I like to watch airplanes. Wether they are taking off from a modern airfield or at my local strip. I’m not a spotter I just like watching them. I get a kick seeing a 747 lifting off or a Spitfire taxing. But what I don’t get is why a lot of modern airports are so negative to the viewing public.
Take Farnborough. Nowhere to park, nowhere to stop and large parts (if not all) the airfield abscured by barriers. Heathrow ditto.
While flying from Heathrow a few years ago I strayed off the beaten path to take some pictures and the security treated me like some common low life terrorist?
Now I appreciate security needs to be tight but, come on, airports need to have some good pr don’t they? What with searches, partial de clothing, extraction of certain items (that I can then buy again once past security?) interrogation and draconion regulations I feel like airports are not a place I want to be. Either as passenger, visitor or spotter. Not surprising I havent flown for a while.
Their design doesn’t even facilitate viewing. What’s that all about. Couldn’t they at least charge a few quid for a comfotable are to view from. Somewhere to park or visit by tube. With a bar or tea room?
With expansion and more airports and runways this has to change doesn’t it?
By: Arabella-Cox - 19th September 2012 at 13:49
Security and economic reasons. I believe that the latter plays a strong role.
By: cockerhoop - 17th September 2012 at 08:52
the old days were great
the 70s at Ringway when you could walk to the end of the piers, or if the weather was bad you could sit in the main terminal at the windows after passing the fantastic chandelers (where are they now) ?
Ringway has a good viewing park, with exhibits etc
but its not the best position, when the built the 2nd runway it was planned to be moved to behind the ew runway and beside the old on in the South east area of the airfield, shame this never happened
By: Arabella-Cox - 17th September 2012 at 07:09
Security is the reason, I imagine. This country has a very big presence in Afghanistan and Iraq, so it’s probably deemed to be much more of a target than other countries. Could a potential terrorist pretend to be an aircraft spotter? I don’t know, but it’s certainly possible.
On the subject of aircraft spotting, I love those 1930-50ish photos of new aircraft arriving at airports to be greeted by groups of small boys parked up on the apron with their bicycles. No-one seems to be worried that the boys might get mown down or decapitated by the props.
What fun.:)
By: MSR777 - 16th September 2012 at 16:20
Well, from what I’ve seen of late, a great many of the main European airports don’t seem to suffer from the siege mentality of many of the airport authorities we see here in the UK. In many parts of the world, far from denying enthusiasts a decent place to pursue their hobby, many airports are actually re-opening previously closed viewing areas/decks or building completely new ones. The added bonus for these forward thinking airports, is the additional revenue generated by the visitors, it maybe not be that lucrative I’ll grant you, but additional none the less, and that could be invested in the viewing facility itself.
The potential for enthusiasts to be extra pairs of eyes, and making a positive comtribution to improving the security of the airport itself, should not be dismissed lightly by the airport authorities either.
Manchester, is a shining example of what can be done in this field, by an enthusiast friendly airport authority, in co-operation with the plane fans themselves. It’s hight time that some of the UKs major airports, and those who run them, cought up with the rest of the modern world. With ref to my local airport STN, it is to be hoped, that as it will shortly be freed from the shackles of the BAA, things may improve for those of us who love seeing aircraft at ‘close quarters. I find the involvement of those who run Manchester Airport in the bidding process for STN encouraging. Well, one can hope. I do feel that as far as Heathrow is concerned, remaining as it will be, under the iron fist of the BAA, that it could very well be a lost cause. It would be really nice to be proved wrong. Well, that’s my take on it for what it’s worth.
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September 16, 2012 at 3:32 pm