Airshow day checklist: gear, food and hearing protection

The alarm rings at five, the parking lot opens at six, the flying program ends in the early evening. In between lie ten to twelve hours at an airfield without shade, with fighter jets on afterburner and a line at every food stand. If you show up with a half-charged battery, no hat and no earplugs, you have had enough by noon. This checklist for airshow day sorts gear, food and hearing protection so that you are still fit in the evening and have cards full of pictures.

Airshow packing list: the short answer

For an airshow day you need four blocks: camera and tech (telephoto zoom, shorter lens, spare batteries, extra memory cards, power bank), body and weather (hearing protection, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, rain jacket, comfortable shoes), food (water in a refillable bottle, snacks, something savory) and organization (ticket, cash and card, program, house rules read). Where allowed, add a light seat. Everything the house rules forbid stays at home – above all the drone.

The difference from a normal spotting day lies in the duration and the place. At the airport fence you can walk to the car after two hours. At a big show, after entry you are often on the grounds for the whole day, the way back to the parking lot takes time, and restocking costs time in line. What you do not have with you in the morning, you are without until evening.

Block 1: camera and tech

Which focal lengths and settings you need for jets, propellers and aerobatic teams is explained in detail in the guide Photographing airshows. Here it is about what goes in the bag.

• Telephoto zoom for the flying program: The display line is at a safety distance from the audience; in Germany, particularly strict rules have applied since the Ramstein airshow disaster of 1988. Zooms in the range of 100–400 mm or 150–600 mm are standard. The comparison of 100-400 mm telephoto zooms gives an overview.
• Shorter lens for the static show: On the ground you often stand only a few meters from large aircraft. A standard zoom or wide-angle fits better there.
• Spare batteries: Burst shooting, image stabilization and long autofocus phases draw power. Plan at least twice as many batteries as for a normal spotting afternoon, fully charged the evening before.
• Memory cards: At least a second card, better a third. Which cards are good for fast bursts is in the article Memory cards for burst shooting.
• Power bank and cable: You need your phone for the ticket, program, map and contact with the group. On crowded grounds the network is often weak, and searching for reception drains the battery.
• Rain cover and microfiber cloth: A shower always comes at the wrong time at outdoor events. The cloth also helps against dust and sunscreen fingers on the front lens.
• Binoculars: Handy for reading the registrations of taxiing aircraft or recognizing distant formations. Tips on choosing are in the guide Binoculars for plane spotters.

If you want to listen in on airband radio, check the legal situation in the host country beforehand. What applies in Germany is explained in Listening to airband radio: the legal situation; which devices are suitable is in Buying an airband scanner.

Bag or backpack?

For a long day, a backpack with a hip belt is almost always more comfortable than a shoulder bag. It distributes the weight and leaves your hands free for camera and drink. Look for a compartment you can open quickly, because at big shows bags are checked at entry. The Air Tattoo announces in its FAQ that it searches every bag and advises light luggage to keep waiting times short. The article Camera backpacks and bags compares models for long telephoto lenses. How to keep an eye on expensive gear in a crowd is in Protecting photo equipment.

Block 2: hearing protection

Hearing protection is the item that gets short shrift on most packing lists. Fighter jets in a display, especially with the afterburner on, are among the loudest sound sources you experience as a spectator. The problem is less the single pass than the sum: You stand six, eight or ten hours at the show line, and in the evening your ears ring. The background on levels, attenuation values and limits is explained in the guide Aircraft noise and hearing.

Hearing protection	For whom	Advantage	Drawback
Foam earplugs	Adults, as basic equipment	cheap, small, high attenuation	must be inserted correctly, single-use
Flanged earplugs	Adults who switch often	quick in and out, reusable	fit varies with the ear canal
Earmuffs	Children, anyone standing for a long time	quickly put on and taken off, secure fit	warm in summer, interferes with sunglasses or hat
Custom earplugs	Frequent spotters and photographers	tailored, comfortable for hours	more expensive, made by an audiologist

A few rules for show day:

• Put them in before the first display, not only when the first jet thunders past. With children especially, the shock is otherwise greater than necessary.
• Pack a spare. Foam earplugs like to fall into the grass. A second pair weighs nothing.
• Children need earmuffs. For small children, child-size earmuffs are the right choice; plugs fit poorly in small ear canals. The Air Tattoo explicitly recommends hearing protection for babies and small children but, according to its own FAQ, does not lend any; the models sold there, according to the organizer, do not necessarily fit babies and very small children. So bring it yourself. More on the family outing is in the guide Plane spotting with children.
• Distance helps additionally. A few meters farther from the crowd line, the starting point or the area where jets spool up their engines noticeably lowers the exposure.

Block 3: body and weather

Airfields are flat, wide and almost without trees. What is annoying after two hours at the airport fence becomes a real problem at an airshow: Sun, wind and rain hit you with no way to escape. The topic is covered in depth in the guide Plane spotting in summer.

Sun protection

The Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (BfS) advises seeking shade around midday from a UV index of 3 and, from a UV index of 8, spending the midday hours indoors if possible. Neither is really possible at an airshow, because the main program runs exactly then. So the protection stays on your body:

• Wide-brimmed hat or cap with neck protection. According to the BfS, clothing and headwear are the simplest and most effective protection.
• Sunglasses with a UV-400 rating and good side coverage. You look into the bright sky for hours.
• Sunscreen with at least SPF 30, for children and very fair skin SPF 50+, with UV-A and UV-B filters. Apply generously, about half an hour before going out, and reapply several times. Reapplying does not extend the protection, it only maintains it.
• Long, light clothing instead of a tank top. Shoulders and neck burn especially fast when looking up.

