The day I started spotting as a hobby

[graham]

I was looking through Planebase earlier this morning and put up the report that shows everything I've ever potted as a frame. Although I was only 8 at the time, I remember seeing Skeeter XM555 on a float in the Basingstoke carnival procession in 1964. I wasn't spotting then, but when I started a few years later, I remembered the Skeeter mainly due to its easy reg.

The first aircraft I actually wrote down was during a family holiday to Cornwall in 1967 when I was 11. We were in the St Austell area and were driving along the bypass towards the turning for Mevagissey when we went past a garage (The St Austell Bypass Garage funnily enough...) and on the rear of the forecourt was Beagle A61 Terrier G-ASUI. The Terrier was listed in the CAM of that year as being owned by the garage but how it got there, I've no idea. I certainly don't remember there being any sort of strip behind the garage so I assume it arrived by road from what I think was the closest field at Roche, a few miles to the north. According to PB, G-ASUI is still with us, being in storage at Durston Lodge farm in Somerset.

Does anyone else remember their first pot?

[dave]

hi,

I used to go on the tradition weeks holiday to Blackpool in the mid 50's, at Squires gate holiday camp the other side of the railway line to the airport, at the time it was train spotting... and that line in those days was busy into Blackpool south and central. Anyway I used to see the aircraft in and out right overhead, so I pestered parents and we had a walk down to the field, and I was hooked... Silver City DC3's and B.170's besides the light a/c G-AOIO a Jackaroo run into a hangar door- women pilot. A easy walk round the hangar, dodging the mechanics, with WN499 dragonfly, and G-APXX Drover ex Flying Doctor Service in storage, and G-AMHV a HP. Marathon stored farside by the old hangars which made Wellingtons during the war. My first RAF a/c a Beverley XB291 unloading 2 mini's of the RAF Moter Sports Assoc. G-ADDI Dragon Rapide my first flight 25mins round the tower, now i'm in memory mode, happy days...

regards,

                     dave...

[graham]

Wow, what great memories Dave, thanks for posting them

[rh226]

I'm afraid that all my old civil stuff (CAMs, etc) went out the window long ago.  However certain memories still remain.

Far too many years ago (aged 12), my school had moved up into Hertfordshire and I boarded there for a year.  In the summer term, I had got bored with LT buses and one of my school friends had just started on aircraft.  What better than Elstree being just 5 minutes walk down the road from the school gates?

I remember that one could just walk in and go round the hangars without any fuss whatsoever.  Just inside the then entrance were a pair of hangars on the left which housed a Derby Aviation Anson, though I suspect that it was already being used b the London School of Flying.  It was G-AMDA, now at Duxford wearing serial N4877.  The only other reg I can remember is Tri-Pacer G-ARAJ - only because I wrote it down as G-ARHA (a Forney Aircoupe) and I couldn't find it in the CAM when I bought it.  There were lots of Geminis, Magisters, Dragon Rapides and a Hawk Trainer there at the time.

As for visitors, all I can remember is that MacAlpine's Piaggio P.166s were very regular.

It was also very convenient for stuff inbound LHR coming along (then) Red 1 to BPK and I remember a chappie with a 60x telescope who used to lie on his back and read off regs under the wings.  Got most of the Lufthansa Boeing 720s that way

[keefyboy]

Well for me it started in the very early 60’s – it was trains and buses – it kept me out of mischief in my playground which was Battersea park. The park keeper was a friend of my dads and I was always being done for birds nesting! I bagged the entire fleet of London buses as it stood in the mid 60’s – we used to do Red Rovers, Twin Rovers and IIRC weekenders. We would even make a special journey to a bus garage to get the final gap filler. Trains were my other passion and I copped the entire Southern Region electrics as it stood was in the 60’s plus all the steam which took me up north till 68.

Throughout the 60’s, my folks would holiday in Ramsgate and one day – probably 65/66, I noticed that all the Air Ferry and Invicta flights into Manston had reggies underneath that I could read off. So I started to take a note of them. Around the same time, mum took me to Heathrow where she bought me my first CAM (67) – I was hooked. The written records up in my loft only start from 69.

Anyhow there would be 12-15 of us schoolmates at Heathrow back in 68 and they were very happy days either down below in the old restaurant or up on the terraces. A few of us used to cycle to the likes of Biggin Hill, Stapleford, Radlett, Elstree, Denham, Luton, Gatwick etc. I joined the Air Cadets in 69 and this took me back to 1AEF at Manston where my interest in aviation really started.

