Spotting 101

On this page, we will cover basic aviation topics specific to spotting. This is a guide meant for people new to spotting, or non-aviation people wanting to know a little more about our hobby.

The topics we will discuss are below.

• Zulu Time - What is it and why is it important?
• What did they say? - Radio basics and the phonetic alphabet
• Textual aviation weather - How to read and use it
• FAA Aviation Publications
• Why are runways numbered, and what do the numbers mean?
• Which runway is a plane landing on?

Coming soon:

• Guide to Houston area aircraft - A listing of all the types of airplanes that we see on a normal basis here in Houston, and how to identify them