Showing posts with label Aviation Photographers India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aviation Photographers India. Show all posts

Photos: New Delhi airport - aerial views of the ramp, Jet's A330 fleet, Blue Dart and Kenya Airways freighters

by Devesh Agarwal

Once again the kind friends at Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd. (DIAL), the company which operates the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), supported the Aviation Photographers India Foundation by giving access to the airside, after they had received permission from the DGCA.

Yours truly, got on to a Rosenbauer turn-table ladder (TTL) of the airport fire-fighting team, and took some aerial shots of the airport in the dawn's early light.

Readers compliment us on the quality of photographs. It is possible due to supporters like DIAL, their management, their air-side chief Ashutosh Kulshreshtha, their fire chief Mr. Kadam, and all their respective team members. Some dare-devilry on my part after being up for 36 hours straight shooting through the night, was the spice added to this mix.

Enjoy the three aerial views and then continue scrolling down to see a photo of me in the TTL bucket way up in the sky, thanks to Praveen Sundaram.

This photo is of the old Terminal 2, which is now used exclusively for Haj flights. The ramp is being used as a large parking lot for the Jet Airways Airbus A330 fleet, and some aircraft from the Kingfisher fleet. Five A330-200s and one new A330-300 are parked. The seventh A330 is parked on the remote ramp, visible in the second picture. Six A330-200s are almost half the Jet Airways fleet. One has to question why are they parked up in Delhi and not being used. There are rumours that Jet is going to lease them to Etihad. More Jetihad.



The remote ramp of the mega Terminal 3. This photo has two rare events in one. First is the Kenya Airways Cargo Boeing 737-300, not seen before this date. Second, is a rare daylight confluence of four Blue Dart freighters of their fleet of six aircraft. Two 757s parked, one 757 taxiing out, and the sole 737-200 near the top right of the photo, waiting to line-up and take-off.



Normally performed by an Airbus A340-300, this day Finnair flight AY021 non-stop from Helsinki, was performed by a Boeing 757-200 with winglets. Unfortunately this aircraft OH-LBT went technical and could not perform the return flight.



And here I am ....... way up there. Let me say, despite the supports on the trucks, the bucket wobbles and sways. It was scary and one has to be very gentle in their movements. Hats off to these fire-fighters.

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Video: Plane photography at New Delhi Indira Gandhi airport

by Devesh Agarwal

Recently, with permission of the DGCA, the Aviation Photographers India Foundation visited the air-side at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) as guests of the airport operators, Delhi International Airport Ltd., for which each member of the foundation, including me, express our grateful thanks.
The famous "mudra" wall at Terminal 3. Mudras are hand gestures used in classical Indian dance forms.
The famous "mudra" wall at Terminal 3. Mudras are hand gestures used in classical Indian dance forms.

The first of a series of videos, produced by Abhishek Singh in cooperation with Bangalore Aviation, entitled "The Departures" is below the fold.

It was thrilling. We shot near the runway amongst tall dry grass, classic of the Delhi flora, and we could hear snakes slithering near by. But the roar of jet engines and the love of those magnificent flying machines, supported by all the people involved in running an airport, kept us put.

Hope you enjoy this labour of love. Do change the quality to HD (720p or 1080p) to really enjoy the video. If you are reading this story in our e-mail digest, you will have to visit our website, or see the video here.

Also please visit our Youtube page for more videos. As usual comments are always welcome.

You can also embed this video on your website. Just click on the Youtube logo on the bottom right, once the video commences. On Youtube, click on the share tab and use the embed code.



We also acknowledge with thanks for the assistance provided by Nikon India Pvt. Ltd. with the equipment.
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Night photos from Delhi Indira Gandhi international airport - the Airbus collection

Continuing our photo essay (see part two) on the night photography at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), thanks to the support of the kind friends at Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd. (DIAL) and the DGCA, today is the Airbus collection.

Unlike Bangalore where the mid-sized Airbus (since the A380 is not permitted) is the dominant aircraft type, Delhi with its higher traffic volumes, commands the larger aircraft of Boeing, the 777 and 747.

Yet, one does get to see the Airbus of mostly Indian and European airlines.

