Spying and sneaking into government facilities is often seen in movies, pop-culture, and other forms of media; but its also a hobby that many Americans regularly partake in. Across our nation people wake up every morning to go watch and record aircraft, trains, military convoys, and even sneak into "top secret" sites all over. This hobby can be dangerous at times, but those who enjoy it love the thrill of adventure and enjoy knowing what the average citizen will never learn. This hobby has been around for decades and has recently gained steam online with the release of social media circles and videos dedicated to documenting, sharing, and discussing this odd hobby and those who do it.
Transcript:
JMC: When many people think of spying they think of the CIA and spy thrillers, but there's many hobbies in the United States of America that could be considered spying.
[Traffic sounds in the background]
JMC: One of these hobbies is tail-spotting where plane watchers record the numbers on the back of aircrafts and find out where they're going.
JMC: What do you know about tail-spotters and what are your experiences with that?
Andy (a pilot at Murfreesboro Airport): My experiences with tail-spotters include, you know I fly on a daily basis and often times there's people at the airport, they'll be sitting at the parking lot by the airport and siting there watching planes take off and fly. So typically at-least two or three, maybe four, people at the airport who are actively watching airplanes take off, land, take photos ... take photos of them - stuff like that.
JMC: This hobby isn't just aircraft - it includes military vehicles, and train yards even - recording the numbers on the sides of the vehicles and trains.
[Sounds of a train passing nearby]
JMC: Part of spying as a fun filled hobby is illegal tourism - going places behind closed gates and fences to explore what the government has left behind.
Professor Larry Burris: I think one of the oddest hobbies around is what I call top secret tourism, and this is visiting top secret places. I have a friend whose made a living writing books about bizarre tourist attractions - there are people who like to visit top secret government sites - you get to take pictures of the signs and there are dozens of them all over the country, maybe some in your back yard in-fact, that are secret facilities that you can't get into but its just part of the top secret tourism business.
[Sounds of tall grass rustling and a clanking fence]
JMC: This has been a report by Jon Mark Castleman from the Castle project - signing off.
[Sounds of backpacks being drug under a fence through the grass and the fence clanking]
DISCLAIMER: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SNEAK INTO CONTROLLED LOCATIONS, IT IS DANGEROUS BOTH LEGALLY AND PHYSICALLY AND SHOULD ONLY BE DONE BY PROFESSIONALS OR THOSE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCE IN SUCH FIELDS. THERE IS NO ADMISSION OF GUILT IN THIS VIDEO AND ALL FILMING WAS DONE WITHIN SAFE ENVIRONMENTS BY PROFESSIONALS.
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