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Ztex
Joined: 28 Aug 2007
Posts: 654
Location: DFW - GKY
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 4:35 pm Post subject: |
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Well...I must be doing something wrong.
Today I was cruising across the ramp, on the designated vehicle traffic lane, going to see the Collings Foundation B-24. I stopped briefly to snap a picture of a corporate jet on the ramp. The guy in the jset waved to me from the window..>I think he was trying to talk to me but with a 40 MPH wind and his APU running I couldn't hear him....I waved back and smiled, then rolled to where I could take the B-24 photo. Then I turned around and headed for the exit gate and I was stopped by and FBO employee and was told that the guys in the corporate jet were reporting me to the TSA! WOW...
I told the FBO guy, basically who I was and he said "yeah I know"...I told him I was visiting the Collings guys. He said he just wanted to let me know. I went to the FBO and sat down with an acquaintance (the Collings P-51 pilot). As I was talking with this guy an airport employee came in and told me they needed my name, phone and D/L number...I happily complied...they knew who I was and made apologies...I told them I had permission from the airport manager, Bob and they told me that Bob told them to come and get my info...
About half an hour later, after I finished my visit with the pilot, I went to the airport office and talked with the secretary...she commented on the changing times and the TSA being more and more restrictive...etc.
I told here of my arraignment with Bob and my relationship with the airport for the last 25 years...etc. She said, sorry but things change....blah blah blah.
I don't know what will happen next. But I know that I will stay away from the airport. Sad day..
Opinion follows....
Some holier than thou corporate pilot decided that he didn't like me photographing his airplane on a public airport and used the heavy hand of the government to slap me around under some pretense of security. There are many folks from outside the US ( east of Africa, west of Thailand) that are students at the field...and some guy picks on a fat white old guy?
The airport was always very friendly towards me until they had some sort of threat from a over active customer...the FBO guy made some comment that because of Congressional pressure on corporate jet travel, the Jet crowd is a bit jumpy...not wanting to be noticed....or look bad...
I lay today's incident at the feet of government....Over reaching and overbearing in more and more aspects of our lives. They are attempting to kill aviation whether they know it or not.
And they said the at the terrorists would not change our way of life, that they would never win...they are winning
I'm mad as hell....
rant off...
Zane _________________ There I was at 20,000 ft, upside down and out of ammunition. |
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Connor Shepard
Joined: 21 Aug 2008
Posts: 47
Location: Murfreesboro, TN, USA
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 7:01 pm Post subject: |
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My local international airport is Charlotte. They have a very nice overlook area that can be accessed for free. It is on a small hill that overlooks the threshold and touchdown zone of Runway 18C (formerly 18R). I remember going there on a field trip in 2nd grade. I thought that it was destroyed in the building of the new 9,000 foot runway 36L/18R, which opens in December 2009, but turns out it wasn't. I went there a few weeks ago and a cop did come though the parking lot and questioned a man about his license plate sticker but that is all. On an odd note the overlook once had a problem with gay "cruising" in the parking lot but apparently it is no longer a problem. The news story is here. The Carolinas Aviation Museum owns a small photography area with a radio scanner, overlooking the threshold of runway 18L, but you must pay a museum admission fee to get to it. I was also at my local GA airport, KUZA, spotting. There is no designated overlook so you must pull over to the side of the road. There is a good spot. It is fairly busy. As I was shooting a RHPD officer drove by and went on around the curve. Less than a minute later he came back in the opposite direction. He looked at me, I smiled and waved, he waved back, kept going and that was it. The Chester Airport (KDCM) just to the south is the base of Skydive Carolina. They have a large base area and hangar. There are only a few planes but plenty of opportunities for action shots with no trouble from the cops. I guess I have been lucky so far. |
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Darryl Roach
Joined: 07 Jan 2010
Posts: 4
Location: Lockhart, TX (50R)
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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My home airport is Austin (AUS). They have a fairly unknown "family spotting area" over by the TxDOT hangars near the smaller of two runways. It's down a pretty unmarked road and in front of an abandoned golf course. But, the spotting area is kept maintained, and I've never been hassled there. I almost always see APD come by inside the airport fence just to look me over for weapons. They've never even stopped. One time they came by the spotting area itself outside the fence in an unmarked patrol car, stopped and watched me for a while, but again have never even got out of the car. Knowing some other AUS spotters, I've learned they are relatively friendly to us. As long as you don't stop on the highway side by the big runway, you're pretty much welcome to take pictures. I've been told the Hilton allows photographers but have not as of yet tried it there.
