Spotters Area - Serials and Airfield Logs - Guidelines

[Zymurgy661]

Over recent months it has become apparent that there is a lack of clarity around the ‘Spotters Area – Serials and Airfield logs section’ and the information that should be posted within. Whilst the team are looking at a restructuring of some sections and more detailed guidelines, it’s clear that in the interim something needs to be in place for the section to ensure that members are clear on what information to post and so that moderators have a set of guidelines to clearly work against.

Therefore, in the interim until the wider restructure work is clear, the following guidelines for the section should be followed when posting -

The 'Spotters Area - Serials and Airfields Logs' Section is designed to hold information that is related to defined geographical areas and, where viable, specific airbases within that area.

These guidelines are intended to help clarify the types of posts that are expected within the section -

- Movement & logs from airfield visits (no matter how complete although obviously please use common sense as to level of detail included)
- Requests for specific log information such as a serial or callsign tie up at a base
- Airfield specific viewing information such as parking areas, facilities, places to avoid etc
- Airfield specific unit information such as based aircraft and unit lists
- Other Airfield specific questions that are appropriate

The section is not for posting -

- Live movement information - please post this within heads up / ott sections
- Photo threads from visits - please post these in the relevant photography section

If you have any queries then please contact a staff member via PM or using the ‘report post’ function

Simply speaking - if the aircraft IS in the air and you are looking at it/listening to it on the radio when you post then it should be in heads up/ott, if it WAS in the air in the past then in the airfield logs section.

We appreciate that some may wish to post a ‘heads up’ in a particular airfield section regarding a live movement however this really should be posted within the ‘heads up/ott’ section at this time. The reasoning behind this is that aircraft still in the air can obviously transit many bases at one time. This could lead to, for example, a RAF Northolt flight shooting approaches at Brize, Valley, Waddington and then Lakenheath before returning to base. If live movements are then posted in each airfield section then that leads to 5 posts for the same flight along with a thread in ‘heads up/ott’ which covers the real time monitoring of the entire flight. This duplication of information can make it very confusing and there is no benefit to have 6 threads monitoring the same aircrafts flight.

The subject of splitting heads up/ott into a looser geographical organisation has been discussed in the past by the team and also with some members. Whilst it might help in some regards, the nature of an aircrafts movement around the country means a moderator would have to continually move the thread around the sections as the aircraft moves into them – something that just isn’t viable for a team that is all volunteers.

And finally, can we reiterate the final statement. If you feel a post is not in the correct section then PM a member of staff or use the report post function (the exclamation mark button) to bring it to the teams attention. Posts in the thread claiming it to be in the wrong section will be removed in line with the above and repeated posts of this manner will lead to restriction of posting ability.

[2e1var]

Can we have some clarity on this please. Last week admin requested that Fairford moves are put in heads up, as per the above rules. Yesterday admin moved my U2 post from heads up to Fairford. My personal view is that moves go in heads up but if Fairford is going to an exception then fair enough, can we just make it official and have everyone singing from the same hymn sheet.

Thank you

[POL]

Do it for Fairford, do it for all of them. Absolute pee take that a few people who contribute oh fudge all to the wider forum get their own way.

[Gary]

I’ve put another post on the daily thread saying tracking info should be in heads up

[2e1var]

Thanks for clarifying Gary

[Stuch17]

Thanks so much for important information!