Asphalt and light surfaces additionally reflect UV radiation; according to the BfS, the exposure can thereby be higher than the UV index indicates. An overcast morning is therefore no all-clear, not even for the afternoon. If you plan for the sun beforehand, you are also better off photographically: How to determine the direction of light at the display line is shown in the guide Planning the sun position.

Rain, wind and cold

Airshows take place in almost any weather; only the flying program is adjusted for low cloud or strong wind. A light rain jacket that fits in a side pocket therefore belongs in your pack even in high summer. In the morning and evening it often gets cooler than expected on open ground; a thin fleece jacket helps. For shows in autumn or in the mountains, such as the Axalp Fliegerschiessen, this applies all the more. More tips for spotting in bad weather are in Plane spotting in bad weather.

Shoes and sitting

You walk from the parking lot to the entrance, through the static show, to the crowd line, to the food stand and back. Comfortable, broken-in shoes with firm tread matter more than any lens. Grass can be wet in the morning, paths dusty or muddy.

For the hours at the show line, a light seat is worthwhile: folding stool, folding chair or seat cushion. Whether it is allowed and where you may set it up is set by the event. At the Air Tattoo, according to its FAQ, folding chairs, picnic blankets as well as step ladders and shelters up to 1.5 meters in height are permitted, at least ten meters from the crowd line. Full-size canopies and tents are not allowed there. What applies at a normal airport fence is in the article Ladders, steps and tripods at the airport fence.

Block 4: food

The food stands at big shows are well stocked, but full at lunchtime. If you stand in line, you may miss exactly the display you came for. Your own food saves time and money, provided the event allows it. The Air Tattoo explicitly allows your own food and drink and provides free water points on the grounds where you can refill your bottle. Other organizers restrict this, so: read up beforehand.

• Water in a refillable bottle. In heat you drink considerably more than on a normal day, and while photographing you often notice thirst only late.
• Something salty and savory: sandwiches, nuts, crackers. After hours in the sun that is more pleasant than only sweets.
• Fruit and bars for the quick breaks between two displays.
• Cooler bag with an ice pack if you are out for a long time and the house rules allow it.
• No glass bottles if the event bans them – at large events that is often the case.
• The grill stays at home. At the Air Tattoo, grills are banned on the grounds and parking lots; it is similar at other shows.

Plan your meal deliberately: Many spotters eat during a less interesting program item or before the flying program starts. A look at the schedule shows you where there is a gap.

Block 5: organization and paperwork

The least spectacular block often decides whether the day starts relaxed.

• Ticket digital and as a printout. A dead phone battery at the entrance is annoying.
• Cash and card. Many stands accept card payment, but not all. At the Air Tattoo there are ATMs on the grounds, for which, according to the organizer, a fee applies.
• Program and site map saved offline, including the location of toilets, water points and the first-aid point.
• Travel sorted out. Big shows attract tens of thousands of visitors. Shuttle buses, parking assignment and departure traffic jams are part of the planning. General tips are in the guide Getting to the spot.
• Meeting point for the group. In a crowd and with weak network, it is hard to find each other again. Agree on a fixed point.
• Small first-aid kit: Plasters for blisters, headache tablets, your own medication. If you take medication regularly, check whether it increases light sensitivity – the BfS explicitly points this out.

What stays at home

Just as important as the packing list is the list of things that are not allowed on the grounds at an airshow or only bring you trouble. The details are in the house rules of each event; typical points are:

Why drones over crowds are off limits on principle is explained in the article Drones over residential areas and crowds. At a flying display, there is the added fact that crewed aircraft are moving at high speed in the airspace above the field.

The routine: from the evening before to the trip home

What to watch for

• The house rules beat any checklist. Rules differ from show to show and year to year. This article gives examples; you find the current version only with the organizer.
• Keep an eye on weight. Two lenses, spare batteries, water and a chair quickly add up to ten kilos. Leave out what you do not need at an airshow, such as the tripod.
• Respect the distance to the crowd line. Barriers and marshals’ instructions have a safety background – not only in Germany.
• Take heat seriously. Headache, dizziness or nausea are warning signs. Then get into the shade, drink and, when in doubt, speak to the medical service.
• Do not aim at the sun. Formations often also fly figures in front of the sun. Pointing the viewfinder directly at the sun can damage your eye and the sensor.

Which events are most worthwhile for spotters is shown in the overview Airshows in Europe. If you like it more military, you will find information on the NATO Tiger Meet, on AIRPOWER in Zeltweg and on the Bundeswehr Day. An overview of the teams in the sky is given by Aerobatic teams of Europe.

Conclusion

An airshow day demands more preparation than an afternoon at the airport fence, because you are out for a long time, without shade and without a quick way back to the car. The camera gear is almost the easiest part: telephoto zoom, shorter lens, enough batteries and cards. What is decisive are the things that get your body through the day – hearing protection, sun protection, water and comfortable shoes. And above all the house rules: What is allowed at the Air Tattoo can be banned at the next show. You will find the general packing list for normal spotting days in the gear checklist.