IndiGo Airbus A320-232 VT-IES. Used for international flights at night and domestic during the day.

Jet Airways Airbus A330-200 VT-JWM.


Aeroflot Airbus A330-200 VP-BLY


SWISS Airbus A330-300 (the longer brother of the -200) HB-JHI



KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Airbus A330-200 PH-AOK


We request you to please encourage these photographers via a comment on the photo site.

Photos are used with permission of the photographers who retain full copyright. Pictures may not be used without their specific permission.

Hope you enjoyed this photo-essay series.
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Night photos from Delhi Indira Gandhi international airport - the Boeing 777 collection

Continuing our photo essay (see part one) on the night photography at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), thanks to the support of the kind friends at Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd. (DIAL) and the DGCA, today is the Boeing 777 collection.

The 777 is largest twin-engine airliner in the world, along with being one of the most popular, and the most profitable for its manufacturer, Boeing.
The newer 777-300ER, 777-200LR (both of which form bulk of Air India's long distance fleet), and Freighter variants feature the largest engines in aviation history, the General Electric GE90-115B or -110B1 engines. The GE90-115B, has a fan diameter of 3.25 metres or 10ft 8in. This photo offers a size comparison between the GE90 and the earlier engines used to power the venerable Boeing 747.

The GE90 has a distinct "moaning" sound when it starts. It is music to us plane spotters. Play the video to hear it. Anywhere in the world, if you are within earshot of an airport, or on-board a 777-300ER or 777-200LR flight, keep an ear out for the sound.

Air India Boeing 777-200LR (also called 77L in airline parlance) VT-ALE (equipped with the GE90-110B)


Emirates airline Boeing 777-300ER (77W) A6-ECK (equipped with GE90-115B)



Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300 (773) 9V-SYF (not an ER. Equipped with Rolls Royce Trent 800 RB212 engine)



Thai Airways Boeing 777-300 HS-TKB (equipped with Rolls Royce Trent 800)


We request you to please encourage these photographers via a comment on the photo site.

Photos are used with permission of the photographers who retain full copyright. Pictures may not be used without their specific permission.
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Night photos from Delhi Indira Gandhi international airport - the Boeing collection

Thanks to the support of the kind friends at Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd. (DIAL) who operate the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), and the DGCA, some members of the Aviation Photographers India, went airside for some photography. Click here to see photographs from the entire group.

Below are some night photographs from the event taken by the Bangalore Aviation team of Devesh and Vedant. Photographing airliners at night is very challenging, very tiring, but at the end of it, most exhilarating. It is when the big boys from across the world come, the airport is relatively quiet so we can get up close to the planes, and the creativity we can exercise with the light. For example the star bursts are not generated using any filters. They are created by stopping down the aperture and increasing the time the shutter is open.

We hope you enjoy. Do take the time to leave a comment, either here, or on the photograph page itself. Considering we are hobbyists, praise always helps.

Today is the Boeing collection from the 757 to the new 747-8i. Click on the images to see the original photos in high resolution. We are excluding the 777s which will be posted in a separate collection tomorrow.

Lufthansa Boeing 747-8i D-ABYA



China Southern Airlines Boeing 757-200 B-2823




China Southern Airlines Boeing 757-200 B-2812 (another night, another plane). Compare the star bursts between the two photos. This one is created used a prime 50mm f/1.8 Nikon lens, and at around Rs. 8,000 it is a steal, compared to the 24~70mm f/2.8, used for the shot above, which costs six figures.




Kenya Airways Boeing 767-300ER 5Y-KYX


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Plane spotting: Synchronised Jet Airways and IndiGo registrations at Delhi IGI airport

About three months ago, we reported, by a strange coincidence the aircraft registration numbers of India's two largest airlines IndiGo and Jet Airways are in a very similar series. VT-JFx and VT-IFx.

Last week, thanks to the operators of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), M/s Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd., the members of the Aviation Photographers India were airside taking photos.

Along comes VT-JFC of Jet Airways taxiing right past us, followed immediately by VT-IFC of IndiGo. Enjoy the coincidence.

