::: Notice at the magazine Aero International (March 2004)

::: Interview: German press (FAZ) (2002)

::: My Passion:

I was born 19th of November 1966 near Cologne, Germany and begun my spotter-career in 1976 at my 'homebase' Cologne/Bonn Airport. Four years later, in 1980, my family and I went to a little city close to Frankfurt, where I finished school in 1988 still very interested in aircraft-spotting. After 15 month of wasted time spending in the German Bundeswehr I started my education with the German Air Traffic Control as an Flight Data Controller´s Assistant near Frankfurt. In 1992 my employer sent me to Munich Airport and 1996 back to Frankfurt. Here in Frankfurt I work in the ACC, and since 1999 with the licence to work as a FIS-Controller (VFR-flights below FL100).

My job allows me to do some other funny things like travelling, Skydiving and my Landrover (the ultimate car). Plane-Spotting and travelling is wonderful to combine, so I can say that I have now different 'homebases' for my hobby in the world. Until 1996 it was Ostend with more than 70 visits in 5 years and more than 100 Boeing 707´s during that time. Miami and Vancouver became familiar airports, and a guarantee for perfect weather, colourful aircraft and great photo locations are Phoenix Sky Harbor and Las Vegas.

During the last 10 years I often spent my complete holidays at the airport fences; I often chose a special destination because of the arrival of an aircraft I looked for several years or which I wanted to fly with (1995 Singapore-Bali-Lombok-Bangkok-Tour, because I wanted to fly Bali Air HS748 from Bali to Lombok, or the Africa-Tour in 1997 because Air Zimbabwe flew with B707 from Harare to Johannesburg every Tuesday and I wanted to be a passenger of that flight......Air Zimbabwe was on strike, but we took the Nationwide B727-1). These were all perfect tours with more than 160 flights around the world within that years.

These days are over now. I do not want to spend all my time at the airport. Some things became more important. But this will not mean, that I stop and end my hobby. It´s more fun for me to be 2 or 3 hours at a good airport during my stay in an interesting country, with good weather and very good photos. And if I miss an aicraft ...that doesn´t matter.

After 25 years of spotting I create this homepage to keep that time in mind and open for the public. I will put several pics from all the past years into this homepage, so don´t expect brandnew shots or almost 'computer-aircraft'.