Looking up at airplanes

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evapilotaz

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Feb 13, 2012
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Gilbert AZ. VFR All Year Baby
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Drone airspace abuser
I’m always looking up at airplanes or a matter fact anything that is flying over head.
I live under the approach path of Gateway airport in Mesa AZ so looking up happens a lot.
It’s almost embarrassing when I’m talking to someone outside and all of a sudden I look up and an airplane flying overhead.
Is there a support group for this obsession or is POA the best support group out there.
Am I alone in this obsession?

signed. Addicted to aviation
 
My home is on the approach/departure path to the local airport a couple miles away. Not only do I look up, I can often identify who is coming or going!
 
We stayed at the Sandals in Montego Bay in the spring. Right next to the field. Days consisted of me and a couple buddies sitting in a pool or on beach, drinking, and saluting every plane that took off!! Most ppl complained of the aircraft noise. We relished in it. Last night there a 747 Virgin Atlantic took off right over the restaurant we were eating at-I don’t remember what we ate- but I do remember the plane. We booked for upcoming spring.
 
benyflyguy said:
We stayed at the Sandals in Montego Bay in the spring. Right next to the field. Days consisted of me and a couple buddies sitting in a pool or on beach, drinking, and saluting every plane that took off!! Most ppl complained of the aircraft noise. We relished in it. Last night there a 747 Virgin Atlantic took off right over the restaurant we were eating at-I don’t remember what we ate- but I do remember the plane. We booked for upcoming spring.
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Been there done that!
 
I live near a moa and several mtr’s.
And the border.

In the second case, I often hear & occasionally see the CBP Citation buzzing around, as it monitors traffic in the area. (I’ve even had a ‘traffic stop’ by them over the radio while airborne, lol.)

In the first case, I have seen any number of mil jets going past - but not all were while looking up; I have been standing on the ground and looked down on B-1’s as they crackled past below me doing high speed low level work in a small valley (it’s been several years since I’ve seen them), and a few weeks ago I was on a remote ranch, looked up to see two large a/c coupled in a refueling exercise, I presume a C-17 was sipping from a KC-135... but that’s a wag on my part.
 
Brad Smith said:
I've been looking up at passing airplanes since I was a toddler. There is no cure.
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Me too. If I hear the whistling of a recent build Gulfstream, a radial engine or a Piaggio Avanti, I have to run outside and look.
 
evapilotaz said:
I’m always looking up at airplanes or a matter fact anything that is flying over head.
I live under the approach path of Gateway airport in Mesa AZ so looking up happens a lot.
It’s almost embarrassing when I’m talking to someone outside and all of a sudden I look up and an airplane flying overhead.
Is there a support group for this obsession or is POA the best support group out there.
Am I alone in this obsession?

signed. Addicted to aviation
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I do this all the time too! Plus I have little nieces and a nephew and I try to get them to “spot the airplane too.” Happy to say that all of them knew the word airplane and what an airplane sounded like before the age of 3!
 
That and monitoring CTAF while doing chores.
 
I work on base right next to NAS Chambers and it drives my fellow surface warfare officers nuts when I am constantly looking up.
 
I only look up when I hear a not normal airplane noise, or when I hear a radial engine, or when the C-17s are doing a low approach or when the air to air refuelers are doing their stuff.
 
Stan Cooper said:
I only look up when it's a piston engine airplane; then it's practically automatic and involuntary. Helicopters, jet powered airplanes? Meh.
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That's the way I am...

Aluminum Overcast came to our nearest airport.. KMOR Morristown, TN.

LOVED hearing that bird overhead!
 
I love that it bugs my wife when I can tell tune plane by the sound. We live at an airpark and have a few unique planes - a Howard (R-985), Waco (Jake), Scout (Conti 65 with straight pipes). Even the more common planes almost all have a unique note.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
I look at pretty much ANY engine powered machinery going by - airplanes, boats, cars, and trains.

I have several classic cars, two boats (bass boat and a aluminum fishing boat), and two airplanes. My carbon footprint is huge, and I am very content with that. I would love to have a train engine, but that is really not practical so that will never happen. But if one could be acquired....
 
evapilotaz said:
I’m always looking up at airplanes or a matter fact anything that is flying over head.
I live under the approach path of Gateway airport in Mesa AZ so looking up happens a lot.
It’s almost embarrassing when I’m talking to someone outside and all of a sudden I look up and an airplane flying overhead.
Is there a support group for this obsession or is POA the best support group out there.
Am I alone in this obsession?

signed. Addicted to aviation
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Hi. I’m Luv and I’m a planeaholic.
 
"You can always tell when a man’s lost his soul to flying. The poor bastard is hopelessly committed to stopping whatever he is doing long enough to look up and make sure the aircraft purring overhead continues on course and does not suddenly fall out of the sky. It is also his bound duty to watch every aircraft within view take off and land."

~ Ernest K. Gann, Fate Is the Hunter
 
evapilotaz said:
I’m always looking up at airplanes or a matter fact anything that is flying over head.
I live under the approach path of Gateway airport in Mesa AZ so looking up happens a lot.
It’s almost embarrassing when I’m talking to someone outside and all of a sudden I look up and an airplane flying overhead.
Is there a support group for this obsession or is POA the best support group out there.
Am I alone in this obsession?

signed. Addicted to aviation
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Back during WWII there were lots of aircraft to run out side to look up at.
They flew to Ross International at Sweet Grass and wer pushed across to Canadian side . Part of lend lease program.
Still Look up every time I hear an aircraft.
 
Fearless Tower said:
I work on base right next to NAS Chambers and it drives my fellow surface warfare officers nuts when I am constantly looking up.
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Similar story here. My office is right next to Miramar and the F18s taking off with afterburners are loud! 99% of my coworkers hate the noise but I love it!
 
Also, if you guys haven't used it, FlightRadar24's website/phone app lets you see air traffic and their "augmented reality' mode lets you point your phone camera at the sky and see aircraft wherever you look.

Also the website https://www.adsbexchange.com/ has a military filter that you can enable in their settings that shows you a great deal of military aircraft around the world
 
Stan Cooper said:
I only look up when it's a piston engine airplane; then it's practically automatic and involuntary. Helicopters, jet powered airplanes? Meh.
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Me too. And I find myself hoping they will do something other than straight and level. Even if just adjusting slightly for level. But really hoping they will bank, or do a maneuver. It’s rare that happens though. Where I live too I only get to watch for maybe 20 seconds before they are out of sight, more like ten if they are en route cruising.
I also practice looking away, then back again and seeing how quickly I can spot it NOW, or NOW...

it’s getting worse. I know I have about three cheap binoculars somewhere in drawers in the house and keep meaning to find them, and have them handy.



My wife seems to handle it ok, so far. Am steeling myself for the exaggerated eye roll I expect when I do find those binoculars.
 
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