However, just south in San Antonio (SAT), they aren't so friendly to spotters. I've read lots of stories similar to these about ATL & TPA in this thread of goings on at SAT. They will run pretty much everyone off. The saddest part is they used to have an observation deck above Terminal 2, but they closed it after 9/11. Now that terminal is obliterated and being re-built, so maybe they will bring back the observation deck I hope. I don't know of anywhere off airport property to go at SAT, but if anyone has a good one I'd love to hear it.
On the other hand, one day I went out Military Drive to a permanently closed old gate at Kelly Field (SKF) and tried to do some spotting, but my timing was bad. The C5's had already come in from patterns for the day, so I was only able to snap a few distant shots of the Boeing hangar (see my photo album). It was there I learned that it's not so much the law enforcement that is unfriendly in San Antonio, it's the overly-patriotic citizens. Keeping in mind this old rusted area south of SKF was permanently sealed off, the field had been decommissioned as an AFB years ago, and there were no signs on the fence anywhere around that said I couldn't be there, I must have been honked at three or four times in the process of getting maybe 5 snaps. I expected the cops to show up, but I saw two or three drive by and never even slow down. At least they knew I wasn't doing anything wrong. Maybe I should try Stinson, but SAT area just isn't friendly to our kind.
Amazing what a difference 60 miles can be. |
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Manxman
Joined: 07 Jan 2011
Posts: 9
Location: Isle of Man
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Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 4:58 pm Post subject: |
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Hi everyone
I have found it very different with UK airports. I have quite happily photographed around 'airport property' at airports like Manchester, Birmingham, Exeter, Luton, evecn Heathrow with no bother. On a few occasions security have just waved. At Manchester they're used to spotters.
When I visited Heathrow T5 they were quite happy for us to photograph aircraft that were airbourne, not the case with aircraft on the ground.
My local airport, Isle of Man Ronaldsway, the only time I've been asked what I was doing was at night, so things are a bit different, and they were happy to let me continue.
I supose it's a little different for me though, I am only 14 so police or security aren't going to worry about a teenager! _________________ Teenage Manx plane spotter |
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red750
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
Posts: 349
Location: Melbourne Australia
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 5:58 am Post subject: |
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Hi Guys,
Sometimes you just get lucky. Today I was at Melbourne (Tullamarine) airport where I took my son to catch a flight. I drove around the highway to the east of the airport and pulled up near emergency gate A. I set up my camera on the tripod and was taking some photos when an Australian Federal Police van came along the perimeter road airside.
The driver stopped the van, held up his hands as if holding a camera, asking 'Taking photos?'. I nodded. He gave me a thumbs up, and drove away - didn't even get out of the van.
That's not the best bit. I then went to Essendon Airport and pulled into an employees carpark between the hangars. I saw an Erickson Air Crane on the tarmac and got out to take a photo through the security fence. See below:
[img]http://www.flickr.com/photos/49587346@N02/5588594706/in/photostream/[/img]
You will notice the wire in the corners of the photo.
A voice behind me said "You want to get some photos?"
I said Yes and he said "I'm the Operations Manager here, come with me. "
He took me into the office, gave me an fluoro orange safety vest and took me airside, where I took these photos:
[img]http://www.flickr.com/photos/49587346@N02/5588001205/in/photostream/[/img]
[img]http://www.flickr.com/photos/49587346@N02/5588594842/in/photostream/[/img]
He told me some of the history of the aircraft, explained the difference between the E and F models (this is an F model) then took me back to the office where he gave me two large posters, half a dozen bumper stickers and 9 (nine) Air Crane lapel pins.
Like I said, sometimes you just get lucky!!! (When I previewed the post the images did not appear. If they don't show in the forum copy the links to your browser.)
Regards,
Peter. |
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