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Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner commences commercial service tomorrow to Bangalore and Chennai

National carrier Air India will commence commercial service of its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner tomorrow 19 September with flights from New Delhi to Bangalore and Chennai.

AI 439 Delhi to Chennai 07:00 ~ 09:40
AI 430 Chennai to Delhi 10:45 ~ 13:25

AI 403 Delhi to Bangalore 16:30 ~ 19:10
AI 404 Bangalore to Delhi 20:10 ~ 22:45

So here is a heads-up to Chennai spotters to go and grab some good photos. We in Bangalore will get the new aircraft only after sunset.

The Aviation Photographers India group is making a visit to a vantage viewing location to see the arrival of the new aircraft. Send a message to ba [at] bangaloreaviation [dot] com if you want to join. We will meet at the trumpet interchange at 6:00pm tomorrow.
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Metallica music equipment arrives in Bangalore ahead of concert aboard TMA A300 freighter

The concert gear of music group Metallica arrived in Bangalore on Saturday afternoon, ahead of their concert scheduled for today October 30th.

An Airbus A300F4-622R Trans Mediterranean Airways Cargo freighter OD-TMA brought the equipment in to Bengaluru International Airport around 1pm on Saturday. Some members of India's official plane spotting group -- Aviation Photographers India Foundation were at the airport, and we share this picture with you.

Trans Mediterranean Airways Cargo Airbus A300F4-622R freighter OD-TMA.
Photo copyright Vedant Agarwal. All rights reserved.
The group is expected to reach Bangalore around 3pm today, aboard a private Gulfstream business jet.
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Photo quiz: What is so special about this Air India tail parade?

Earlier this year, I took this photo at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. It shows tails of four Air India group aircraft. Can you identify what is special about this photo. Post a comment, and be specific please.
Photo copyright Devesh Agarwal. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
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Plane spotting picture quiz: Identify the dozen?

Another plane spotting quiz to tickle that grey matter.

This is a picture taken by Aviation Photographers India Foundation member Vedant Agarwal. (See more of his photos here).

Identify the twelve airlines and if possible the aircraft from left to right via a comment.

Bengaluru International Airport OverviewClick on the image for a larger view.
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Why Indian spotters love the fog hated by passengers

Its a ritual of every winter. Heavy fog at Bangalore and Delhi causing flight delays and disrupting the trips of many. Hated by passengers, plane spotters and photographers love it.

We get to see aircraft during the day which normally come only at night, when photographs cannot be taken, or in this case, we get to see an aircraft that just does not come to a particular airport.

On December 26th, the Paris CDG-New Delhi Air France flight was diverted due to heavy fog at Delhi. Mumbai was already overloaded so the Boeing 747-400, F-GITI came to Bangalore during the wee hours in the early morning of 27th.

On 28th morning, along with some fellow spotters from the Aviation Photographers India Foundation, I got the picture of this beautiful plane lifting in to the pristine blue skies over Bangalore on her trip to Delhi and then back to Paris.

Air France Boeing 747-400 F-GITI Bengaluru International Airport, Bangalore, India take-off
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Plane spotting: DGCA rules on photography at airports, of a plane, on an airplane in India

Plane photography is one of the most misunderstood hobbies in India. Take out a camera and point it at an aircraft, and you will invite suspicious views from people around you, including the security personnel.

These suspicions are however misplaced due to a complete ignorance of the law, both by the general populace as well as security personnel. Just two weeks ago, while I was flying with a domestic airline, I had to show their security officer copies of the rules before he was convinced.

Photography at airports in India or on-board an Indian carrier or a carrier flying in Indian airspace are controlled by rule 13 which is under part 2 of the Aircraft Rules, 1937. Rule 13 states
No person shall take, or cause or permit to be taken, at a Government aerodrome or from an aircraft in flight, any photograph except in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of a permission in writing granted by the Director-General, a Joint Director General, a Deputy Director-General or the Director of Regulations and Information of the Civil Aviation Department :

Provided that the Director-General from time to time, may, by notification in the official Gazette, direct that these restrictions shall not apply to photography at any Government aerodrome, or within such limits of any Government aerodrome as may be specified in the order.
Photography at airports
Photography is permitted in the terminal buildings of (a) civilian airports and (b) the civil conclaves of defence airports for example Pune, Goa, Guwahati, etc., vide SO1353 dated December 9, 2004. However, please do exercise caution at defence airports and do not photograph the defence areas.

