Brisbane\u2019s plane spotters are pulling blockbuster numbers online, turning a once fringe hobby into a YouTube juggernaut with viral streams, global fans and audiences topping 200,000 for major airport moments.<\/p>\n
What began with a camera pointed at the runway has erupted into one of the city\u2019s most unexpected digital success stories, as local livestreamers Only Planes Network<\/a> and Julia Flights<\/a> \ufeff rack up millions of views and tens of thousands of subscribers to see them broadcast aircraft movements in real time.<\/p>\n The YouTube stars are high-profile members of the plane spotting community \u2013 a dedicated subculture of aviation enthusiasts who track, photograph, and document aircraft movements. <\/p>\n While still considered a niche interest, plane spotting has exploded in popularity due to social media and accessibility to flight-tracking apps such as Flightradar24. <\/p>\n The movement has grown so big, Brisbane Airport recently opened \u201cFellowship Place\u201d, a new plane spotting location that provides a more elevated, and closer view of aircraft at the airport from the Acacia St loop. <\/p>\n The Only Planes Network run by James Haddow and Matthew Finlay has already made use of the new plane spotting area with a livestream at the launch event. <\/p>\n Normally, the duo stream aircraft movement and special arrivals at Brisbane Airport every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday evenings. <\/p>\n Their YouTube channel has a significant following with 53.6k subscribers, as well as a dedicated and loyal fanbase with each stream regularly attracting in excess of 10k views. <\/p>\n The channel has collected over 9m views since it was established in June 2023, while the most popular streams have exceeded 100,000 views. <\/p>\n Mr Haddow said the channel has humble beginnings. <\/p>\n \u201cMy dad is a pilot so that\u2019s where my passion comes from,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I had the concentration to be able to be a pilot so plane spotting was the next best thing. <\/p>\n \u201cWe started off pretty small, we had one, two, three people tune in on the first couple of shows and it seemed a bit silly. <\/p>\n \u201cBut it didn\u2019t take long before it, excuse the pun, took off.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Haddow said their most popular livestream was the final aircraft movements in the lead up to Tropical Cyclone Alfred making landfall, while a broadcast featuring the world\u2019s largest cargo aircraft \u2013 the Antonov An-124 \u2013 also drew an audience. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen all the planes were flying out of Brisbane going elsewhere, that was our most popular show ever, we had close to 200,000 people tune in for that one, it was pretty insane,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cWe did a show for the Antonov An-124 and there were hundreds of people at the plane spotting area, which was great to see. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was a real demonstration of how popular plane spotting has become.\u201d <\/p>\n Another prominent livestreamer at Brisbane Airport is Julia Andrews of Julia Flights. <\/p>\n A lifelong plane spotter who went onto work as a ground staff member at Madrid-Barajas International Airport, Spain, Ms Andrews started her channel in November 2022 and has grown her following over the years to 42k subscribers. <\/p>\n Hosted by herself and partner Gavin Andrews, the livestreams are broadcast every Saturday and Sunday morning on YouTube and regularly attract over 10k views, while the JuliaFlights channel has drawn over 12m views since it was launched. <\/p>\n The channel\u2019s most popular video was streamed in the lead up to Tropical Cyclone Alfred making landfall, with a video of a Qantas Dash 8 aircraft battling extreme winds as it landed at Brisbane Airport on March 8, 2025 going viral.<\/p>\n Ms Andrews said she didn\u2019t expect anything to come from her livestreams. <\/p>\n \u201cFor me it was a hobby, we were just going to do it for ourselves, because we love spending time at the airport, watching planes,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cWe were like if no one watches that is fine, we\u2019re just going to have fun anyways, but we started to grow our own little audience.\u201d<\/p>\n Their audience consists of aviation enthusiasts, pilots and air traffic controllers at Brisbane Airport, as well as people from across the globe. <\/p>\n \u201cA lot of airport workers, as well as amazing people from the industry started watching and we were like \u2018oh my god, this is next level,\u2019 so that kept us motivated,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cWe honestly never imagined we would have over 42,000 subscribers and viewers tuning in from around the world, so it\u2019s grown far beyond what we expected and we\u2019re incredibly grateful for our viewers and that people really enjoy what we\u2019re showing.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms Andrews has grown such a following that one fan flew all the way from the United States of America to watch on as she livestreamed, got back on a plane and flew back to America. <\/p>\n \u201cJeff flew all the way from Washington DC to Brisbane Airport just to meet us in person,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019d come there and just hang out with us on the weekend and yeah went home.\u201d<\/p>\n Brisbane Airport spokesman Peter Doherty said the livestreamers are putting Brisbane on the global map. <\/p>\n \u201cThey are giving people around the world a real-time window into our airport and showcasing the strength of our network, with 63 domestic destinations and 35 international connections,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cFew airports can match the diversity of aircraft on display at Brisbane, from an A380 to Royal Flying Doctor Service aircraft, LifeFlight jets and helicopters, and the world\u2019s largest fleet of Fokkers, which are a particular favourite with viewers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re also seeing a rise in special livery aircraft, with these eye-catching flying billboards adding another dimension for aviation enthusiasts.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile online audiences continue to grow, we\u2019re also seeing increasing demand from people who want to watch aircraft in real life, which is why Fellowship Place has already proven popular with visitors.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Brisbane\u2019s plane spotters are pulling blockbuster numbers online, turning a once fringe hobby into a YouTube juggernaut 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