The aviation reference
Search aviation.
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The gift
Flight attendant gifts for cabin crew
Flight attendant gifts here start from their working life: the aircraft type they crew, from a photo they took, or the code of the airport they are based at. The aircraft print turns that photo into one of five…
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The sky
Flight distance calculator
Pick two airports and see how far apart they are in miles, kilometres and nautical miles, and about how long the flight takes with no wind.
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The gift
Gifts for plane lovers
Gifts for plane lovers start with the aircraft they love most, even one they have never flown in, from a photo of it. For plane enthusiasts and aviation lovers without a photo, an airport they love works too.
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The gift
Gifts for student pilots, from first solo to licence
Gifts for student pilots land best on a training milestone: the first solo, the last theory exam, the skill test. Mark it with the aircraft they learn in. A photo of it goes into the aircraft print and comes ba…
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The sky
Heathrow airport code: LHR
Heathrow's three-letter airport code is LHR (IATA); its ICAO code is EGLL.
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The sky
How do planes fly?
A plane flies because its wings turn the air flowing past them, which holds the aircraft up. That gets explained two ways, by pressure and by Newton's third law, and NASA says both are correct.
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The sky
How fast do planes fly?
Today's larger airliners cruise at roughly 600 mph, about 80 per cent of the speed of sound, according to NASA. That works out at about 520 knots, or 965 km/h.
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The sky
How high do planes fly?
Passenger jets cruise at about 10 to 13 kilometres, according to Airbus. That is roughly 33,000 to 43,000 feet, or 6 to 8 miles up. It is a scale, not a set height for every plane, because performance, weight, …
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The gift
How to choose a gift that gets kept: aviation gift ideas
Start with their flying, photographs or favourite place, then compare the budget, occasion and whether they would enjoy a keepsake or an experience.
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Your aircraft
Manchester Airport plane spotting: the Runway Visitor Park and Concorde
The Runway Visitor Park beside the runways at Manchester Airport is run as a visitor attraction and keeps Concorde G-BOAC. Her cabin can only be seen on a booked guided tour.
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The sky
Phonetic alphabet translator
Type a name, an aircraft registration or an airport code and see it spelled the way pilots say it on the radio, from Alfa to Zulu. Copy the result with one tap.
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The gift
Pilot retirement gifts
For a pilot in commercial air transport, the end of a career is set partly by rule: a limit at 60 and another at 65. This page sets out what the rule says, then the gift for the last flight: their aircraft, fro…
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The sky
Plane identification: reading an aircraft's markings
Identifying an aircraft starts with the markings, not the shape. A UK civil aircraft carries a G- registration that anyone can search on the CAA's G-INFO register, and the name a controller uses on the radio is…
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The sky
Plane parts, explained: what each part of an aircraft does
The main plane parts, as NASA Glenn's guide sets them out, are the wings, which make most of the lift, the fuselage that holds everything together, the tail that keeps the aircraft flying straight, and the engi…
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Your aircraft
Plane spotting apps and equipment: what helps first
Plane spotting apps and equipment come down to three jobs: an app helps identify a flight, binoculars help you observe it, and a camera helps you keep a picture. Choose the task first: buying more equipment doe…
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Your aircraft
Plane spotting at Gatwick: what the airport provides
Gatwick says it has no dedicated plane viewing area. Passengers can have airfield views from some departure-side spaces, but that does not create a public spotting gallery for a visitor without a flight.
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Your aircraft
Plane spotting at Heathrow: where you can watch
Heathrow names one place for people who are not flying: a free covered viewing stand at the Heathrow Academy on Newall Road, looking over the northern runway. Some visitors report it closed, so read the section…
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Your aircraft
Plane spotting at Stansted: Plane Watch and Aerozone
Stansted has an enthusiast watch scheme and an education centre. Neither should be mistaken for unrestricted public access to airport land or a walk-in viewing gallery.
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Your aircraft
Plane spotting in the UK: where to watch planes near you
The easiest places to watch planes in the UK are the viewing areas airport operators have built. This guide covers three: Manchester's Runway Visitor Park, Birmingham's viewing area in Car Park 5, and the runwa…
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Your aircraft
Plane spotting photography: getting a print-worthy shot
For plane spotting photos worth printing, use a long lens, a shutter of 1/1000s or faster for jets (around 1/250s or slower for propellers), continuous autofocus and burst mode, and keep the sun behind you. The…
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The sky
Private pilot licence cost in the UK: build a real budget
A UK private pilot licence costs thousands of pounds, and published prices vary by school: Fife Flight Centre estimates £17,000–£19,000 for its 50–55-hour scenario, excluding the examiner’s fee; West London Aer…
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Help
Questions and help
Ordering, sizes, gift orders, vouchers, delivery and returns, and how to contact us.
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Your aircraft
RAF Brize Norton plane spotting: where people watch from
RAF Brize Norton plane spotting happens from public roads, footpaths and village streets around the airfield, because the station says there are no official viewing areas near it. What you watch from there is t…
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Your aircraft
RAF Coningsby plane spotting: the viewing area and the BBMF
RAF Coningsby plane spotting starts at the public viewing area on Dogdyke Road, Coningsby, LN4 4SY, which the station itself names and which has a free car park. A short way round the airfield, the Battle of Br…
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Your aircraft
RAF Fairford plane spotting: access and Park & View
You can watch at RAF Fairford from the Royal International Air Tattoo’s Park & View, a ticketed event with east and west viewing enclosures; we have not established a public viewing area for an ordinary day. A …
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Your aircraft
RAF Lakenheath plane spotting: where to watch the F-15E and F-35A
RAF Lakenheath plane spotting centres on the aircraft viewing area beside the A1065 in Suffolk, where enthusiasts gather to log the 48th Fighter Wing’s F-15Es and F-35As. It fills up early, and it is better for…
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Your aircraft
RAF Marham plane spotting: where to see the F-35B
RAF Marham plane spotting happens from public lanes and laybys on the Norfolk farmland around the airfield, because the station says it has no official viewing area. The prize is the F-35B Lightning, the only t…