I often wonder what I might have seen living in Battersea and under the flightpath into Heathrow when I was a kid. I can only recall looking up every time a jet went over because they were so noisy!

[oakleaf1]

I was not old enough to write the regs down but my first aircraft was a photo of my mum holding me while on the deck lift of HMAS Melboune for the Queens Jubilee fleet review in 77 was only two but really got into spotting in 80.

[lordevanelpuss]

I have always had an interest in aircraft. My late mother once told me that I would look up whenever an aircraft flew over when she was pushing me in a pram in the early 1960s! My first registration was 'bagged' before I began 'spotting', this was Cessna 336 G-ATAH, which looked as though it was on a photo sortie over the 1970 Farnborough air show. I was still a few years from my first pair of real (as opposed to plastic toy) binoculars, thankfully our Ce336 did a low pass along the runway enabling me to read off G-ATAH with the mk1 eyeball and get my points in my I-Spy Aircraft book. I do remember an early 1970s visit to LHR (possibly 1971 - I wasn't great at noting the dates then!) A few from that visit were Air France Caravelles F-BJTO, BJTS & B727s F-BOJB, BPJG; Alitalia DC9 I-DIBO; Swissair DC9 HB-IFP, IFV; KLM DC9 PH-DNN; Lufthansa B737-130 D-ABEC (seen many years later as a 737-330) B727-130 D-ABIC (also seen much later on a B737-530) Aer Lingus B737s EI-ASA, ASD. SAS DC9 LN-RLC; Sabena F27 OO-SCA (later seen as an A310) South African B707 ZS-SAD. Yes, I did see a few BEA Tridents & Viscount G-AOHJ & Northeast example G-APEY. I still didn't have my own pair of binoculars for that visit, but the bug had bitten me. The binoculars came the following year when my late mother won a competition in Woman's Realm magazine and for my share, I had asked for a pair of binoculars (my sister got a new bicycle) having tried out a pair of an uncles binos. Then the hobby really got started. It was mostly what overflew my garden that I was bagging. One notable date was 15/10/72 when I noted F8L G-APXD; Auster G-APBE; Ce150 G-AYRO; ST10 G-AZIB; Be23 G-ASBB; BN2 G-BADK; PA28 G-AZZT; More often than not, airliners were too high for my 10×50 binoculars, occasionally I got lucky and I got my first British Midland Viscount that day which was G-AZLT. Earlier that month a Sunday drive around with my late parents had a short break at Lasham where I netted Falkes G-AYZU, AXJR; PA18 G-AYPM; Be23 G-AVYF, On towing duties was PA25 G-ATFR; My late mother's sister lives in Portchester and I always looked forward to going there & to another family friend who lives in nearby Paulsgrove. In 1972 Portsmouth still had it's airport, though I never got to visit it. Despite that, these were still great places to see aircraft. one memorable day was on 24/9/72. A couple seen over home before we set forth were PA28R G-AYAC & PA30 G-AVAU; later over Portchester: PA23 G-ARED; Auster G-AGYT; Ce150 G-AVGM, AWPX, AYSZ; BN2 G-AWVY; Ce172 G-AYGX. So that is how the spotting side of my aviation hobby got started. In 1973 I left 'terra-firma' for the first time courtesy of the air cadets. One of the officers had access to a PA28 and would periodically take a few cadets up for a 'jolly' for the princely sum of £1. It was in G-AXSH and gave me my first aerial view of local places like Aldershot, I had another go in it later that year when we went a different way, as I recall, one of the places we overflew was Goodwood (about 10 years later, I got a photo of G-AXSH on the ground at GWD - It later became G-TIMW and was sadly written off) While I was with the air cadets I went on a weeks camp at RAF Marham when the based type was the Handley Page Victor tanker. Again I remember that they tried to get us cadets up in the main based type on these camps. Sadly they couldn't manage a Victor for us, so they got in a couple of Chipmunks, mine was  A ½ hour jolly in WG465 (since civilianised as G-BCEY but flies as WG465) My fourth & final 1973 flight was again with the air cadets and was from RAF Abingdon and my aircraft was another Chipmunk - WG479 some of the other air cadets wanted (and got) to do aerobatics, I'd noticed how some of the light aircraft flew above the clouds (mostly twins but some single engineed Cessnas & PA28s were seen that high) After managing to read off Aztec G-AVRX at airways level, I asked my pilot of that day if he would take me above the clouds so I could see what it was like to look down on the clouds for a change. I'm glad to say he obliged. Whilst I have seen WG465 several times. I haven't seen WG479 since then, though I do know it has taken up an F-AZ** reg and is based in France.

