Plane spotters arrested in India

[DaveReid]

Not 100% convinced that these ID schemes are any good at all. They offer no advantage to those that have them and only certain airports offer them.

If you join The Aviation Enthusiasts Security Scheme (www.taess.org.uk) one of the things you get in your membership pack is a multi-language booklet explaining, to whom it may concern, just what aircraft spotting is all about and (quote) "a must when travelling Overseas where perhaps our hobby is sometimes not recognised."

I'm not a spotter, but that sounds to me like a fairly prudent £15 worth.

[Paulc]

I have one of those and the only time I have ever shown it was to 2 policemen at my local airport - neither of whom had any idea about the scheme and its purpose. When mine expires this year I doubt it will be worth renewing. If it were nationally / internationally recognised then it might be but i doubt flashing a card with a psssport photo is going to deter an official (even if you do have the multi language booklet). Even trying to explain the hobby in an english speaking nation is not always as easy as you might think.

[radarspotter10]

Paul.
If it says at the airport no taking photos, that's what it means.
even a thick Irishman like myself would know that.
A little booklet in many languages will not help.
from pat

[Paulc]

Pat,

exactly - the 2 police who spoke to me took great pains to say I was doing nothing wrong taking photos etc - it was just that the airport had a VIP departing when I was there. But neither had heard of the taess scheme which makes having a card somewhat pointless.

[Southwest]

Pat,

exactly - the 2 police who spoke to me took great pains to say I was doing nothing wrong taking photos etc - it was just that the airport had a VIP departing when I was there. But neither had heard of the taess scheme which makes having a card somewhat pointless.

Yeah but it's a bloody good way of getting £15 out of you!!

[Paulc]

only once though