Embry‑Riddle Undergrad Connects Plane Spotting Hobby to Future in Aviation Business Interested in airports and aircraft since the age of three, Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University undergraduate Noah Escobar began photographing planes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Plane spotting is my hobby,” Escobar said, “trying to photograph as many aircraft as I can, rare to common, and sell them to airlines or regular people who may have flown them.” Capturing a National News Moment That hobby landed Escobar at the center of national news coverage in December, when a United Airlines flight departing Dulles experienced an engine failure shortly after takeoff. “I hadn’t plane spotted there since August,” Escobar said. “Right when I got there, there was a fire.” Within minutes, Escobar’s footage drew attention from reporters who wanted to interview him. “I made sure not to speculate — only say what I saw,” he said. “Right on takeoff, the engine failed. No more than 30 seconds into the flight, they yelled ‘mayday, mayday, mayday,’ circled around, dumped fuel south of the airport, and then came in.” The flight crew “did an amazing job,” he added. For Escobar, the moment reinforced how closely plane spotting and aviation knowledge intersect. “Plane spotting helps you understand aviation a lot better,” he said. “The airlines, how they work, their scheduling and the types of aircraft they use.”
“I was in about seventh or eighth grade when COVID hit,” he said. “I had nothing to do like everyone else, and I would just watch videos of aircraft going in and out of any airport in the world.” Inspired, he asked his mother to take him to Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, where he saw an Emirates A380 arrive on a rainy morning. “You could see all the spray from the takeoff and landing,” he said. Escobar soon began returning to airports around his hometown in the Washington, D.C., area, teaching himself photography through trial and error. “I really started messing with the camera until I liked the photos and how they came out,” he said. In December 2023, his work reached a new level when he became a photographer for AirlineGeeks.com, a major aviation media outlet. He also launched his own photography business, DMV Flights, selling images to airlines and aviation enthusiasts while building a growing digital audience on YouTube and Instagram.
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