In 1980 I got my first motorbike and once I got used to riding it, of course the usual destinations were airfields, including LHR & LGW and, of course Popham, this began the more serious photographic side of my hobby. I also went to my first Marsh Benham balloon meet at this time. Some memorable flights have also started from Popham, not least in July 2005 when Martin Harbor flew me in Ce172 G-AXBH, first to Headcorn then across to Le Touquet and Troyes where we night stopped. We carried on to Nevers next day for the RSA rally. Two days later we started back home calling in at Auxerre, Reims (where G-AXBH was made, and also one of the places staging this year's women's world cup football matches) finally Le Touquet for a night stop before crossing the Channel to Shoreham and thence back to base at Popham. Like PA28 G-AXSH, sadly Ce172 G-AXBH is no more.

[airsicksteve]

Crumbs, this has got me thinking. M’lud’s general experiences mirror mine, albeit in a different part of the UK.
Living directly under the (then) active circuit at Leicester East as it was known since 1961 and up to about 1978, I too looked up at the exciting aircraft, mainly Cessna types of the LAC in later years, but a host of older airframes - at one stage Leicester was home to over 15 Auster variants, most airworthy. Highlight of the week in the early 1970s was the 0745 departure of GEC Marconi’s Heron G-ANUO, roaring over our house. Cycling up the four or so miles to the airfield at about 12 years old, the Heron used to take up the western end of the black hangar - the only one then - and the then resident engineer in the hangar was welcoming and hugely tolerant of young lads looking - but not touching - around the bits and bobs tucked away. Respect earned a look around the Heron on many occasions, from cockpit to the plush cabin seating and even explanations of the undercarriage and engines. A four-engined departure every weekday morning was a great alarm clock. She now sits on a plinth at Croydon, wearing another regn. A wistful sigh still happens each time I pass her.
Conscious of this turning into a This Is Your Life moment, so i’ll leave it there. First Spanish holiday ex-Luton in 1970 started my serious logging, but most will be reaching for the Horlicks by now. Thanks Graham for the prod at the grey cells 👍. Steve

[rugbyref]

OK, here goes. Living in North London at the time, with parents who didn’t drive, buses were the daily form of transport and a friend from school and I were soon taking spotting trips all over London. (Never did quite clear all the Routemasters.) One trip took us to the Queens Building at Heathrow (via the 140 from Mill Hill.) On that day a few Viscounts, Vanguards and Trident 1 of BEA were noted, and the rest is history. This would have been about 1965.
I joined the air cadets at school, and flew at every opportunity, multiple Chippie flights, plus Andover, Hastings, Hercules x2, Shackleton, Whirlwind and Wessex. Then gliding course at Debden in Kirby Cadet and Sedburgh. Our Chippy flights were 6AEF at White Waltham, and somebody pointed out G-APUB, saying it was flown by Douglas Bader, which struck a chord as my uncle served in 23 Squadron with Bader. Camp in Malta was the most exotic, with the impounded Connie and the whole Maltese register (3 frames) going into the notebook. That camp saw the Shak flight from Luqa and Herc from Hal Far. Camp at Gutersloh saw me loitering in the control tower watching visiting GR91s as well as the based Lightnings. Camp at Waddo was great, but flight in a Vulcan eluded all of us. I did get as far as being strapped into a Varsity at Oakington, but she went tech, so that type never made it into the logbook.
I retired 5 years ago, but my career took me on company paid flights to Boston, Chicago, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Rotterdam, Copenhagen, Gibraltar, Madrid, Cyprus, Dublin and Antwerp.
The CAM was our only source of data in those early days, so each edition was awaited eagerly. Just think, if we had had internet, how many hundreds more would have been logged!

[dave]

hi,
well rugbyref you triggered memories of hours in a darkened room filling in CAM's then MAM's, and another thought about what you said about the internet, think of the photo's/records we'd have if digitial cameras had been about back then...

regards,
dave...

[graham]

What some super memories lads, reminded me of things I'd long since forgotten. Keep them coming please!

One I do recall was in 1968 aged 12 which would've been my first trip to Lasham. My brother and I were spending part of school summer holidays with my aunt who lived in Old Basing. We jumped in her car one day and she took us, and her son to Lssham. I recall she just drove straight onto the field in her Ford Zodiac and took it slowly as we passed Comets, a B727 or two and some Ambassadors. My brother, whonwas then, and still is a worrier asked her, " what if someone comes along and tells us off?", to which auntie replied, " I'll say we just took a wrong turning".

