Jerseyflyer,
I'm 17 myself, but I've got a license...so If you want to go spotting at some point, let me know :)
Kind of a shame that that happened though. Its always frustrating.
Jerseyflyer,
I'm 17 myself, but I've got a license...so If you want to go spotting at some point, let me know :)
Kind of a shame that that happened though. Its always frustrating.
In the "good old days" of the 80's, I would stay all day at JFK right near the fence at the end of Rwy 31R and watch the jets turn-off the runway after landing. You could wave to the captain and he might wave-back. Port Authority cars would pass-by but I was never questioned. I would stay for hours. The only problem was the heat and the bugs. Also, you could stay all day on the roof of the Pan Am Terminal and get an unobstructed view of JFK. Now, everything has changed. The roof has been closed since 1988 and you can't stand by any fences. My friends were just kicked-out of JFK yesterday for merely standing by a window at a terminal watching the aircraft. They weren't even taking pictures. So much that this is the land of the free. If this happens to me, I will contact the ACLU for help. They helped me when I was told I couldn't take photos at a NYC park in a public place without buying a permit.
I feel sad reading these stories, and it really makes me appreciate how lucky we are here in Europe.
This Friday was the first time I have ever been approached by security, and it was only because we were exploring for new spotting places and was walking in usually places along the fence. A few questions later and they were happy, and we were free to continue, and soon discovered a pretty nice spotting nice location. :borat:
Can the officers harrass us for loitering or trespassing? I was once at JFK near the entrance to Rwy 13L photographing landing aircraft by a road sitting with my friend and my scanner. Suddenly a Port Authority car pulled-up. I was told it was private property and that we were trespassing and told to leave. This was pre-911. I could only imagine what would happen now. What about sitting at a terminal watching aircraft from behind glass? Isn't that legal as long as you are causing no disruption and you stay in an area that is pre-security? My friends did just that recently at JFK's T1 and were told to leave or get arrested.
I'm going to write this politely as possible. If you are in a terminal building, or in some company's parking lot and you are asked to leave....you leave. You do not own/run the building or parking lot, and if you have no business there you have no rights. Don't get all "activist" you'll ruin someone else's chances next time.
Now this goes for any spotting location. IE: Firestone parking lot. This is soon to become a Panera location. Unless you are eating there, they have the right to ask you to leave as you are taking up parking spots for potential customers. This is what eventually happened to the Costco location. Right now, we have a good relationship with NCPD, as they are the ones who respond to complaints there. They know what we do, but when Panera finally opens, they may ask us to leave depending on time of day, how busy the store is etc. Remember, unless you shooting from your backyard, you are on someone's turf. They have every right to ask you to leave. You can try to plead your case, but be respectful. If they demand that you leave, do as they ask, and hopefully we can come back another day without being hassled.
GREAT POST!Originally Posted by lijk604
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