Düsseldorf Airport is the third busiest airport in Germany. With 24,6 Mio. passengers in 2017, the airport topped their highest amount of PAX from the last year. Also they added various first class carriers during the past years which offer many national and international routes to the biggest metropols of Europe, North America and Asia. If you are looking for variety of airlines and airplanes Düsseldorf is the right place to be. Not only the excellent spotting locations make your trip to this city worth it, but also the city itself. With many connections to the inner and outer districts of the city you can easily discover all the facet of the most beautiful city next to the river rhine.
Eurowings have their biggest hubs for long haul operations in Düsseldorf. Germania, TUIfly and Condor offer a high amount of touristic destinations. Most of the intercontinental services from Asia and America are the very first flights to arrive when operations starts again at the airport (Singapore Airlines, Etihad, Air China, Delta Air Lines). The airport is restricted in its operations from 06:00AM to 23:00PM. Since the 5th of June 2016 Emirates serves their Dubai rotations with A380 twice a day. Singapore Airlines is bringing their brand new flagships of modern airliners to Düsseldorf (A350). ANA is also operating its Boeing 787 Dreamliner into Düsseldorf.
Düsseldorf is one of the spotter friendliest airports in Germany. With many apron tours being offered and a large visitorplatform you will find many chances to get close to action here. Also the spottingpoints around the airport offer clear shots on the airplanes.
Airport authorities are also aware of our hobby, so ladders are not restricted at the periemter fence.
Written by Daniel Kramm (local spotter), Severin Hackenberger (regular visitor) and Marcus (some pictures provided).
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| Airport Information |
| Runways | |
| 05R/23L | 3.000m (9.842ft) asphalt |
| 05L/23R | 2.800m (9.240ft) asphalt |
| Terminals | |
| Terminal A | Star Alliance, Asian-Carriers, Eurowings |
| Terminal B | Schengen |
| Terminal C | Non-Schengen |
| Spotting Information |
| Ladder | Needed especially at the summer evening spots. See descriptions below. |
| Car/Public Transport | Car is needed to get to the summer afternoon positions but almost all positions are within walking distance from the terminal or train station. |
| Restrooms | Only inside the terminal and train station |
| Drinks/Food | McDonald’s, several restaurants and REWE supermarket are located inside the terminal. Around the airport there are some supermarkets, gas stations and another McDonald’s. Only reachable by car. |
| Hotels | Maritim Hotel and a Sheraton are directly at the airport terminal. But there are dozens of other hotels around the airports boundaries. |
| Season | March to October suggested. In winter all nothern positions will be unusable because of backlit |
| Runway Usage |
| General Info | Düsseldorf is restricted in its operations of both runways. Exact times of operations can not be named. On working days usually both runways are active from early morning to late morning (06:00AM to 12:00AM). Take offs will be on runway 05R/23L and landings on 05L/23R. Runway usage is also similar in the afternoons. Usually between 16:00PM and 18:00PM both runways will be active again. Exceptions confirm the rule, so it’s also possible that only runway 05R/23L will be used on one day. EKs A380 only lands on runway 23L/05R. |
| 05R/23L | arrivals and departures in both directions. |
| 05L/23R | arrivals only from both directions. |
 | Spot #1 – Observation Deck Terminal B |
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| WHERE | The observation deck on terminal B is the one and only visitor platform since the closure of the second one at the railway station. Once you are inside the departures hall terminal B follow the stairs up to starbucks next to the piano and cafè. Follow the signs and you will find the entrance at the very end. |
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| WHAT | It’s a great place for spotters and families as you have a great roundview of the apron and you won´t miss a single movement. Every gate on this terminal is viewable and also a few stands on terminal A and C. Best if runways 05 are active for arrivals and departures. 23 arrivals will exit infront of you and most departures on 23L are okay, except the light ones. |
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| TIME | You have access to the platform every day of the week from 09:00 to 20:00 (April to October) and from 10:00 – 19:00 (November to March). You will have backlit from afternoon on (summer). |
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| MISC. | There are security checks which can lead to longer queues. Food and water bottles are still allowed. The fee is 2,20€ for adults. Restrooms and a small snack bar (opens only in the summer) is behind the security on the terrace so you don´t have to leave it.
An issue are the APUs and engine exhausts wich can lead to a massive heat distortion on your photos, especially on the runway and even on the nearby taxiway.
Please check the official website for exact opening times and additional infos. |
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| FOCAL LENGTH | Depends on the angle but from 20-300 you should be fine |
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 | Spot #2 – Carpark P7 |
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| WHERE | When you are coming from inside the terminal proceed to the very end of terminal A and follow the signs to carpark P7. Take the elevator to the upper deck, level 8, and walk to the other end of the garage. The barrier is lowered from some point and no ladder is needed.
