Ok,

 

So I live about 20 minutes away from KHPN (Westchester County Airport) and have been there many times to go flying with Peter Levine in his Piper, anyway I decided last week it would be cool to go spotting there and get some shots of the Embrears, Airbuses, CRJ's as well as all the GA traffic coming in and out of the airport. last Monday I called the Airport and talked to a very nice person who said I could come and spot from the Observation deck in the main terminal, I also called the local Flight School and FBO (also where Peter Levine keeps his plane) to see if I could walk around that part of the airport to take pics and watch the aircraft departing and taxiing. Both People (At the Main airport and FBO) told me that It was fine for me to do that the only condition was that I check in at both places before spotting. Ok thats fine.

 

Today I went to go spotting and I got there, with the name of the people I spoke to and a reason for wanting to spot and I checked in at Panorama Flight School and told them who I talked to and what I wanted to do. I was told that I would not be allowed to do this, and I would be arrested and that I would have to leave. Huh???? I was told It was fine. Anyway, so I went to the main terminal after that and  I talked to the same person I had talked to on Monday and I got the same answer that I had gotten from the guy at Panorama. So just like that my whole day was ruined and I had no chance of spotting. 

 

So, my question is, when people go spotting at major airports and they make videos and take pictures where do they go, and how do they not get arrested? If I cannot go at my tiny regional airport then how in the world do people go spot at places like JFK or IAD or EWR or LGA? I would really like to go to JFK to spot, as well as to my airport HPN which is 20 minutes away! 

Many of the videos you see were done before the fabled oxymoron Momland security came on board.

Many of the videos you see were done before the fabled oxymoron Momland security came on board.

 

What is this? Also, I see videos and photos uploaded daily on places like airliners.net or youtube. 

If you ever go to Japan, plan visits to the dedicated observation areas of its airports. I spent half a day at Kansai—excellent atmosphere, facilities, and views! 

Ok,

 

So I live about 20 minutes away from KHPN (Westchester County Airport) and have been there many times to go flying with Peter Levine in his Piper, anyway I decided last week it would be cool to go spotting there and get some shots of the Embrears, Airbuses, CRJ's as well as all the GA traffic coming in and out of the airport. last Monday I called the Airport and talked to a very nice person who said I could come and spot from the Observation deck in the main terminal, I also called the local Flight School and FBO (also where Peter Levine keeps his plane) to see if I could walk around that part of the airport to take pics and watch the aircraft departing and taxiing. Both People (At the Main airport and FBO) told me that It was fine for me to do that the only condition was that I check in at both places before spotting. Ok thats fine.

 

Today I went to go spotting and I got there, with the name of the people I spoke to and a reason for wanting to spot and I checked in at Panorama Flight School and told them who I talked to and what I wanted to do. I was told that I would not be allowed to do this, and I would be arrested and that I would have to leave. Huh???? I was told It was fine. Anyway, so I went to the main terminal after that and  I talked to the same person I had talked to on Monday and I got the same answer that I had gotten from the guy at Panorama. So just like that my whole day was ruined and I had no chance of spotting. 

 

So, my question is, when people go spotting at major airports and they make videos and take pictures where do they go, and how do they not get arrested? If I cannot go at my tiny regional airport then how in the world do people go spot at places like JFK or IAD or EWR or LGA? I would really like to go to JFK to spot, as well as to my airport HPN which is 20 minutes away! 

I think they use a time machine and go back 20 yrs to when the World was "reasonably" sane!

@@remymerm

 

Sadly, in this paranoid world of ours that we live in, specially the aviation world, it seems we have gone OTT. Take for example an excellent place atop the Queens Building adjacent to T3 at EGLL.One could spend the whole day there spotting aircraft as they came in to land on 27L and there were excellent opportunities to film, video from there as they lined up on the ILS, and had an excellent cafe too there to ward off the bouts of inactivity in winter. Today, in the name of so-called security, it is no more. One can view and photograph from one of the car parks there I was once vaguely told. How true that is I have no idea as I no longer live near EGLL.

 

However, much closer, at Manchester, they compromised after wrecking the wonderful site that existed before they razed the landscape in the name of building the much-vaunted but even much-less used Rwy 26L, and built an Aviation Park, where one can get good close-up shots of the aircraft taxy-ing.

I go spotting at Aldergrove (EGAA) all the time, and they're always fine with it as long as i have my id with me.

Typically, small to mid size airports have much tighter perimeter security. At big airports there is usually no trouble when it comes to spotting. This is usually because there isn't much happening at these smaller airports and security tends to go a bit overboard. At large international airports there are much more important things to do than to crack down on aircraft enthusiasts.

 

I would check with your local laws however, there are large airports that have law forbidding any kind of photography without authorization.

But where would I go? right up to the fence? For Instance, I know someone who does alot of spotting in Salt Lake, Antlanta and places in Arizona, and his pictures are like he is standing 30' away from the aircraft. He doesnt work in the aviation industry, he is 15 just like me! He just sent me a picture of a DAL 752 taxiing at ATL and it looks like he is standing right there next to it.

 

~Remy

a picture of a DAL 752 taxiing at ATL

Now this is going back a good few years, but I must admit that I did get some cracking evening shots at ATL just before sunset, albeit with Big Brother watching me through the CCTV, and one or two security bods keeping a watching brief. Nevertheless, got some good shots and yes, they can appear to be close-up. Best place was State College, Pa., where I could go right next to the J4100 of US Expressway.

 

But I feel for you, for someone as young as you getting your enthusiasm for all things aviation, blunted like that.

So, I called up a friend (Some of you might know him Karim Elsammak) and he gave me this website with spotting "maps" its actually pretty cool! http://www.nycaviation.com/spotting-guides/jfk/

I really don't know what are you coming to in this country, i'm a huge photography buff and there isn't a day that  some character approach me about what i'm doing, is like do you really think that i gonna blow up the place with my camera. Is truly a shame.

I really don't know what are you coming to in this country, i'm a huge photography buff and there isn't a day that some character approach me about what i'm doing, is like do you really think that i gonna blow up the place with my camera. Is truly a shame.

+1 I love photography and when I went to my local airport the other day and was rejected to take pictures and explained to me why I felt like the country does not have any trust in any of its citizens anymore. Even the guy at the airport we talked to said it was a shame because as an FBO they are supposed to try an encourage aviation, and it is extremely hard for them to do so with the amount tiny amount of trust and huge amount of rules put in by the government.Remy Mermelstein777-300 FS Pilot