Britons found intercepting ATC-pilot conversation

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HillWalker

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Sounds like plane spotters in trouble again. When will people learn that its not recommended to practice such hobbies in third world countries with questionable legal systems?
 

b7spectra

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>. . .intercepting conversations between ATC and pilots with the help of sophisticated gadgets,<

Wow! Sophisticated gadgets! Maybe it was that 1965 GE All Band manual tune radio they had! New thing you know they will outlaw eating beef!
 
N

N_Jay

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"Stephen Hampston (46) and Steve Martin (55) were detained . . . . . "

Two Wild and Crazy Guys!!!!!!!!!!

" . . . were allegedly in possession of powerful binoculars and other sophisticated equipment."

WOW, In India "powerful binoculars" are sophisticated equipment. Who would have thunk?
 

Jay911

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>. . .intercepting conversations between ATC and pilots with the help of sophisticated gadgets,<

Wow! Sophisticated gadgets! Maybe it was that 1965 GE All Band manual tune radio they had! New thing you know they will outlaw eating beef!

From what I saw on another forum I think they had a RadarBox or SBS with them.
 

datainmotion

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"Stephen Hampston (46) and Steve Martin (55) were detained . . . . . "

Two Wild and Crazy Guys!!!!!!!!!!

If we're the only two here who got this, we may be getting old.

___________________________________________________________

"...but also endangered aviation safety by using gadgets that could interfere with flight instructions."

Which gadget was that specifically?
 

RayAir

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>. . .intercepting conversations between ATC and pilots with the help of sophisticated gadgets,<

Wow! Sophisticated gadgets! Maybe it was that 1965 GE All Band manual tune radio they had! New thing you know they will outlaw eating beef!

LOL, I got a laugh out of that to.
 

INDY72

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"The phone books are here!" OK so wonder if they would have just been shot on the spot if they had a couple of laptops up too running Aircraft tracking websites? Maybe the Indians thought that they were top notch Pakistani James Bonds??? LOL the laws over there are very different:roll: from here.
 

HillWalker

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These men were released today, came through on BBC News over here about an hour ago, the case is now closed:
Two British plane spotters arrested in India have been released without charge, the Foreign Office said.

Stephen Hampton and Steven Ayres, from Bristol, were arrested on Monday 15 February on suspicion on monitoring flights at Delhi International Airport.

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spokeswoman said both had been held in an immigration centre in New Delhi.

The FCO was told on Saturday afternoon that the men had been been released and the case was closed.

Mr Hampton, a railway worker from Keynsham, and Mr Ayres, from St George, sparked suspicion after asking a Delhi hotel for a room overlooking a runway.

They were carrying an air traffic control scanner, laptop, binoculars and cameras.

Mr Hampton's mother Eileen **** said he had travelled all over the world photographing aircraft.

Dan Norris, MP for North East Somerset, had been liaising with the FCO to try to bring them home.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/bristol/somerset/8525945.stm

Thankfully political intervention ruled the day and some common sense prevailed.
 

petnrdx

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I flew helicopters for the SO for several years out of Boeing Field.
I was REALLY surprised at how many people came and parked in our parking lot and just looked at or photographed different aircraft. ( I mean REALLY, REALLY surprised)
Especially ANYTHING unusual.
Unusual meaning old or oddly painted, etc.
Not necessarily military or rare (Like the Concorde).
Those people enjoy different aircraft like we like radio or scanners
Or someone else might like stamps or coins.
Apparently there are groups and clubs that "collect" tail numbers and all kinds of photos of aircraft.
Periodically we invited some of these folks out to look at our aircraft, and they about freaked out at the opportunity. MANY had no real experience with aircraft, just liked to look at them.
Some of the people we talked to said they even passed info back and forth about aircraft leaving one city, and have someone else see it arrive somewhere else.
While there could easily be an opportunity for some sort of evil intent, and at first it appeared odd, it turns out that most of this is just a hobby like any other hobby.
Sounds like these two guys have fallen into the "everything I don't understand must be evil" problem.
Poor guys probably just love aircraft, and in some more suspicious countries that could be a problem.
 

b7spectra

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I've had the FBI come to my work place to ask me WHY I was at ATL taking so many pictures of airplanes. I affectionately called them Dumber and Dumberer!
 

markab

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Huh?

I've had the FBI come to my work place to ask me WHY I was at ATL taking so many pictures of airplanes. I affectionately called them Dumber and Dumberer!

Ahhh, what's wrong with this picture? 9/11 marked the worst terrorist attack on your soil in US history. It involved 4 hijacked commercial planes. If I was a US citizen "Dumb and Dummer" would be the FBI officials who decided to turn a blind eye and do nothing. They where simply doing there job, and you should be thankful. How would you feel if another terrorist attack occurred on your soil that involved commercial aircraft. And it was discovered that the terrorists involved were seen prior to the attack taking photographs of planes and possibly the airport installation, and that FBI agents who who witnessed this failed to follow up? Your citizens would probably be, understandably, outraged. 9/11 has changed our world, and rightfully so.

Mark
 
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slicerwizard

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They where (sic) simply doing there (sic) job, and you should be thankful.
So the FBI should be investigating every person who shows an interest (and takes photos) of airplanes at every airport in the US because terrorists have been known to do that? So the FBI should also investigate every automobile driver since terrorists have been know to drive cars, right?

How many terrorists have the FBI caught in their plane spotter dragnet? Any at all? How many wasted manhours and taxpayer dollars have been poured down that useless sinkhole?
 
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