You can also enter the carpark with your car but you have to pay around 25 Euros a day. Please stick to the closure and don’t leave waste since its a rising problem at every position. |
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| WHAT | The spot is best for all runway movements on 05R/23L as you are almost in the middle of the runway. Also taxiway photos to and from 23L are possible. Runway 05L/23R is in sight but very far. Furthermore you can photograph the apron where most Eurowings planes are parked. |
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| TIME | You will have backlit from here from afternoon on (summer). Due to the distance, heat is a serious problem here and we recommend this spot only in the morning hours. During hot and calm summer days its almost impossible to photograph from here without distortion. But in winter you will have less problems. |
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| MISC. | Facilities available inside the terminal. |
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| FOCAL LENGTH | 100 – 400 mm |
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 | Spot #3 – Skytrain Stairs |
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| WHERE | Follow the Frachtstraße to the very end. You will find a stair next to the skytrain station. You can park your car here if you are only staying for a short time. For longer visits the marked parkspots are recommended. If you are arriving with the skytrain from the terminal take the elevator to the lowest floor. Leave the buildung until you reach the mentioned stairs. With a ladder you can go the perimeter fence aswell. It offers a better view on the runway. DON’T ENTER THE SPOT THROUGH THE EMERGENCY DOOR AT THE END OF THE SKYTRAIN PLATFORM! |
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| WHAT | Great spot in the morning for planes taxiing to runway 23L. Apart from this some aircraft departing runway 05R lowly can be spotted as well. Sometimes you might also be lucky, so you can spot late vacators of runway 05R. Be prepared, that you can’t see any approaching airplanes till touchdown on 23L.
This spot is also very attractive for nightshots. Special visitors will be parked just in front of the spot. |
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| TIME | You will have backlit from here from afternoon on (summer). |
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| MISC. | Facilities are available inside the building. |
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| FOCAL LENGTH | 70 – 400 mm |
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 | Spot #4 – Tiefenbroicher Weg |
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| WHERE | Park your car as marked on the map at the “Lichtenbroicher Baggersee” or enter the footpath from the railway station. Follow the path Tiefenbroicher Weg until you reach t-corner at the perimeter fence. |
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| WHAT | Landings on runway 23L only. There are gaps between the trees where you can take the photo, but you will have just 1-2 seconds. |
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| TIME | You will have backlit from here from afternoon on (summer). |
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| MISC. | A 2 step ladder is recommend (especially for heavies) to avoid the fence in your photos but put it on the path and not on the fence, otherwise you will get the airport securities attention. The nearest facilities are inside the railway station. There’s nothing at this spot, bring with you what you need. |
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| FOCAL LENGTH | 125 mm for A320, 70 mm for B747 |
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 | Spot #5 – Tiefenbroicher Weg |
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| WHERE | Same as Spot 4, just follow the perimeter fence until you reach your favorable position on the opposite site. Shortest way with car is from parkspot at the “Kalkumer Schloßallee”. |
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| WHAT | Landings on runway 23L only. |
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| TIME | In the summer only from afternoon to sunset |
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| MISC. | You need a ladder but don’t put it right next to the perimeterfence, otherwise you will get the airport securities attention. Here is absolutely nothing so bring what you need and take it also back with you. |
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| FOCAL LENGTH | 125 mm for an A320, 70 mm for a 747 |
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 | Spot #6 – Forrest |
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| WHERE | Park your car at a entrance to the forrest next to the “Kalkumer Schloßallee” Follow the path trough it until you reach the crashgate. Head left to get behind runway 23R. You can place your ladder anywhere along the path. |
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| WHAT | You can get head up shots for all 23R arrivals or 05L departures from here. 23L arrivals are also possible with longer focal length (Samples are from 23L!). |
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| TIME | In the summer only from afternoon to sunset |
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| MISC. | You need a ladder but don’t put it right next to the perimeterfence, otherwise you will get the airport securities attention. Here is absolutely nothing so bring what you need and take it also back with you. |
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| FOCAL LENGTH | 50 – 200 mm (samples show 23L arrivals!) |
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 | Spot #7 – Forrest |
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| WHERE | Same as Spot #6 but turn right at the crash gate. |
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| WHAT | Planes on short final for 23R or during landing can be seen here. 05R/23L arrivals departures can also be seen with longer focal length (see (WOW A321, OS A320 and IA 738). |
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| TIME | In the summer only from afternoon to sunset |
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| MISC. | You need a ladder but don’t put it right next to the perimeterfence, otherwise you will get the airport securities attention. Here is absolutely nothing so bring what you need and take it also back with you. |
