Pdunn
01/11/07 09:07 PM
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CATCHING THE (BEV) AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT AND OTHER PLANE SPOTTING TIPS
• STALK THE AIRPORTS. Okay, a no brainer. But here are some tips that could make your efforts pay off just a little sooner:
• AIRPORTS STAND OUT. It’s the same all over the world, planes need a lot of real-estate to land. Which gives you the luxury of spotting an airstrip zoomed out from quite a distance away. Just look for the long, straight clearing amid the scrub and more often than not, you’ll find what you are looking for.
• START IN “MAP” VIEW. Believe it or not, finding an airstrip in a major town or city can be tough. The clutter has a way of consuming even large airports. Fortunately, the folks at Live Local have done a lot of the heavy lifting for you. In “map” view, zoomed in close enough to see major roads and highways, airports are represented in gray, with all the taxiways, and tarmac outlined.
• MAKE A PASS IN “HYBRID.” From “hybrid” view, while zoomed to a level where you cannot yet make out detail but can see town names, airports are listed in black with a blue haze around the letters, making them stand out from all the other titles. Scanning from this distance gives you the luxury of covering large swatches of ground quickly.
•LOOK FOR TRADITIONAL HANGARS. Occasionally you will come across airstrips that are not readily apparent by their runway from a distance and not listed in map view (England’s airstrips are very hard to spot from afar). For these, look for groupings of Quonset Hut-type hangars and buildings in clearings.
•THERE’S GOLD IN THEM THAR MUNICIPALS. While air force bases are easy pickings for interesting aircraft, don’t overlook the treasure-trove of planes you’ll find at virtually every municipal airport you come across. This is where you will find a virtual history of world aviation. Whether it is aircraft that has been put out to pasture, or a classic bomber undergoing restoration, or the latest fighter import from an eastern European nation, it is the municipal airports where you’ll find them. And there are lots to be found.
•DON’T BE AFRAID TO LOOK IN THE BUSHES. You know how it goes. Something breaks, you tuck it away with every intention of one day getting back to it, but time passes and it’s not long before it’s forgotten. Today, one of the most common places flight museums and aficionados find classic aircraft are in abandoned barns. The same thing happens on airstrips. As aircraft breakdown, they are often pushed to the fringe of an airstrip with every intention of one day being repaired. But, alas, for many that day never comes. Leaving us VGTers a goldmine of ancient aircraft to add to our tally.
•FLY THE FLIGHT PATH. Live Local’s Bird’s Eye View makes this easy. Follow the course of the runway a couple of miles in front and behind of the runway. If you can ascertain the direction planes are landing you can increase your odds. Since planes landing tend to maintain a straight heading longer than planes taking off, you’ll find you will find far more aircraft on approach than departure. Keep in mind, however, since the Birds Eye View is generated by an aircraft flyover versus a satellite, the only times you will catch a plane in flight are as it is either descending for landing or ascending after takeoff. Once the plane is above the BEV aircraft, the only chances to catch it are by satellite. So, the “window” for catching a plane in flight in BEV is actually pretty small. But don’t let that deter you, with four compass points to explore; you’ll discover there are plenty of planes in the air to make your efforts worthwhile.
• SCOUT THE TAXIWAYS. INCREASE YOUR ODDS.
Since BEV’s various compass points are often filmed within a few minutes of each other, on those occasions you can find a plane taxiing for takeoff in one view, there is a high likelihood you’ll find that same plane in flight in another. Other times you will find an entire squadron of aircraft parked in many of the views, but absent in the others. Again, search the air in the others, chances are you may catch them departing.
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Parabellum
01/12/07 05:14 PM
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Well done!
VGT Moderator
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