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NGXfanatic

Plane Spotting Article on CNN

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I've come across a nice article on a possible new twist to a favorite hobby among us flight simmers: a hybrid of plane spotting and a "neighborhood watch" of sorts, keeping an eye on airport grounds for suspicious activity.

This is a very interesting read, and would be a nice break for spotters unfairly being seen as security risks.   I miss the old days of parking right next the perimeter fence to watch traffic at my local airfield.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/04/travel/plane-spotters-versus-terrorists/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

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A program like that is a very good idea. Better to work with these guys then to try and push them along. These guys would make a great line of defense to protect the nations airports by reporting any suspicous activities. Community policing does work.


Matthew Kane

 

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first post!

 

is there such thing as a reality TV show about AVgeeks?  heck... is there any good aviation channels out there for us plane lovers?

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Yeah it's a good idea.

 

Speaking of security, I wish the days of a young person like myself being able to go to the local flight school and hang out and work in return for flights were still around.

 

Might help with the lack of young students they're seeing now.

 

 

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In the railfan world, BNSF and Norfolk Southern have similar programs.  BNSF has had their program in place since 2006.  There's no vest to wear, but at least you get a card that you can pull out which *might* help when someone decides you're the suspicious looking one standing by the train tracks with a boatload of camera equipment and reports you to the local constabulary.

 

 

 


Speaking of security, I wish the days of a young person like myself being able to go to the local flight school and hang out and work in return for flights were still around.

 

I expect that's as much a simple matter of economics as it is security.  But I agree - I wish a lot of things were more informal and open as they once were.

 

Scott

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If you want to help out patrolling your airport (in the US) and taking photos, contact your airport's AOPA ambassador. Check the AOPA airport directory. They even have an airport watch program.

 

www.aopa.org/airports

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Wonder if Canada has something similar....

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Wonder if Canada has something similar....

 

Not that I have heard of, but I reckon the RCMP is too busy trying to reorganize themselves that they wouldn't have to resources required to organize something like that. 

 

USA kind of went in a different direction after 9/11 and this goes to show the sort of initiatives that work. Good old Common Sense and people willing to make a difference.

 

Canadians are capable of the same but the RCMP is going through some growing pains at the moment.


Matthew Kane

 

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Good point

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I think herein the UK at some airports, something like this was trialled. I don't know what happened to it.
We used to get LOADDDSSS of aviation shows here, "Airport" (1990-2006 about Heathrow) "London Luton Airport" (2004-2008 I think- about...well, pretty self explanatory), "Airline" (following Easyjet) "Airline USA" (ok technically not ours, but we got loads of them) . Of course you guys in the US now get "Airport 24/7" and over here we get "Inside Gatwick" (though I don't know if its coming back for a second season). The thing about these shows was great, because you could learn and know of these little schemes that they started at airports....

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Hey guys, 

I live in Montreal,Canada and real close to the airport. There actually are places to go that have been made for plane spotting. Many people come and watch big birds take-off and land.

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USA kind of went in a different direction after 9/11 and this goes to show the sort of initiatives that work. Good old Common Sense and people willing to make a difference.

 

The Patriot Act says otherwise. ;-)


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Am I the only one that think the world is starting to turn more and more into Orwell's 1984.... I see the patriot act as the biggest enemy to a free open democratic society. And citizen's taking "police" matters in their own hands even worse..

 

I think terrorism must be handled in other ways, we must actually accnowledge there is a reason why It's happening and try to actualy use diplomatic ways to fight it....(yes, they fight for something too)

 

I can't say I'm actually surprised that alot of "unknown" third world countries actually hates America and their role as a world police and that terrorists groups seem to get stronger the more we fight them.

 

And also If anyone has broken the human rights and rules of war, USA has done it for years(started with the Atomic bomb, they are the only country in the world that actually was mad enough to drop it, And we are supposed to be afraid of anyone else that got it? Guantano bay...Irak...) I fear actually more what the US may be capable of doing than Iran and North Korea.

US always gets away with it because they always seem to have the "greatest" cause that the they seem to think everyone else has to follow.. The cause is also often a cover for greater intrests as resources, regional power and control and not making these countries more democratic and better for the people(look at how many dictators they have supported, and they have also couped democratic elected leaders e.g Chile, Salvatore Allende and also tried it with Hugo Chavez but without succes because he's just to popular in Venenzuela, and was a thorn in the eyes of the US until he died) Why can't a country nationalize their own Resources, we did in Norway a long time ago Lucky we didn't got bombed for that. But other countris can get invaded even just by having ideas like that...

 

And look at Afganistan, the Taliban that ruled the country when US and Allied forces invaded was in fact not responsible for 9/11 it was Al qaida(wich btw was actually funded and made strong in it's time to fight the Soviets) who just happend to be located somewhere in the mountains, beetwen Afganistan and Pakistan, and also in Jemen, Saudia Arabia(why didn't they invade Pakistan or the others?) And look at the mess we are leaving them now in, they even have made more enenemys in that country than before they invaded.

Irak is also a bloody mess, more peole get killed there now than when Saddam Hussein ruled.

 

And those discusting "drone wars" that going on, killing people without a fair trial, just because it's easier for the american public to accept, than the very undemocratic Guantanamo Bay prison.

Lets just kill them, then  they are forgotten much more quicker than having them rotten in jail without a trial....(And now they are even thinking of letting the drones decide for themselfes who is enemy and are taking human Controls away, now that is even scarier)

 

 

God Bless America

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wow guys.....let's not get too political. Remember that the USA is only 4.4% of the worlds population. They have to sort their problems out for themselves.

 

As for the rest of the world...move on already. The Soviet Union collapsed because the world ignored them. The USA either has to learn to work with the other 95.6% of the world or they will continue to falter financially. They will change because money is what inevitably drives them. 

 

Australia and Canada have done really well financially through this past recession, China and India are emerging economies. Even the Prime Minister of my nation has said a Meeting at the White House isn't significant any more compared to meetings in China or India. Trade is what drives the world economy so America just needs to get back on that band wagon once again and start making money. 


Matthew Kane

 

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Remember that the USA is only 4.4%

 

Yes, and what gives 4.4% of the world the right to decide the faith of the rest of the world. I belive democratic societies have to come within the countries themselfes and do not think that bombing them to democracy is a solution..

 

And yes, Taliban was a repressing regime and had very bad rights for woman's, but Taliban did not invent the Burka or those bad rights, the Burka it been a cultural thing for thousands of years in Afganistan and who are we to think that we can change that with a bomb. And don't forget where we come from...100 years ago woman rights in the west wasn't exactly much better...but we evolved. Someday they will evolve, but they have to evolve themselfes, we can't force them..

Show me a succes story to any US war's to date?

 

Financial crysis, very smart letting Wall Street do whatever they want for profit, even if it drives other countries economy and their own into ruins(subprime, Greece etc) Why let People loan more than their income, and then "betting" on them wether they can pay the loans or not.... But hey, the banks knows best right, leave them alone...

 

Sorry for getting polical, but this thread started to become political(9/11, Patriot Act, defence against terrorism at aiports)... :lol:

 

But nevermind, I just had to get that out of my system...over to planespotting

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