Photography on board or from an aircraft
Photography from an aircraft or on-board a scheduled flight, while on the ground or in the air is permitted to bonafide passengers only, and is limited to civil airports only. Photography at defence airports from an aircraft is a strict no-no. Refer to AIC-7/2004 again dated December 9, 2004.

Carriage of photographic equipment on board an aircraft
As unbelievable as this sounds, till June 14, 2005, the carriage of any photographic equipment on-board an aircraft was banned in India under rule 13A. Thankfully the government has rescinded rule 13A vide G.S.R. 401(E).

Photography near an airport
This is the grey area. If you are taking photographs of aircraft in the sky, it is your right, and there is no law under which this is disallowed.

If you are taking photographs from outside a civilian airport in to the airport, there is again no actual law preventing you. Rule 13 prohibits photography AT airports not OF airports. Do not take photographs at or into a defence airport, you are inviting trouble.

If confronted by security personnel or police
Many a time, the person confronting you has absolutely no clue of the rules. It is important to demonstrate your genuineness, your knowledge of Rule 13 of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, and always keep copies of notifications with you as this will normally convince the person confronting you.

Police in New Delhi and Mumbai do have a reputation for harassing plane spotters, but given the heightened anti-terror needs of these cities, it is partly understandable. Again, stand your ground, politely explain your genuineness, and demonstrate you are familiar with rule 13 and you have copies of the various notifications.

To join fellow plane spotters visit and join the Facebook group of Aviation Photographers India Foundation, India's first officially recognised plane spotting group. Do remember to give a brief description of yourself when requesting joining.
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Plane spotting photos: IndiGo's brand new Airbus A320-232 VT-IGW at night

IndiGo Airbus A320-232 VT-IGW night photo 1600px
Taken just about 18 hours ago, VT-IGW is the newest member of low fare carrier IndiGo's fleet. Like all her other fleet sisters, she is an Airbus A320-232 equipped with IAE V2500 engines.

Delivered less than a week back, her paint coat is still so shiny that the lights reflecting off her tail fin, engine and even "forehead" show the star-burst effect indicating the intensity of the reflection.

A very happy Thanksgiving holiday to Bangalore Aviation readers in the United States.
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Night plane spotting images from Bangalore airport

Today, some night plane spotting photos for your enjoyment.

Spotting at night throws up some unique challenges. The aircraft need to be stationary, and the photographer requires good anticipation to capture the image in those few seconds between an aircraft's arrival at the gate and it being swarmed by ground support equipment and people, or from the time of its push back till it taxies out, and it goes without saying, you cannot use a flash.

Despite these challenges, the results can be quite spectacular.

This is the passenger terminal building of the Bengaluru International Airport. Some may consider it a drab box, but it transforms in to an oasis of light during the night. Do observe the light trails of a business jet taking off over the terminal.
Bengaluru International Airport, Bangalore terminal building at night
Lufthansa's Boeing 747-400 D-ABTK arrives after its ten hour flight from Frankfurt. Standing almost 100 metres away did not prevent me from getting buffeted by the hot and strong exhaust gases, even though the engines were at idle power.
Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 D-ABTK
Cathay Pacific's subsidiary Dragon Air operates an Airbus A330-300 to Bangalore. Here is B-HWI wearing the 25 years anniversary livery, just a few minutes before being closed up for departure back to Hong Kong in the wee hours of the night.
DragonAir Airbus A330-343X B-HWI at Night
An unusual shot of the only Boeing 727 operating in India. This clean and gleaming plane N727VJ has oodles of shiny chrome and is one of the private jets of the Mallya family. It features winglets on which the beacon light shines like a bright diamond. A pity that Dr. Mallya does not ensure the other planes of his Kingfisher fleet are kept as clean as this one.
Dr. Vijay Mallya private jet Boeing 727-44 N727VJ
As usual comments are welcome. Images are the copyright of Devesh Agarwal.
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Spotted: Photo of Indian Airline's early A320 VT-ESC in the new Air India livery

Went spotting with a few members of the Aviation Photographers India yesterday.

