Too Much Privacy

by | Aug 8, 2023 | Application, Online Logging, Spotting, Spotting News

For aviation enthusiasts and plane spotters in the the world over, there’s nothing quite as impressive as witnessing the classic scene of aircraft tearing across the skies.

However, in recent years, the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) implementation of the Privacy ICAO aircraft address (PIA) program has brought about significant implications for plane spotters particularly in the USA.

While the PIA system is designed to enhance aviation safety and security, it has inadvertently impacted the way spotters track aircraft and raised concerns about the exposure of aircraft owners’ identities.

 Plane spotting, once an analog hobby with binoculars and notebooks, has evolved with technology. Today, aviation enthusiasts rely on a vast array of digital tools and websites to track and identify aircraft. Flight tracking apps and websites like FlightRadar24 and PlaneFinder offer real-time data on flight paths, altitude, and aircraft type. These platforms draw from various data sources, including ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) signals transmitted by aircraft.

FAA PIA System and Obfuscated Aircraft Identity

To protect the privacy of certain aircraft owners, the FAA implemented the LADD system in 2016. The LADD system allows aircraft owners to request the temporary blocking of their aircraft’s registration information from publicly available databases and tracking services. Consequently, when a spotter views the aircraft using flight tracking services, the aircraft’s registration number, and the owner’s identity among other things may appear obfuscated or hidden.

Impact on Plane Spotters

The FAA’s PIA system has presented challenges for plane spotters. On the positive side, the PIA system contributes to the protection of personal information for aircraft owners who may have legitimate reasons for maintaining their privacy – the truth is that in the main spotters don’t care who is on the plane, such as security concerns or corporate interests. However, for spotters, it means that certain aircraft they encounter may appear with generic or “blocked” registration data, making it challenging to identify the specific aircraft its owner or operator which is something that spotters would like to know.

Balancing Privacy and Enthusiast Interests

The challenge lies in striking a balance between individual privacy rights and the interests of aviation enthusiasts. Plane spotters have traditionally contributed valuable data to the aviation community, aiding in aircraft identification, safety reporting, and even historical research. With the PIA system in place, some spotters argue that they have lost access to crucial data, making it harder to maintain their hobby or contribute to the aviation community effectively.

Addressing Concerns and Encouraging Transparency

To address these concerns, the FAA and aviation industry stakeholders should consider promoting transparency and open communication. Aircraft owners who choose to utilize the PIA system could be encouraged to voluntarily share their aircraft information with trusted aviation communities and platforms to ensure that plane spotters can continue their passion responsibly and safely.

Conclusion

The FAA’s PIA system has undoubtedly brought about significant implications for plane spotters in the United States. While privacy and security concerns are essential to address, it is crucial to find a middle ground that respects the rights of aircraft owners while also allowing aviation enthusiasts to continue their hobby and contribute positively to the aviation community. By fostering open dialogue and transparency, we can work towards finding a balanced approach that benefits both parties and promotes the safety and enjoyment of aviation enthusiasts across the nation. After all there is a certain amount of information that we as spotters don’t care about, in the main spotters just actually want to know about the aircraft – see us standing by an airport fence and you’ll realise that we don’t care about the who – only the what!

MH370 – Will it be found?

by | Mar 16, 2023 | Airport History, Airport News, Aviation News, Book Reviews, Spotting, Spotting News, Wrecks and Relics

On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The disappearance of the Boeing 777-200ER remains one of the most puzzling aviation mysteries of all time. Despite extensive search efforts, the wreckage of the plane has never been found, and the fate of the 239 people on board remains unknown.

The initial search for the plane focused on the South China Sea, where it was believed to have crashed. However, subsequent investigations suggested that the plane had flown off course and may have ended up in the southern Indian Ocean. This led to a massive search effort involving more than two dozen countries, but no trace of the plane was found.

The disappearance of MH370 raised many questions about the safety of air travel and the ability of modern technology to track planes. The plane’s communication systems were deliberately turned off, suggesting that someone on board had hijacked the aircraft. This has led to theories that the plane was intentionally diverted and may have been flown to a remote location.

