Joan Carles Lacruz: "For us, traveling is just wandering around the airport."

Like so many things, Juan Carlos Lacruz's passion for photography and airplanes began by chance. Today, retired, he goes to El Prat airport every other day and is the president of the Barcelona Spotters Association.

Spotter He's observant, isn't he?

— Yes, it comes from World War II. From the British who positioned themselves on the coast to try to identify German aircraft.

And why did you start observing them?

— By chance. I discovered that El Prat Airport had an ideal spot to go with children, and it turned out the runway was right next to it. The feeling was incredible; the planes were flying by at 40-50 meters high. And I started seeing people with huge cameras.

Spotters.

— I discovered the platform where they set up to take photos, and I started going there alone, on my motorbike, with a small camera. And that was 20 years ago.

What do you like about watching airplanes?

— I like photography. And I understand that an airplane at 10,000 meters altitude doesn't mean much to you, but when you see it up close, at 50 meters… the sensations are indescribable. And many of them have drawings.

What drawings?

— The World Cup is coming up, and you can see it on a lot of planes. Today, for example, I photographed one that has the faces of the Moroccan players on it. And look how many I have…

Let's see?

— Disneyland Paris's 25th anniversary with Tinker Bell's face, Vueling's logo featuring the faces of the Barça women's team… And this one, which excited me because it's the world's largest commercial aircraft. It weighs 500 tons and is worth 500 million dollars.

But what do you like: capturing the moment? Taking the photo?

— I enjoy collecting airplanes. A colleague says it's like a never-ending collection of trading cards. Well, that's it. I have an Excel spreadsheet with over 10,000 registered airplanes.

And I understand that the appeal is that they are different.

— Of course, and it's not always easy. Right now, the world wants 10,000 planes, but many will never fly over Barcelona because they operate smaller routes through Asia or America. But there's a catch…

Which?

— Airbus has a factory in Toulouse. And when we can, we escape for 3 or 4 days and we can take Japanese planes, for example, that would never fly here.

So, he takes trips…

— Yes, with colleagues from the association we've been to many places. Albacete, for example, because for a few days each year they hold military leadership courses, NATO aircraft gather there, and conduct maneuvers. Also Zaragoza, Toulouse, Amsterdam…

But didn't you go to see Anne Frank's house or take a walk along the river?

— When are we going to do it? spotting, we do spottingCultural or family trips are for another time. I spent five days in Mallorca in August and didn't set foot on the beach. And the same in Amsterdam. For us, traveling means spending every day wandering around the airport.

So what about the trip?

— The Netherlands was crazy; Schiphol Airport is enormous. It has seven runways, and planes land and take off two at a time. You miss things... but you come back with tons of photos! My kids laugh at me.

What are they saying?

— They're screwed, because, well… it's crazy. They saw how, in the middle of a meal, I received a WhatsApp which warns that some plane has been diverted to El Prat, and I can get up from the table and go to the airport.

What's a typical day like in El Prat?

— I track incoming flights using an app called Flightradar. If necessary, I'm there at 7 a.m. And you often take the opportunity to chat with your colleagues. We're 110 members, and there's always someone to talk to while you're taking photos.

And have you thought about what you're going to do with all these photographs?

— I have a website where I upload the photos. But if you need more space, you have to pay. We try to make ours... hobby It shouldn't cost us much. But what we really like, if you find a nice plane, is showing it off.