As it rolled off runway 09, I could not believe my eyes, but sure enough, it was soon confirmed, VT-ESC one of the early batch of Airbus A320's delivered back in the early 1990's was rolling in wearing a new fresh coat of paint in the livery of Air India.
Airbus A320-231 VT-ESC Air India Livery
The erstwhile Indian Airlines was an early adopter of the Airbus A320. It's first A320 VT-EPB was the 45th A320 produced by Airbus, which was delivered to the carrier on June 26 1989. VT-ESC has a manufacturer serial number (MSN) of 416 and was the 21st A320 delivered to the carrier on June 2, 1993.

These early A320s were all fitted with the slim and long IAE V2500 engines, which also power the current A320's of IndiGo and Kingfisher Airlines. Compare this to the shorter and fatter CFM56 engines which now power the new Air India A320 family aircraft along with the A320's of GoAir. Another very noticeable feature is the main landing gear which had two smaller wheel sets when compared to the single large wheel set found on the newer A320's.

Compare the old and the new A320s of Air India. Below is a picture of VT-EDD which was delivered to Air India in February this year.
Air India Airbus A320-214 VT-EDD
Images © Devesh Agarwal. All rights reserved. View more pictures here.
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Plane spotting photos: Vote for the nose!!! Boeing vs. Airbus vs. Boeing

The nose is one of the most distinguishing objects on the human face. A beautiful nose makes the face, and millions if not billions of dollars are spent every year on "nose jobs" better known as rhinoplasty.

Today, though, we present three noses of a different kind. A Boeing 777, an Airbus A320, and a Boeing 737. Which nose do you think looks the best? Share your thoughts via a comment.

This is the nose of British Airway's Boeing 777-200ER G-YMMS. A fairly full cockpit, but it appears quite an empty business class cabin.
British Airways Boeing 777-200ER G-YMMS High Resolution Nose Close Up Bangalore
The business class section of Jet Airways Boeing 737-700 VT-JNG looks quite full, thanks to the surging Indian economy.
Jet Airways Boeing 737-700 VT-JNG High Resolution Nose Close Up Bangalore
Value carrier IndiGo enjoys one the highest passenger load factors in India as seen in this close-up of their Airbus A320-232 VT-INP. The passenger in seat 3F was sure wondering what we photographers were up to, while his fellow traveller in 5F was catching a quick nap in the early morning.
IndiGo airlines Airbus A320-232 VT-INP High Resolution Nose Close Up Bangalore
Click here
to see more of my photographs on JetPhotos.
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Photos: Starry Starry Night -- night shots of Air China, Singapore Air, Thai, Air France

Today's dose of spotting photos are all taken at night and incidentally, all are the national flag carriers of their respective countries.

First, is an Air China Airbus A319-100. This is a rare visitor to Bangalore, coming in only twice a week, at 03:00. Turning around and leaving in less than 45 minutes. That is about as fast as I have seen for an international flight. I call this flight the "Cisco special" since it connects the three major Asia facilities of Cisco -- Bangalore, Chengdu and Shanghai.
Air China Airbus A319-100 Bangalore Chengdu Shanghai B-6038 Night Photograph Bangalore India CiscoThe next two are A330s taken by Aviation Photographers India member Vedant.

Air France operates a six times a week A330-200 service to Paris. Here F-GZCC is getting ready to taxi.
Air France Airbus A330-200 F-GZCC Bangalore ParisThai Airways has a daily A330-300 (more passengers and lesser range than a -200) service to Bangkok.
Thai Airways Airbus A330-300 HS-TEK Bangalore Bangkok New Livery
The last is from the airline I used to be a over-frequent flier with -- Singapore Airlines. Here is their Boeing 777-200 getting ready to depart to Singapore.
Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200ER Night Photo Bangalore India
In case you are wondering how to get the star-burst effect on the lights -- the secret is to stop down the aperture to around F/11 and increase the time the shutter is open i.e. reduce shutter speed.