The search for MH370 was one of the most expensive and extensive in aviation history, costing an estimated $150 million. The search involved advanced underwater search technology, including autonomous underwater vehicles and towed sonar systems. Despite these efforts, the wreckage of the plane has never been found, leading some to speculate that the search was not thorough enough or that the plane may have been deliberately hidden.

The disappearance of MH370 has had a profound impact on the aviation industry. It has led to increased scrutiny of airline safety procedures, including the use of satellite tracking systems and cockpit security measures. It has also raised concerns about the need for improved communication and coordination between airlines and aviation authorities.

In addition to the technical and operational questions raised by the disappearance of MH370, there have also been emotional and psychological impacts on the families of the passengers and crew. For many, the lack of closure and the uncertainty surrounding the fate of their loved ones has been devastating.

In conclusion, the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 remains one of the most baffling aviation mysteries of all time. The extensive search efforts have failed to locate the wreckage of the plane, leaving many questions unanswered. The incident has had far-reaching implications for the aviation industry and has led to increased scrutiny of safety procedures and technology. Despite the passage of time, the search for answers continues, and the families of the passengers and crew remain in search of closure.

Spotter Evolution – Notebook to Netbook.

by | Oct 29, 2022 | Application, Aviation News, Radio, Spotting, Spotting News

Since the beginning of Aircraft Spotting, whenever it was – things have moved on apace. As I’ve said elsewhere on the site, I started with a notebook and a pencil – while I was still at primary school. Now a pensioner, the hobby is still the same – but the goodies that assist have changed out of all recognition.

When I started spotting, the airport didn’t really have a fence and you could get close enough to identify the aircraft. Now you can see a contrail at 50 miles and identify the aircraft making it in just a few seconds, depending on conditions and location you can see contrails a lot further away than 50 miles. The advancing technology has changed the way that most people spot, I’ve seen us all trek out of the pub to stand and watch something go overhead on a clear night.

It used to be that there were a number of ways of finding information on arrivals and departures at an airport, there was many a time where you sneaked a look at the board that had the aircraft listed. Or you heard through the local spotters network, or you were just there at the right time.

Now you can identify an aircraft pretty much anywhere in the world, you can go further and show only aircraft that will arrive at a specific airport from the thousands in the air at any given moment. In an instant you can have all the information that you would need, information that you couldn’t get 20 years ago – when even if you could see the head of the trail and could identify the type finding out any more information was difficult.

 Now I have a second screen on my PC which has a permanent window on the aviation world, showing an area about 40 miles East and West of me and 25 miles North and South. It’s about as much as I can see given the obstructions around where I live, when I lived in Skye the settings were about twice that distance as I could walk up the hill behind the house which allowed me to see much further.

If I’m logging everything then I can generally log 100+ in a fairly ordinary day, I’m not really a civil spotter anymore – my focus moved to military many years ago. But it doesn’t mean that I’m no longer interested in civil aviation, just that it is a secondary interest now – there are exceptions I’ll make a trip to the airport to see something older and more interesting to me than the modern Boeings and Airbus that are now the mainstay of civil aviation.

Now I can see it a long way out and decide if I want to be there when it arrives, or if I want to just pop down and see it when it is in. All on my computer or phone, although I still write any details that I want to record in my notebook with a pencil or pen having gone up in the world.

 

Spotter Evolution – Beginning.

by | Oct 29, 2022 | Camera, Optical Enhancement, Radio, Spotting, Spotting News

A conversation with a fellow spotter raised a couple of questions about plane spotting, like when it started and why do people do it? The second is probably easier to answer than the first, as in – for the most part people enjoy watching aircraft and other aspects of the hobby. There are probably not that many spotters who have made their fortune from spotting, some have I’m sure but I’m also pretty sure that these people were spotters before they monetised their interest or hobby.

If you go looking for when Plane Spotting (Or probably more correctly) Aircraft Spotting actaully bagan, you can find numerous threads on the older aviation forums – these usually deteriorate into a bun fight during the course of the thread.

Mostly with references to spotters of other things, with Trains, Busses, Cars and even Birds all being denigrated by Aircraft Spotters. And yet I have met a number of Aircraft Spotters who collected information on some or all of the above, after all it is a hobby and as such pretty much on a par with any other hobby.

