They call themselves the name I thought they would loathe, the name most of us know them by — plane spotters.
Yep, they’re plane spotters, proud and passionate.
Who knows — they probably wouldn't even object to the name "Av Geeks", because they're plainly happy just doing their plane thing.
At Auckland Airport, you'll spot them at the eastern end of the runway or on the top floor of a car park towering over the domestic terminal.
The views and photo potential from both are reasonably good and, this week, six aviation enthusiasts found their way inside the security fence — with the blessing of airport bosses.
They won their spot on the side of the runway in a social media photo competition, with the shutterbugs revelling in their up-close encounters with Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A350s "heavies" through to regional ATR 72s and de Havilland Q300s.
Forty-five-year-old Lynley Quedley has an unabiding love for the Boeing 747 even though the queen of the skies is a fast-disappearing sight in skies around the world.
She cut short a trip to Melbourne to rush back and take up the airside opportunity.
"This is aviation heaven, the hallowed turf of the tarmac. You do not get this experience, you cannot buy this experience," she said.
Then there’s second-year med student Dave Lee, who shelled out almost $1000 to fly from Dunedin, and admits he has lost sleep in anticipation of the one-off opportunity.
"Everyone wants to come here and we are the chosen ones."
In two-and-a-half hours, he expects to take at least 1000 photos, many of those detailing the newest kid in town, the first-ever Delta Airlines flight to New Zealand.
There's set to be a big increase in flights travelling between Auckland and US this summer. (Source: 1News)
He describes the Delta Airbus A350-900 as a "machine of beauty."
"That's my favourite, it is so good."
Sixteen-year-old student William Hill-Young is also impressed but reveals he has a sentimental attachment to Air New Zealand's Airbus A320s, which service the main truck routes around the country.
"I have lots of good memories flying on an A320 to the South Island to see my grandparents when I was younger, so I've grown really fond of the A320.
"I know they're common. You see them every five minutes, but I like them nonetheless."
Lynley Quedley, when asked what was her measure of a good day photographing aircraft, replies with a beaming face: "When you go through the [memory] card and go 'yes, yes, yes, yes'.
"I've got everything I wanted, all the shots I wanted, all the angles I wanted."
And that's what brings her back day after day — spotting majestic machines in ever-changing flying and weather conditions.
Clearly, a plane is not "just a plane".
SHARE ME