I've become a part time plane spotter

I watched a few this weekend sitting in daughter's garden in Norf Landan. Some possibly going to Gatwick, some on a different course, possible Heathrow, mainly 'cos they were much lower, and then there were those miles high that I decided had come from Manchester and were goin' to pick up those lazy beach bastards in Larncaca!
 
Used to have breakfast at the garden centre on Ringway rd, most days the planes would be coming from Stockport direction and low enough to see the pilot. A parade of 737's, boring boring, unless a crosswind livened things up especially for the company jets.
The real draw for me was the vortex whistling and moaning through the trees, once heard, never forgotten. HS 2 put an end to that, the restaurant was in the way. Bastard.
 
Just in case anyone has any relatives flying to LA from London on Norwegian Airlines, you'll be pleased to know they just flew over and all looked fine
 
bellbuzzer said:
Used to have breakfast at the garden centre on Ringway rd, most days the planes would be coming from Stockport direction and low enough to see the pilot. A parade of 737's, boring boring, unless a crosswind livened things up especially for the company jets.
The real draw for me was the vortex whistling and moaning through the trees, once heard, never forgotten. HS 2 put an end to that, the restaurant was in the way. Bastard.
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Without wanting to be pedantic, it's the A555 that's cut through Primrose Nursery on Ringway Road, nothing to do with HS2. However, if you do like looking at the planes another great spot if you have a car or on a bike is around the back of the airport on Altrincham Road/Wilmslow Road (A538) just by the roundabout by the smaller airport tunnel is the old Altrincham Rd and there is a little lane to park up. Go through the gate and follow the track up the hill, through the next gate, about 25 yards further on there is a gap in the fence go up the hill. Plenty of aircraft spotters up there whatever the weather. Of course, there's no cafe or seating but for half an hour/hour to pass by if you're fit enough to stand that long and like planes, you'll enjoy it.
 
Yesterday I got the opportunity to get an upclose look at a Grumman F7 Tigercat. They were specifically built for the USN and USMC back in the 50's, reminded me of a Hornet or Mosquito. The engines are a thing of beauty and the noise...holy shit
 
m7mcfc said:
Some fucker on here introduced me to Flightradar. When I see a big yoke busting out trails I'm on the app looking at where it took off from.
Great site.
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It was probably me. Sorry about that. It, along with some reasoned deduction, worked a treat in the LaPorte transfer thread. And of course we have @brooksy76 at MAN to help us once they land!

I don't use it too often but I fly a lot for work, so when trying to figure out when United Airlines is going to screw me by telling me flight XXX is YY minutes late I can figure out precisely the actual multiplier of YY (usually 2-5 times YY) by tracking the inbound aircraft that will become my outbound.
 
I've got flightradar and am always on it. Where I live you get the Heathrow transatlantic flights going over at about 30 thousand feet and the Irish and Scottish flights going into London and Europe.
The best plane I love spotting is the Antonov 12, cavok air cargo and you can usually hear it coming from a distance with it's familiar drone sound of its engines.
Love flying and am a massive plane spotter geek nerd.
 
idahoblues said:
Yesterday I got the opportunity to get an upclose look at a Grumman F7 Tigercat. They were specifically built for the USN and USMC back in the 50's, reminded me of a Hornet or Mosquito. The engines are a thing of beauty and the noise...holy shit
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2 P and W 18 cylinder double-wasps, proper raspers, plus the prop-tips going supersonic they dont get much louder, maybe the B29,.
 
I was lucky enough to fly to New York on Concorde (had to come back by 747, unfortunately). It was an experience never to be repeated.

She was a beautiful aircraft, technologically and aesthetically impressive, but economically and environmentally a bit of a disaster. A tragedy that she ended how she did.

The flight to NY was the only one I have ever been on that was over all too soon. At least I have flown at Mach 2.
 
Never flew on Concorde, but sitting about third in the take off queue at Heathrow got a perfect close up view of Concorde running up to full throttle and barrelling down the runway to take off. A beautifully awesome sight.
 
Tanzeylee said:
So I'm lay on the beach just up from Larnaca airport chilling out cold beer in hand and I'm watching all these planes coming in to land, so thanks to our much vaunted transfer thread and because of that also the amazing flightradar.com I'm checking out all these flights as in what type of plane where its come from etc etc.
Have I become a geek now or will this affliction end when I fly back to blighty(obviously after I've tracked my plane coming in to land and pick me up)
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I have approx 2000 single Playing Cards (all different) which are ALL World Airlines.I`ll join your Geek Club please ?
 
Big Swifty said:
I was lucky enough to fly to New York on Concorde (had to come back by 747, unfortunately). It was an experience never to be repeated.

She was a beautiful aircraft, technologically and aesthetically impressive, but economically and environmentally a bit of a disaster. A tragedy that she ended how she did.

The flight to NY was the only one I have ever been on that was over all too soon. At least I have flown at Mach 2.
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I'm I'm no plane geek and certainly not an expert, but I find it bizzare that the 50 year old supersonic technology of Concorde has never been superseded by modern passenger planes.
 
Because it was banned from flying over land so was a red herring.
It could only do supersonic over the Atlantic or Pacific oceans.
So it was dropped.
The Yanks are working on a quieter replacement now I believe.
 
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