I remember scrambling about on the old Staravia scrapyard too where there were pieces of Sea Furies, piston Provosts, RCAF Sabres and Meteors piled high. After "touring" Lasham" we drove to Blackbushe ,( which she had kept a secret) where a family friend of hers took us up in his PA28.

A wonderful day.

[Jeff]

Now I would normally write about VC10 tails seen from my kitchen window parked on the hangar aprons at LHR in 1973..... But Graham and Bill slate me everytime I mention it 🙄😁

[graham]

Nooooo, come on Jeff, spill the beans!

[keithh]

I started when a mate at school in the sixties had a converter and we tuned into overflights in school breaks, in those days the American charters called reg. I remember early trips to Heathrow and fields like Blackbushe and Lasham at that time. Lasham was flooded with Comets from all over giving up spares for the Dan Air ones for example. I especially remember my first trip to Fairoaks when I caught a bus and walked through the footpath that came out behind the tower. The first things I saw were six piston Provosts that I believe went to or came from what was then Rhodesia. They were consecutively G registered and were only on the register for a very short time. Even then I don’t think I got into the hangars!

[graham]

Remember the double decker bus service that ran from Reading Keith and dropped us off on the A4 from where we then had the long walk through the tunnel to the QB? And the train service from Reading to Gatwick, it stopped at every station and took well over two hours to reach? If I recall, the first field I went to was White Waltham which was a bus ride from Reading.

[keithh]

Yes things have certainly changed since then, I’m sure there aren’t so many people using public transport to spot these days for a start. When I was on a family holiday in Margate, I got a train to Ashford and walked miles to Lympne. I remember we went to he world aerobatic championships in at Hullavington and I think we got a train and a bus but we struggled to get back and hitchhiked getting a lift with a vicar in an old Ford Anglia.Did you ever come down to Membury with us to visit the Campbell Cricket production line?

[graham]

Yes, in fact, if you recall, I met up with you at Hullavington although for the life of me, I don't remember how I got there as I was just 14 so guessing it was possibly a coach trip. We'd already left Reading and moved to Wiltshire in 1970 and again, if you recall, after Hullavington, the next time I saw you all was at Biggin Hill in 1971 which was when you told me you were going to Washington the following May/June. I passed my driving test in 1973 and the following year, I drove to Reading, picked you and Dave and Rodders up and we did a tour of a few fields in my old Mk 1 Cortina

[keithh]

I vaguely remember that but 48 years dims the memory a bit! That Washington trip was amazing, if I remember about £85! Pettit and Thomson tours, I wonder what happened to them.

[graham]

Yes it was, it was under £90 if I recall and what an adventure. I remember travelling back home after the Biggin show on the coach trip organised by Cyril H Thomas of Calne.
I told my folks that you, Dave and Rodders were taking a 5 day trip to Washington the following May and asked if I could go. They said "yes" so that was it, I had to raise £90 plus spending money by the time the balance was due for the trip.
In fact, I decided to sell my vinyl album collection at a quid a pop, bearing in mind a new album cost two quid in those days, so I took a list to school and had the £90 within a couple of weeks.

[davidallum]

What a trip that was in 1972,great to see things in the flesh that you had only seen in films & photos etc,as for Pettit & Thomson,I know that they used to work for British Caledonian hence I guess the cheapness of the trip.I do remember the Captain making a comment on the trip across the pond that it was great that 99% of his passengers were enthusiasts.

[graham]

Blimey Dave, that's some memory you have there, all I remember about the flight was that the BCAL air stewardesses looked mighty fine in their tartan outfits. At least we can say we flew on a B707.

[davidallum]

Indeed,G-AWWD going and G-AVKA coming back.

[keithh]

Going away from aviation for one minute, I never forget the doughnut shop under our hotel and those beef rolls, one of which ended up on the bedroom floor when Rod conked out on his bed before he could eat his!

[graham]

Do you remember the American kids who invited us lot to a party they were holding in one of their rooms? The room was in a right state and reeked of cannabis. If I recall, we made our excuses and made a rapid exit.

[davidallum]

I'm starting to feel rather old now.

[keithh]

Jul 11, 2019 6:38:34 GMT graham said:

Do you remember the American kids who invited us lot to a party they were holding in one of their rooms? The room was in a right state and reeked of cannabis. If I recall, we made our excuses and made a rapid exit.

Yes, somebody ran in and said that a hotel employee was on the way!