Tail spotter tour gives enthusiasts inside view

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Dana Butler
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  Eighteen aircraft enthusiasts attended the first Spotter Watch tour, which was specifically designed for tail spotters to show appreciation for the program at Royal Air Force Lakenheath Nov. 29, 2012.

Started in May 2012, Spotter Watch provides the spotters an avenue to report suspicious activity outside the gates of the base.

"The Spotter Watch program is a unique way to reach out to the aviation enthusiasts community," said Staff Sgt. Megan P. Lyon, 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs community relations specialist. "It adds another layer of communication between the base and the local community."

The tour consisted of a visit to airfield management, radar approach control, the air traffic control tower as well as a walk-through of the 492nd Fighter Squadron and a trip to Hangar 6 to get up close and personal with some F-15E Strike Eagles and an F-15C Eagle.

Plane spotters or tail spotters, as they are commonly called, celebrate the technology of aviation more than the average person. Spending hours looking up into the sky is not for everyone, but these tail spotters enjoy the experience of military aircraft flying overhead.

Some spotters revel in getting the perfect shot of a plane taking off or recording registrations or tail numbers of the aircraft they've seen, while others listen in to radio frequencies between ATC and the aircrew.

"I have a big thick book of all American military registrations," said Michael Hood, a plane spotter with more than 30 years of experience and member of Spotter Watch.

Though the enthusiasts appreciated every stop in the tour, some areas shined more than others in their eyes.

"You'll find that all the people that have come here today are very much appreciative," said Hood. "Being able to go up in an operational control tower was the best part."

The Spotter Watch tours are a way to strengthen the wing's relationship with the local tail spotters that base members have grown accustom to seeing at the viewing area on a daily basis.

The program is intended to foster such a strong relationship with the enthusiasts that they won't hesitate to report potential security or mechanical issues that they may observe form their unique vantage point.

"It's important for the base to interact with the spotters because they're all around the base and they're extra eyes and ears," said Police Constable Paul Glover, Military of Defence police. "If the spotters see anything suspicious, they know plane spotters, they know which people are plane spotters, so when someone turns up that doesn't meet what they think is a plane spotter they can contact us."

For more information on the RAF Lakenheath Spotter Watch program, contact the 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs office at 0163-852-2151.