When did it all start is much more of a quandry, looking through the online archives of publications – the earliest mentions of the hobby that I can find seem to date from the very early 1950’s. Although other sources seem to date it from the 1940’s, however I’m aware of at least one spotter from the early 1930’s – so I’m guessing that it is still all open to confirmation.

A number of sources point to the formation of the Observer Corps as sowing the seeds of the hobby, with the pastime gaining traction after WWII. Although the Observer Corps can rightfully claim that it’s inception goes back to WWI, where the War Office used whatever resources that it could – these included both Army and Naval peronnel along with Special Constables, Lighthouse Keepers and even Boy Scouts to man observation posts and report aircraft movements.

The earliest log that I’m aware of is dated the 12th of December 1935, but I’m sure that it won’t be the earliest log that there is. Most peoples logs probably don’t survive them by long, only in a few instances will there be enough foresight to ensure that the collection of logs survives and goes to somewhere with the resource to hold the it.

The average person during the inter war years is unlikely to have had very much spare time or money to indulge in a hobby like aircraft or any other type of spotting, so at best these people may have stretched to a notebook and pencil – few would have had binoculars or a camera. However after WWII much changed, more free time and more disposable income would lead to more people with time to indulge in a hobby.

Along with the above came a veritable treasure trove of equipment availability, courtesy of Government Surplus – in the form of Binoculars, Radio Recievers and trained people admittedly mostly ex-forces but many turned their training towards their new hobby – Aircraft Spotting.

Outsourcing Aggressor Training!

by | Jun 28, 2022 | Aviation News, Spotting, Spotting News

So after 100 years, 100 Squadron has gone West – maybe not forever. But it has gone West and it’s function will now be outsourced to Draken, probably with their L-159’s or if we are lucky maybe some of their A-4’s now and again. If there is a Joint Warrior exercise later in 2022, the spotters at Prestwick might be in for a treat – although most of the aircraft have probably already been Prestwick visitors.

I for one will look forward to Joint Warrior later this year, that is if it does happen with the resourcing requirements for the new NATO commitments that have followed the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

 Draken Europe has been awarded a six-year contract by the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) to provide Agressor aircraft for training the Royal Air Force (RAF).

In replacing the 100 squadron Hawk T1A’s Draken will provide a squadron of L-159E Honey Badger aircraft these will be the “Bad Guys” as part of the Interim Red Air Aggressor Training Service (IRAATS) program. Fullfilling the role previously carried out by 100 squadron and it’s BAe Hawk T1A’s.

The aircraft will operate out of Teesside International Airport (MME/EGNV) from July 2022. It is probably with increased urgency that the RAF will increase the intensity of the training, given the current state of play in Eastern Europe and the bellicose noises eminating from Moscow.

Young Spotters – “The very Few”

by | Aug 10, 2021 | Spotting, Spotting News

It is always a nostalgia trip looking through old photographs of your friends, the photograph that captures an instant in time where you are all together. These are quite rare beasts in the plane spotting world, as when you hit the show it was as if the convoy had been ordered to scatter and the photo op was gone.

What has become more apparent over recent years is the lack of younger people coming into plane spotting, I’m sure it is probably the same with other variations like train or bus spotting – but I see it from the plane spotting side.

I’m note sure how we would or if we could get young people to engage in the hobby, the traditional routes into the hobby like the A.T.C. and the R.O.C. have all but gone.

Young people have a much more technological bent and seem to be quite focues on instant gratification, plane spotting has seen an increasing focus on technology. But the underlying intrest in the aircraft information and detail doesn’t seem to engender the fascination that it once did, with the improvements in technology the predominant focus of plane spotters seems to be photography.

It could be that there are lots of young people in the hobby and I just don’t see them, but whenever I go to the favoured spotting places I’d say that around 80% of the spotters are 60 years old plus – even online places seem to be full of old codgers like me.

I’d ask where are all the young spotters, have events since 9/11 just made the hobby too much trouble for the younger spotter – or are young people just not interested anymore?