[Steven Holzinger]

There are places to shoot aircraft going in and out of McGuire, but they are too far away from the base and the spots WILL get you stopped by military and local police in a heartbeat. During the summer of 2005 I spotted in a shopping center's parking lot when Runway 36 was active and had a couple people call the cops on me while shooting KC-10s, KC-135s, and a lone C-17 departing 36. Luckily for me I had left before any cops showed up because I knew I was going to get into some trouble.

There used to be a great spot to catch departures from 24, arrivals to 36 and 6 and departures from 18 (cemetary along Texas Ave) but to get to that spot today, you'd have to go through a military checkpoint. McGuire does get pretty active at times...

NAS/JRB Willow Grove is good and the local cops don't mind people spotting, as long as you know the locals who spot there as well. The military police, on the other hand, will not let you spot at all. I know someone who has almost gotten arrested for taking pictures and video along 611 of Super Hornets departing the base... oh and Willow Grove is not very active at all!

NAS Oceana... oh that base is ALWAYS active! It's a shame it's all Hornets and Super Hornets now. I haven't gotten hassled at any of the spots around the base as of yet (knock on wood).

Langley AFB... can be active at times (when launching or recovering based aircraft) and then real dead in the other times. Last time I spotted there (March 2006), a huge flight of F-15s and F-22s took off, were gone for an hour or so, and then came back. There's only one good spot at Langley, and its only good for 8 arrivals and 26 departures (though you can watch 8 departures really easily!). Since the Raptors came to the base, I've heard horror stories from people who were harassed by AF Police and Hampton Police, but that hasn't happened to me yet.

DO NOT SPOT AT MILITARY BASES ON WEEKENDS, unless there is an ANG unit that has a drill weekend, because there will usually be no flying on the weekends.

I think spotting at Navy bases is a lot easier and more hassle-free than at Air Force Bases... and with Oceana, its not "oh I just got a Hornet, now I don't need the other Hornets" - remember there's more than a dozen squadrons that could very well be at the base at any given time.