Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
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By greggj
#1270814
Bill McCarthy wrote:Quote by Hugh Laurie - " Riding a motorcycle on a bendy road is more like flying than flying is".

That's what they are calling driving up and down country lanes.
I often wind up my motorcycling friends, when they say they flew from somewhere - and I ask where's the wings !
By Bill McCarthy
#1270819
I spotted a lone Tucano buzzing about the place a few weeks ago, now a Hawk Trainer doing fly-bys at Wick this week. Could it be that a local lad has "made it" thus far in his training. Would the RAF be so accommodating in allowing lone training this far north ?
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By skydriller
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1270902
Bill McCarthy wrote:I spotted a lone Tucano buzzing about the place a few weeks ago, now a Hawk Trainer doing fly-bys at Wick this week. Could it be that a local lad has "made it" thus far in his training. Would the RAF be so accommodating in allowing lone training this far north ?


I dunno about the RAF anymore, but I have seen French Air force guys do this. Several years ago, we used to have a lone Alphajet buzz our village repeatedly for 5 minutes every few months, as opposed to the usual fly-overs in pairs/combat 4s we get from Cazeaux.
Then last year we had a Mirage 2000 turning and burning at very low level around the village a couple of times....Apparently its the son of someone in the village saying "hello".
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By Josh
#1270911
To give you an idea of how aggressive some spotters can be, we were taking on passengers at work the other day. This bloke with a powerful camera just barges past the hosties and points it into the flight deck. We stopped him and asked him to take his seat. All he had to do was ask politely and we would have been more than happy for him to take photos to his heart's content but to barge in like that was pretty rough.
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By trevs99uk
#1270982
As a pilot and aircraft owner i have never had a problem with letting enthusiasts into the hangar..
Alway curtious and thanked when they left.

The people that have let me down are other pilots/aircraft owners,
Aircraft damaged by other aircraft being moved about in hangar.
Fuel stolen from aircraft in hangar.
My wing tip badly damaged by unknown vehicle, vehicle left black mark...not a note/mention to anybody.
Aircraft left parked in front of hangar locked and braked blocking anybody getting aircraft out.
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By Pete L
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1271337
Coincidence on the return from Friedrichshafen - two spotters at the time the GAR was filed for, more or less to the minute. Viv at strip, so they mooched around a bit and wandered off a couple of minutes before I landed. Spotters or plain clothes UKBF? Difficult to prevent access - public footpath through the hangar area. After Marj's comments, wondering now if my hangar break in was spotters, although the a/c has been registered in the UK long enough to only attract passing interest.

On the plus side, Viv has got two very nice photos of the aircraft from enthusiasts - Simon Palmer and Chris Hall.
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By Flintstone
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1271349
If bird spotters are twitchers what does that make aircraft spotters?
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By Dave W
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1271371
Pete L wrote:On the plus side, Viv has got two very nice photos of the aircraft from enthusiasts - Simon Palmer and Chris Hall.


I, too, have some absolutely superb shots of the aircraft taken by enthusiasts and generously supplied at high resolution upon request. For that alone, plus a dirty historical secret ( ;) ), I think enthusiasts should in general be applauded.
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By Flintstone
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1271374
I think enthusiasts should in general be applauded.



Said Dave W, ex-twatter :D
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By ChampChump
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1272079
Indicative of the 'good' spotters are those gems of photographs, of a quality I couldn't afford to commission and some friendly chat with familiar faces at familiar places.

I have started a new, occasional hobby of my own: spotter spotting. I am still working on the definitive photo but am getting some reasonable ones at the better attended fly-ins and rally etc ... :)
By Jon Mercer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1272233
<Digression>

Yay, Duxford! I'm looking forward to flying back to some of my own childhood haunts when I can. Might even take a camera...

</Digression>
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