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Logan International Airport: Difference between revisions
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===Terminal B Parking Garage=== | ===Terminal B Parking Garage=== | ||
The problem with the Terminal B Garage is that Massachusetts State Police - Troop F (the group which patrols the airport along with the MassPort people) is rather Gestapo-ish in their "enforcement", which, in many cases, includes harassing spotters on top of the Terminal B garage. There aren't any regulations (TSA, FAA, or otherwise) which prohibit photography, but that fact doesn't seem to stop these guys. I've personally | The problem with the Terminal B Garage is that Massachusetts State Police - Troop F (the group which patrols the airport along with the MassPort people) is rather Gestapo-ish in their "enforcement", which, in many cases, includes harassing spotters on top of the Terminal B garage. There aren't any regulations (TSA, FAA, or otherwise) which prohibit photography, but that fact doesn't seem to stop these guys. I've personally had trouble about half the time I've been spotting on top of the garage. Here's a rundown. First time (May 19, 2005), my friend and I were up there for maybe 30-45 minutes around 5PM, and nobody even came to talk to us about what we were doing. Second time, I was there by myself, and a guy in a MassPort pickup came by (after I'd been up there for maybe 20 minute) and told me very politely that it probably wasn't a good idea for me to be taking pictures, as people might get overly suspicious, seeing as how it was September 11th (something I hadn't realized, actually). The third time, it was actually about half-past midnight on the morning of October 29th, 2005, and I was there for maybe 45 minutes before it got just too cold to be up there. Nobody came by to stop me that time, but I attribute that to it being the middle of the night. The fourth time, I was there on a Friday afternoon in early November 2005 around 3:30, and I hadn't even gotten my camera out before a lady in a Massport truck came up and told me that I wasn't allowed to take pictures. I politely asked her which organization was preventing me from taking pictures, and she called two people from MSPD-Troop F, and told me that "the state police will be right up to inform you". I finally thought I'd get some info regarding just who it was that was so opposed to me taking pictures. I stood around for a few mintues watching the traffic (I'd put my camera away at this point), while the lady from Massport sat in her truck and watched me (at least thats what I think she was doing--she was behind me, so I couldn't see her). When the trooper finally arrived, our conversation went like this: | ||
Trooper: Didn't she [the lady from Massport] tell you you can't take pictures? <br> | Trooper: Didn't she [the lady from Massport] tell you you can't take pictures? <br> | ||
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That's been the worst interaction with police that I have personally had while spotting, but there have been some horror stories about people having their gear taken away for a while by the police while they sit somewhere and wait (I can only imagine that they aren't really doing anything with the equipment, just making you wait for the fun of it). I suppose its really spot-at-your-own risk at this locations. I would imagine, however, that if you went at night (such as I did that one time), that nobody would be around to bother you, so that may be a better option for this location. | That's been the worst interaction with police that I have personally had while spotting, but there have been some horror stories about people having their gear taken away for a while by the police while they sit somewhere and wait (I can only imagine that they aren't really doing anything with the equipment, just making you wait for the fun of it). I suppose its really spot-at-your-own risk at this locations. I would imagine, however, that if you went at night (such as I did that one time), that nobody would be around to bother you, so that may be a better option for this location. | ||
Another possibility for avoiding too much police and MassPort attention is to spot from Level 4, instead of the roof (Level 5). While this limits your view to takeoffs on 27 and the 22's, and landings on 9, and the 4's (all in the afternoon), the general consensus is that the MassPort trucks patrol this level much less frequently. Be careful, though, if you do run into one, since the one good spotting location on this level has a "no trespassing" sign posted right near it (it's basically impossible to argue you missed seeing it), so its probably a good idea avoiding any confrontation with the authorities at this spot. | |||
==Regular Traffic== | ==Regular Traffic== | ||