spotting

Spotting spans logging registrations, chasing rare types and liveries, photographing movements, and following particular airframes over years. Some spotters never take a photograph and some never keep a list; the common thread is paying attention to which aircraft, not just which flight.

Nearby in Slang

• scanner — A radio receiver used to listen to air traffic control and airport frequencies.
• spotter — Someone who watches, logs or photographs aircraft as a hobby.
• tail — Spotter shorthand for an individual airframe, taken from its tail number.
• tarmac — Popular but imprecise word for the paved areas of an airport; the correct terms are apron, ramp and taxiway.