In all the above photos, the shutter speed was about 15~30 seconds, so you will further appreciate the timing and anticipation required to get you these wonderful photos, not to forget a good tripod like a Manfrotto.

Photos used with permission of the copyright owner. Creative Commons license not applicable.
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Photos: Full frontal of British Airways Boeing 777-200ER G-YMMS at Bangalore

Last week, the Aviation Photographers India very kindly received permission from India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Bengaluru International Airport Limited for its members to do airside photography for a few days, a permission for which the foundation extends its sincere thanks. I had the pleasure of joining the expedition on a few days.

Below is a British Airways Boeing 777-200ER registration G-YMMS taxing out to perform flight BA118 to London Heathrow. After Concorde (see my video tribute story), I just love the front-on look of the 777. In the soft light of dawn the nose gear lights stand out as do the fan blades of the massive Rolls Royce Trent 895 engines.

British Airways Boeing 777-200ER 777-236ER G-YMMS front view 1600px large size Bengaluru International Airport Bangalore IndiaClick on the image for a high resolution view.

Observe the clever slopes of the ramp which have been designed for quick drainage and harvesting of rain water.

British Airways has two major series of their Boeing 777-236ERs. The G-VIIx series which is equipped with the GE90-85B engines and the G-YMMx series equipped with the Rolls Royce Trent 895.

Other pictures of the G-YMMx series I have taken are G-YMME and G-YMMU. See my other plane spotting photos here.

The first ever hull loss of a Boeing 777 occurred on 17 January 2008, when G-YMMM performing flight BA038, flying from Beijing to London, crash-landed approximately 1,000 feet (300 m) short of London Heathrow Airport's runway 27L. It was some great flying by the two pilots that ensured no fatalities. The BBC interviewed Capt. Peter Burkill and you can read it here.
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One of the best plane spotting locations in the world - Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) airport

May 22nd and I was back in my home town of Arlington, Texas, host to the next NFL Superbowl. Sure enough I was soon at DFW airport, home to one of the best spotting locations in world -- Founder's Plaza at the Dallas-Fort Worth International airport.

Built by the airport operators, in cooperation and with funding from all the airlines, civic bodies, and friends of the airport, the history of Founder's Plaza is worth reading.

View DFW Founder's Plaza in a larger map

From a spotters perspective it is pure heaven.

The plaza is a 10,000+ sq. ft. facility with many amenities.

Canopies and benches for families to sit and observe the planes arriving and departing on the western two runways.

Chilled water fountains to give you thirst relief.

Binoculars for close-up views.

And best of all -- a very cooperative and understanding law enforcement who patrol the plaza but do not disturb anyone, unless they are making a fool of themselves or in to some mischief.

The plaza is built on a flattened hillock which is ABOVE the fence line for un-obstructed views and photographs. Do observe how the hillock is levelled down and a boundary is provided before the fence to prevent any unauthorised access.

The plaza even has a live feed of the DFW air traffic control tower radio transmissions so visitors can hear while they watch.

With each passing day and with each visitor, the plaza helps the airport strengthen and deepen its relations not just with the business community, but with individual community members.

The plaza is located on Texan Trail just off North Airfield Drive. It can also be accessed from Hwy 114 or Hwy 121. Refer to the map.

The Aviation Photographers of India has received a very high degree of cooperation from the operators of the Bengaluru International Airport, who have erected the first even plane spotter platform in

India. I do hope the new airport owners especially Mr. Sanjay Reddy read this article and during the next phase of expansion, consider making a similar plaza at Bangalore. It will be the pride of Indian spotting.

Pictures are copyright of Bangalore Aviation and all rights are reserved. Click on the images for large view.
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Aviation Photographers India helps students win college award with plane spotting film

In early March, India's only officially recognised plane spotting group Aviation Photographers India was approached by two students of Convergence Institute of Media Management (Commits), a media college in Bangalore to help them in producing of a Television news story type film for their college examination.

Rohita Rambabu and Ketaki Ankalikar, students of the I year MA (Audiovisual Communication) course produced a great little film which proved to be the winning entry in their class.


Congratulations ladies.
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