I had an enjoyable visit at Toronto Pearson with a couple of spotters from Montréal recently. They were visiting YYZ to catch the Emirates A380 and my spotting location seemed to catch their eye. They introduced themselves to me and we chatted for a few minutes about the usual plane-geek stuff. Then the shutter buttons began to fly!
As the song of Air Traffic Controllers chattered through my car speakers, the visitors listened intently for any communication with their "raison d'être" for that day. Flight after flight floated by and regardless of size, airline, aircraft or otherwise, we clicked away to capture every single one. Sure enough, right on schedule, the announcement crackles through the speakers on one of the Arrivals channels... "Emirates 2-4-1 Super, reduce speed to 1-9-0 knots and join the localizer for runway 2-3". It's what they had been waiting for! The aircraft would be flying directly in front of us for the landing approach. The visitors lowered their cameras just long enough to slap a resounding high-five and continued shooting the other aircraft as they passed. They would be masters of the lighting and composition by the time EK241 arrived.
At 15:30 on the dot, Emirates flight 241 lumbered over Airport Road and gracefully touched down on runway 23. The shutter clicks rattled off from their cameras like rounds from the barrel of a machine gun and you could see the excitement in their stance. The aircraft looked as if the pilot was purposly landing as slowly as possible to give the visitors the best view they could get. Then, as quickly as it began, the A380 was slowly taxiing from the runway making its way to Terminal 1. My new friends had accomplished their goal and I could tell by their frantic review of the photos they had just taken that their drive from Montréal was well worth it. If there is one thing plane spotting does NOT do, it is disappoint.
Thanks for the company guys, and come back whenever you want... I'll be exactly where you left me!
