Ditto here, but not a pilot. I almost always lunge outside when I hear an unusual (usually military) aircraft. A few years ago, a Ford TriMotor was making frequ

Ditto here, but not a pilot. I almost always lunge outside when I hear an unusual (usually military) aircraft. A few years ago, a Ford TriMotor was making frequent passes overhead and I got some good photos of it, due to hearing it from afar. I almost always accurately distinguish the mid-range hum of the Sheriff's Bell from the more thumpy Coast Guard helicopters that often pass by. I have seen many neat aircraft as result of my aerial curiosities, including WWII bombers, various fighters, re-fuelers, cargo planes, mil helicopters that made trains seem mute, meteoroids/incoming space debris, and a few celestial anomalies. Yeah, I used to get some strange looks (and comments) when I had my Leica Ultravid, Zeiss Victory, and Orion 15x70 binoculars. Be glad you weren't into astronomy; folks come up with all sorts of big ideas when they see some "creepy" guy staring at the night sky, "undoubtedly" searching for any insignificant gap in the miniblinds of person x,y,z while completely indifferent to the rest of the Universe. If looking up was held in half the esteem of watching telly, it might be a much more interesting world. On another note, maybe Irvine Welsh will do something with the title of this article. Apparently, a sequel to Trainspotting is due next year.