Planespotting is observing aircraft. Many planespotters will photograph the airplanes that they spot. Some may make a list of all of the aircraft that they spot. They may also challenge themself to spot every single model of a particular manufacturer.

Aviate Alabama is a professional planespotting videography company started by Brian Harmon a lifelong planespotter. Along the way we have picked up some tips, tricks, and best practices for planespotters.

Equipment for Planespotting

The equipment required for planespotting is determined by what you hope to get out of the experience. A lot of people like to photograph the aircraft. It combines their love of photography with their love of aviation. Brian Harmon, owner of Aviate Alabama, prefers the action of video.

Your equipment choice is also dependent on what your access to the aircraft will be. If the airport you plan to mostly spot from has an observation area then you may be able to get by with nothing more than a newer iPhone. Which you could use not only for pictures but for video too.

If you don’t think you’ll have much of an opportunity to get up close then you may want to consider a camcorder. They are generally much cheaper than a quality DSLR or mirrorless camera. They can be much easier to operate too. Further, you can always screenshot frames in the video to have photographs of the aircraft you spot.

A tripod is an essential piece of equipment for planespotting and one that I would spend a considerable amount of time and research on. Bonus points if you are allowed to test it out first too. The weight of a tripod is very important to the quality of footage you’ll be able to capture. If you aren’t able to get a high-quality tripod to start out with then you can improve its function by simply adding weighted bags to it to give it more heft.

Other equipment for planespotting that you may find beneficial is an external battery pack for keeping your camera charged up, spare memory cards, snacks, sunblock, and drinks for hydration.