scanner

A scanner tells a spotter the runway in use, which aircraft is next and what the crew has been told, minutes before any of it is visible. Airband is in the VHF range just above the FM broadcast band. Legality varies by country — receiving is unrestricted in much of the world and an offence in parts of it, so it is worth checking before turning one on.

Nearby in Slang

• prop — A propeller, and by extension a propeller-driven aircraft.
• rarity — How unusual an aircraft is at a given place, and the main thing that makes a spot noteworthy.
• spotter — Someone who watches, logs or photographs aircraft as a hobby.
• spotting — The hobby of observing, identifying, logging and photographing aircraft.