Your first plane-spotting day
A small, observant outing beats an ambitious checklist.
Plan the outing
Choose an official viewing area or public place where stopping is permitted. Check the airport’s visitor information before travelling. Pack water, weather-appropriate clothing and a notebook, and decide in advance how long the outing will last.
Collect useful clues
Write the time, aircraft family, registration if readable and one recognition feature. Leave uncertain entries marked as uncertain. A tracker can help with a later check, but map coverage and displayed positions are not guarantees.
Be a considerate visitor
Stay outside restricted areas, leave gates and roads clear, and follow staff instructions. Do not fly a drone near an airport as part of a spotting trip. For children, make the goal three observations and one question, rather than a competition to identify everything.
Build your record
Use our browser-local checklist or the free sample sheet. The best entry is one you can understand next month. Include the source used to confirm an identification, not just the answer you hoped to see.