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Go plane spotting

Discover, observe, and record the amazing world of planes soaring above you!

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You’ll need

  • Pens or pencils
  • Weather appropriate clothing
  • Notebook or plane spotting log
  • Binoculars (optional)
  • Clipboards or something to lean on (optional)
  • Field guide or pictures of planes (optional)

Before you begin

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There’s also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment including examples.
  • Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help.

Planning this activity

  • Choose an appropriate place to watch planes. Make sure it’s somewhere you can safely stay, move around and watch them. This might be just outside your meeting place, a nature reserve or at an airport viewing platform.
  • If visiting an airfield, read our access to airfield information. 
  • You may want people to bring something to sit or lie on, such as a picnic blanket. 

Running the activity

  1. Go to the outdoor space or meet at the chosen venue.
  2. Explain the boundaries of the area and where the no-go zones are.
  3. Remind people to be calm and quiet, respect other users and wildlife, and to take their litter home or put it in a bin.
  4. If you’re moving around in a public space, young people should be paired up so no young person is left alone and they should move together. You should point out where an adult will always be for anyone needing help and designate a memorable meeting spot.
  5. When everyone’s ready, find a comfortable spot to stand, sit or lie down and watch the sky.
  6. Ask people to write down or draw the things they spot. You could also create a bingo card. You can find some ideas of things to watch out for on this page. 
  7. See who can spot the most planes.
  8. At the end, gather together and discuss what you found.
  • Airline name: Can you spot names on the plane, such as British Airways, EasyJet or Ryanair?
  • Plane size: Is the plane big (such as a jumbo jet) or small (such as a training or private plane)?
  • Type of aircraft: Try to find out the model or type of plane (such as Boeing or Airbus), or even military planes (such as fighter jets).
  • Number of engines: Does the plane have two or four engines? Check under the wings!
  • Jet engines or propellers? Is it a jet engine with smooth tubes? Or a propeller with spinning blades?
  • Special colours or designs: What colour is it? Some planes have pictures, a recognisable colour (such as EasyJet and orange or Jet2 and red) or fancy design.
  • Registration code: Look near the tail for a code that starts with G-. That means it's from the UK!
  • Wing and tail shapes: Are the wings straight or curved? What shape is the tail?
  • Landing gear: Can you see the wheels coming out or going in when the plane lands or takes off?
  • Moving parts on the wings: Watch the flaps and spoilers move up or down to help the plane fly or slow down.
  • Contrails: These are the white trails in the sky behind high-flying planes.
  • Engine sounds: Can you hear the plane? Some planes are loud and roar, others are quiet or whiny.
  • Flag or logo on the tail: Lots of planes have their country’s flag or a logo on the back.
  • Planes from other countries: You might be able to tell if it’s a plane from another country depending on the airline, such as SwissAir, Emirates, Lufthansa or Qatar. You could also try to spot a country flag.
  • Military planes or old planes : Sometimes you might see a grey military jet or an older-looking plane.
  • Helicopters or gliders: These don’t look like normal planes – can you spot one?
  • Airport vehicles: Look for trucks that move luggage, vehicles that fuel planes, or vehicles that push planes back from the gate.

Reflection

This activity gave everyone a chance to learn something new, use their observation skills, and have fun spotting planes together.

During the activity, everyone had the opportunity to see different types of aircraft, notice their shapes, sounds, and movements, and record what they observed. You spent time outside looking up at the sky and paying close attention to the planes flying overhead.

  • What types of planes do people remember seeing?
  • Did anyone notice how different planes move or sound?
  • Did anyone spot a plane with unusual colours or markings? What made it stand out?
  • Did everyone enjoy watching the planes? How did it feel to spend time quietly observing the sky?
  • Did anyone point out interesting planes to someone else?
  • Who helped their friends spot new or different types of aircraft?
  • How did it feel to work together and share your observations as a team?
  • Did anyone find the activity relaxing or calming?
  • Did watching the planes help you focus or feel more curious?
  • How did you feel after the activity? Did you feel refreshed and ready for the next adventure?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.

Outdoor activities

You must have permission to use the location. Always check the weather forecast, and inform parents and carers of any change in venue.

Visits away from your meeting place

Complete a thorough risk assessment and include hazards, such as roads, woodland, plants, animals, and bodies of water (for example, rivers, ponds, lakes, and seas). You’ll probably need more adult helpers than usual. Your risk assessment should include how many adults you need. The young people to adult ratios are a minimum requirement. When you do your risk assessment, you might decide that you need more adults than the ratio specifies. Think about extra equipment that you may need to take with you, such as high visibility clothing, a first aid kit, water, and waterproofs. Throughout the activity, watch out for changes in the weather and do regular headcounts. 

  • Make sure the location you visit, the route you take, and any equipment are accessible for everyone. For example, you might need to consider wheelchair-friendly paths, allergies, avoiding steps, public transport access, or planning regular breaks. Forests and woodlands with well-maintained footpaths or purpose-built roads can be more accessible than wild terrain. The best way to check if a site meets your group’s needs is to visit beforehand. If you can’t visit, ask the land manager any questions in advance. You could also visit the area before the session to remove or cordon off any large or obvious obstacles.
  • If someone is prone to running away, make sure the area is safe and well supervised. You might need extra adults to watch key exit points. It’s a good idea to include this information in their support plan or your risk assessment to keep everyone safe.
  • If someone’s sensitive to loud noises, remind everyone to keep the volume down or people could wear ear defenders. You could also choose somewhere where you won’t hear planes that’s away from busy roads, or has access to a quieter indoor area.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Air Activities Stage 2

Try some of our other air-related activities or visit an airfield and see an aircraft close up.

Young people could choose where to go plane spotting or make bingo cards.