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| FOCAL LENGTH | 70 – 500 mm |
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 | Spot #8 – Perimeter Fence |
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| WHERE | Follow the path from parking next to a barnyard and cross the bridge until you reach the perimeter fence. The path continues along the whole runway, so make you choice for the best position. You can even walk from spot 6/7 to this position. |
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| WHAT | Planes landing and arriving on runway 23R / 05L can be seen here. Departures on the southern runway only with more focal length, too (see TK 330, EW 320 below). |
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| TIME | In the summer only from afternoon to sunset |
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| MISC. | You need a ladder but don’t put it right next to the perimeterfence, otherwise you will get the airport securities attention. Here is absolutely nothing so bring what you need and take it also back with you. |
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| FOCAL LENGTH | 70 – 500 mm |
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 | Spot #9 – Perimeter Fence |
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| WHERE | Same as spot #8. But turn right at the crash gate and follow the path until you reach the threshold of runway 05L. |
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| WHAT | Planes on short final or during landing can be seen here. 05R arrivals and line-ups departures can also be seen with longer focal length (see EK 380, LH 320, NH 788). |
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| TIME | In the summer only from afternoon to sunset |
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| MISC. | You need a ladder but don’t put it right next to the perimeterfence, otherwise you will get the airport securities attention. Here is absolutely nothing so bring what you need and take it also back with you. |
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| FOCAL LENGTH | 200 – 500 mm |
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 | Spot #10 – Sunnys Corner |
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| WHERE | Coming from Highway B8 and Autobahn A44, exit at Düsseldorf Stockum and follow Niederrheinstraße to Lörick. After you turned onto Niederrheinstraße, follow the street for about 1,5km. Then you should see a Jaguar car dealer on your right. Park your car nearby and choose your favourite position, this depends on the angle you like the most! |
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| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 05L only. |
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| TIME | In the summer only from afternoon to sunset. |
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| MISC. | There is a pizza shop nearby (Sunnys-Corner), where you can find something to eat (toilets of corse, too). |
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| FOCAL LENGTH | 70 – 200mm A319 = 165mm / B737 = 115mm / B767 = 90mm |
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 | Spot #11 – 05L Mound |
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| WHERE | By foot, start at the terminal and follow the signs to the GAT and P13. There is a footpath and after 15-20 minutes you are coming to the footbridge (spot 15). Turn right here into a small path along the perimeter fence and follow it until you are under runway 05L.
Coming from Highway B8 and Autobahn A44, exit at Düsseldorf Stockum and follow Niederrheinstraße to Lörick. Exit the roundabout at the first chance. You will find the parkspot at the end of the road. Cross the bridge and find the small path at the end. |
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| WHAT | Arrivals and Line-Ups on runway 05R and head to head landings on runway 23R. You won’t need a ledder here, as a small mound offers enough height to watch over the fence. |
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| TIME | Afternoon to sunset (summer), noon to sunset (winter). Heat haze can be an issue if there is less wind. |
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| MISC. | If you use a ladder don`t put it right next to the perimeter fence, otherwise you will get the airport securities attention. Here is absolutely nothing so bring what you need and take it also back with you. |
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| FOCAL LENGTH | 100 – 300 mm |
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 | Spot #12 – Spielberger Weg |
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| WHERE | This spot is at the end of “Spielberger Weg” and can be reached easily from “Niederrheinstrasse”. Just follow the street till its end, where you’ll see some parking possibilities on your right. Then choose your favourite position, because this spot is no exact position, rather the area round here. Germania A321 was taken from the road end, which can be seen on the overview shot. For the SIA A350 we walked down the path a bit onto the field to get a bit more under the arrivalpath (marked on the map and can be seen at the right side of the overview shot). You might also take pictures from the Audi and VW Car dealer “Moll Gruppe”, where distnace is a bit higher, but the angler and window to shoot are better. We didn’t expirienced this area for spotting yet, but if you did so, please don’t hesitate to contact us! |
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| WHAT | Only arrivals on runway 05L. |
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| TIME | You will have backlit here from ~3pm (summer), in winter n. |
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| MISC. | No ladder needed. You can find some supermarkets at this area and a small restaurant as well (Zur alten Töpferei). |
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| FOCAL LENGTH | 50 – 250 mm |
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 | Spot #13 – Ikarusstrasse |
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| WHERE | Coming from Highway B8 and Autobahn A44, exit at Düsseldorf Stockum and follow Niederrheinstraße to Lörick. Turn right into Ikarusstraße. There are a few parkstands here. However, it’s recommended to stay close to your car as they might belong to a local company. We stood next to a drink storage (or similar) to have a better angle. Exact position marked on map and can be seen on overview shot. |
