Tag Archives: Howard Beach

Known to Howard Beach residents as simply “plane nuts,” family, friends and fellow hobbyists will be sure not to forget the man who introduced the now widely popularized art to them in Summer 2003.

Matt Molnar, co-founder of NYCAviation—an aviation enthusiast and planespotting organization based out of New York—passed away on January 24 at the age of 33. Longtime friend and co-founder of NYCAviation, Phil Derner Jr., started the group with Mr. Molnar in the form of a weekly newsletter nearly a decade ago when their combined aviation interest was mounting. After realizing the rapid increase in the publication’s number of subscribers, the two launched NYCAviation.com in Spring 2005.

Planespotters—the term the two co-founders dubbed aviation enthusiasts who seek out commercial aircraft at airports, photograph them, and track their journeys across the globe—wasn’t originally NYCAviation’s primary market, however. “Matt wanted to cater to aviation enthusiasts to report the news,” Mr. Derner reported on his blog on January 26. The newsletter’s readers wanted information about the pictures the that had taken and published by the two, they wanted information on how to photograph commercial aircraft flying past them at 200 MPH, but they mainly wanted tips on where they could capture aircraft from the angles Messrs. Molnar and Derner were getting their shots from.

Soon enough, Mr. Derner reengineered NYCAviation.com to cater more toward the planespotting hobby, consisting of maps of airports with key locations to pull off an impeccable shot, photography tips during different points of the day, and good locations to pickup some food while not missing the opportunity to shoot the next arriving aircraft. Today, NYCAviation’s website picks up over 26,000 views a day, consists of over 2,000 members, and no longer serves the New York area exclusively.

Much of the organization’s ten-year success must be accredited to Mr. Molner. “I always felt in debt to [Matt] and always will,” Mr. Derner wrote in his blog on the things his co-founder contributed to the hobby. Although the 33-year-old veteran may no longer be an asset to the hobbyists and their cameras, they will be sure not to forget the man who introduced them to the activity as they continue to shoot 300,000 lb. aircraft flying low overhead.