by Xyn_Air » Sun Mar 23, 2008 12:37 pm
A may be posting a bit of a belated response to this thread, but I hope this helps:
1st) Contact (re: ask) the airports and municipal authorities about where and when you intend to go spotting. They can not only tell you where you can do such activities, but how you may also go about it. By staying in touch with the authorities (both at the airport and with law enforcement), you keep yourself in the clear, and help them know you are not up to anything you shouldn't be.
2nd) Always follow instructions from the authorities and the law. I know that we all want to get that special/great shot to wow your friends and fellow enthusiasts with, but it is not worth fines and or incarceration. Furthermore, it may be helpful to remember that spotting is a privilege, and the first concerns of the airlines, the airport officials, and law enforcement is the safe operation of aviation business. At best, spotting is a tertiary concern.
Further, ignorance of the law is not a defense. Simply not knowing whether or not something is legal to do is not a suitable argument to justify breaking the law - whether you agree or not with that law. So, play it safe; ask first if something can be done and avoid future regrets and legal problems.
Also, as a final note, 99% of law enforcement officials and airport officials are NOT your enemies. Yes, there are sometimes abuses (and sometimes my local supermarket sells fruit that may be a little ripe), but that is but a small fraction of the overall good work that many people in those professions do. When you have to juggle safety, security, profitability, cargo, passengers, staff from various companies, and other logistics, you can understand how far down the ladder amateur photographers come. It is not meant to be a personal insult to you , and it isn't meant to strip you of freedoms. It is just the very complex mechanics of today's aviation world.
So, take a deep breath, smile, be polite, ask for permission and clarification, and I am willing to bet you will get some great shots - and maybe even be given access to better shots simply for making the effort to do things correctly and politely (I have shots of me in the cockpit of a 747-400 simply for following my own advice listed above; I will treasure those forever, and it always reminds the value of what I am even now rambling on about).
Best of luck to you all, and I hope you get some great shots. And, I hope the photographers above are able to clear themselves and get on to better things.
Tah,
Darrin
Last edited by
Xyn_Air on Sun Mar 23, 2008 12:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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(they've just introduced a new campaign warning the public about suspicious people taking photos