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| WHAT | Only arrivals on runway 05R. |
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| TIME | In the summer only and then from late afternoon till sunset. |
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| MISC. | No ladder needed. There are no known facilities in the near. You can find some supermarkets at this area and a small restaurant as well (Zur alten Töpferei). |
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| FOCAL LENGTH | 70 – 250 mm |
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 | Spot #14 – 05R Mound |
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| WHERE | Same direction as for spot 11 “05L Mound”, but this time climb the first mound under 05R path and not the second one under 05L path. |
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| WHAT | Line-Ups on runway 05R and head to head take offs on runway 23L. You won’t need a ledder here, as a small mound offers enough height to watch over the fence but easier with 1-2 steps. High grass and some signs and poles along the taxiway may disturb a perfect photo. |
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| TIME | In the summer only from afternoon to sunset. |
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| MISC. | If you use a ladder don`t put it right next to the perimeter fence, otherwise you will get the airport securities attention. Here is absolutely nothing so bring what you need and take it also back with you. |
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| FOCAL LENGTH | A320 = 350mm; A332 = 220mm |
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 | Spot #15 – Bridge |
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| WHERE | Same direction as for spot “05L Mound” but just stay on the bridge over the railroads and the highway. |
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| WHAT | All arrivals on runway 05L/R and departures from 23L. |
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| TIME | You will have backlit here from ~3pm (summer), in winter never. |
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| MISC. | No ladder needed. There are no known facilities in the near. You can find some supermarkets at this area and restaurants. |
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| FOCAL LENGTH | 70 – 300 mm Eurowings A343 = 130mm / flyEgypt B738 = 185mm |
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 | Spot #16 – GAT Ramp |
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| WHERE | Same way like described for the spots before, but this time continue straight ahead after you passed the bridge until you reach the GAT Terminal on your left. |
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| WHAT | You can take pictures trough the mesh of planes parking on the General Aviation apron or walk up the stairs as marked below. Nightshots are also possible. |
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| TIME | In the summer only from afternoon to sunset |
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| MISC. | No ladder needed, but might be useful, if stairs aren’t useable. There are no known facilities nearby – the closest are inside the terminal or over the bridge. |
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| FOCAL LENGTH | 50 – 300 mm |
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22 Comments
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Hey, If I am going to spot no.14, will lens 250 and crop factor of 1.5X will be enough? If we would do easy maths, its means that from 250MM, It would be 375MM.
Hi, you will need around 300mm on an APS-C camera for an A320/737 or 450mm on a full frame body with crop factor 1.5
-Julian
NEVERMIND, my parents surprised me for birthday with new lens.
Hi, I know that radio scanners to listen to the tower are not allowed in Germany.
Will security have an issue if I try to bring my scanner to the observation deck? Or do they not really care?
Thanks, Denis
Hi Denis!
We never had problems yet, but of course we DIDN’t USE them 😉
Normally they just care about dangerous things like knives or bombs or so on…
Scanners are actually allowed in Germany until you don’t use them to listen to ATC – if I’m right.
Regards, Severin
hi Severin,
thanks for the prompt response!
danke!
gruss
Denis
is there much backllight from spot 1 in the summer
Hi Patric!
Backlit is good/okay for the runway and the northern apron (where ANA, LX, 4U and similar airlines are parked). But heat haze might be a problem around noon in summer.
Regards; I hope this helps
Severin
Why don’t we get a petition going to get the train station roof reopened for spotters and Photographers?
Hi “wingnut”!
Great idea, never thought about this tactic!
I think, you’d be supported by ALL spotters here, but unfortunately there is no chance to re-open the terrace due to security problems and similar. If you wanna try, go on… If you have got an petition, please share the link with us, we’d like to share it with our friends 🙂
Thanks for your activition!
Regards, Severin
Hi Everyone, I was there 2 weeks ago and the main terrace is open but the terrace on number 3 is closed.
Hi, the terrace on the railway station is closed for years and will not be reopened. Thats why we don´t mention it in the guide.
-Julian
Good morning, excellent guide to the airport but can I just ask if for the car park p7 spot2 a ladder is required to see over any fence or not? And even if a fence is in place at this spot?
Many thanks in advance
Hi, there is no fence at this location and you have a free sight.
-Julian
Viewing terrace closed when I transitted through 19 September…..
Yes you are right. Terrace is closed for an unknown time.
-Julian
Hi there, i’m staying in the Maritim Hotel at the airport next weekend and was wondering if anyone could tell me a way on foot or by bike to get to spots 10 and 11. Is there a walkway that runs parallel to the motorway.
Thanks in advance for your response.
Hi, personally I never tested it but you should be able to walk along the airport buildings. On google maps I can see some sidewalks, its not the USA 😉
-Julian
How much problems with heat haze will i get on spot #1 if i be there during the summer?
Hi, no big problem. Taxiway and apron is fine. 23L departures are already airborne there. 05R arrivals are also not really on the ground and still a litte bit in the air.
-Julian
tha a lot!