SPOTM 2026 Calendar of topics

[andygolfer]

this is the calendar for SPOTM 2026, I hope there is something for everybody. Thanks to Pete (LondonEye) for suggesting some of the categories

January: A twin engined prop aircraft

February: Westland helicopters (including joint projects such as Agusta Westland)

March: Emergency services aircraft – such as air ambulances, police , coastguard

April: The Pacific Rim - aircraft registered in Pacific bordering countries and islands west of the International date line excluding Australia, China and Russia. Although it is landlocked so not actually on the Pacific coast I will accept aircraft registered in Laos.

May: Heads Up- any civilian aircraft photographed head on

June: Cessna Biz-Jets

July: British holiday airlines of the past (either defunct or absorbed into other companies)

August: A civilian registered aircraft preserved in a museum

September: Lufthansa celebrate 100 years this year so any Lufthansa airliner past or present

October: An aircraft at a British airshow in 2026

November: Country name – an airline whose title contains an actual country name not language (eg Air France or Icelandair but not British Airways or American Airlines)

December: ANGEL - an aircraft containing at least three of the letters in ANGEL in registration, with an extra bonus point if you can use all 5 letters

Andy

[waghorn41]

Okay, quick questions about validity of country name.
Hong Kong formerly a British colony now a special zone of PRC
China Airlines - a Taiwan airline but named China - actually not officially recognised as a separate country by the UK but doesn't call itself China.
Apart from that a great set of subject which, at the moment, I have entries for 10 of the 12.
Thanks for providing a great annual competition.

[andygolfer]

Okay, quick questions about validity of country name.
Hong Kong formerly a British colony now a special zone of PRC
China Airlines - a Taiwan airline but named China - actually not officially recognised as a separate country by the UK but doesn't call itself China.
Apart from that a great set of subject which, at the moment, I have entries for 10 of the 12.
Thanks for providing a great annual competition.

Hi Ian, I've thought about this overnight and haw to make the scope unambiguous and clear.
For the Pacific Rim (April ) competition I propose that to clarify 'China' anything with a 'B-' registration is excluded so that will rule out Taiwan and also Hong Kong post the return of the colony to China. However I will accept entries that feature Hong Kong (VR-) registered aircraft from the time when it was under British jurisdiction (i.e. up to the 1997 handover to China).
This may not be perfectly correct politically but I think this (no B- registered aircraft) is the clearest was of defining the scope of the topic.

I have just realised that Aeroflot in particular have many leased aircraft registered outside of Russia but to keep it within the Pacific Rim scope I had better add that for the excluded countries aircraft operating for these countries on foreign registrations should be excluded, hopefully everyone will follow that proposal and not look for advantageous loopholes.

For the November competition an airline with China, Hong Kong or Taiwan in the title will be acceptable regardless of which of the three it is based in and in the case of Hong Kong - whether it was before or after 1997.

I hope that clears it up for you.
Andy