ABZ-Spot1
Paris Orly Intl. Airport Spotting Guide
February 23, 2016
Glasgow Airport Spotting Guide
February 28, 2016Aberdeen Intl. Airport Spotting Guide
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- last modified on October 18, 2021
Aberdeen International Airport (Scottish Gaelic: Port-adhair Eadar-nàiseanta Obar Dheathain) (IATA: ABZ, ICAO: EGPD) is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately 5 nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) northwest of Aberdeen city centre. Roughly 3 mio passenger using the airport yearly.
The airport is owned and operated by AGS Airports which also owns and operates Glasgow and Southampton Airports. It was previously owned and operated by Heathrow Airport Holdings (formerly known as BAA).
The airport serves as the main heliport for the Scottish offshore oil industry. With the utilisation of newer aircraft, helicopters can reach northern most platforms on both the East and west of Shetland areas. However, helicopters frequently use Wick, Kirkwall, Scatsta and Sumburgh for refuelling stops.
The airport has one main passenger terminal, serving scheduled and charter holiday flights. In addition, there are three terminals dedicated to North Sea helicopter operations, used by Bristow Helicopters, CHC-Scotia, and Bond Offshore Helicopters. There is also a small terminal adjacent to the main passenger terminal, Broomfield House, used primarily for oil company charter flights to Scatsta in Shetland, operated by Eastern Airways.
Written by Peter Adam (based in Scotland) and Gerrit Griem. Last visit October 2021.
| Rating | |
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| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations |  |
| Weather | |
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| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 16/34 | 3.623 m (11,887 ft) |
| Terminals | One for all operations |
| ATC | APP: 119.05 TWR: 118.1 |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Any UK Airport a ladder up against a fence is a bad idea and is forbidden. |
| Car/Public Transport | Spots 1-3 are in walking distance to the termianl and the other ones are reachable by public tranpsort except #6. |
| Restrooms | Not much around the spots itself. |
| Drinks/Food | There is a supermarket at 4/5/7 but thats it. Not much around. |
| Hotels | The major chains are south of the terminal. |
| Season | Any time of the year the traffic is more or less the same but if you come in winter then wrap up well as Aberdeen not the warmest place and gets pretty cold. Be aware that in the summer you have much more sun hours than in the winter. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 16/34 | Runway 16 seems to be the runway used the most. |
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Spot #1 – The Car Park / Bristol CHC Helicopters |
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| WHERE | Cross the road from the terminal there’s a elevator that takes you up to the car park. |
| WHAT | Bristol CHC Helicopters shots plus Eastern head on push-back shots sometimes cargo planes parked up at the ATC Tower. |
| TIME | Depends on the angle but better in the afternoon. |
| MISC. | You will notice there’s a convenient grass embankment that runs covers the whole fence you can shoot stuff close up however OVERSTAYING YOUR TIME here will mean you will be shifted by security very fast so if something is parked up then try be discrete if you venture here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Between 200 & 300 mm, up at the fence 24 to 70 mm |
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Spot #2 – Fence 34 line ups |
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| WHERE | From the terminal follow south up past the bar left hand side then go through the tunnel for the people. Follow this up till the end then take a left then a left again hotel on your right hand side follow the path up to the end of the international ramp. Update Oct. 2021: The former “bus shelter lookout” is no longer available. For the line up spot go to the fence is 5 minutes walk from there. Just follow the same path as far as it goes. |
| WHAT | Ramp shots taxiway shots departures 16/34 and also night shots in the dark nights as well from here you can make great head on pics very close up. Line up spot, 16 vacating shots 34 arrivals line ups. |
| TIME | From afternoon until sunset. |
| MISC. | You need to shoot through the fence. If you visit here in winter then the track becomes icy so take care. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 24 to 200 mm depend by taxi, line up or runway |
Fence Spot
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Spot #3 – 16 Line ups arrivals |
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| WHERE | From the terminal follow the road north past the helicopter hangars you will pass the terminals CHC Bristol follow the track takes about 20 mins walk then on your right hand side there’s a patch of grass you can get nice close up pics of helicopters taxing here as well. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on 16 and 16 Taxiway holding shots also there’s S 92S EC 224S Parked up here so you get close up helicopter shots. |
| TIME | From afternoon until sunset. |
| MISC. | You need to shoot through the fence. There’s nothing here so take what you need. Plus it can become noisy here also as the helicopters are a few feet away. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Line up land 70-200mm & taxi 24-50mm |
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Spot #4 – Grass Mound 16 arrivals Morning Only |
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| WHERE | Get to Dyce Railway station and park there. Space is limited at the location itself as its mainly private. From there is a bridge which takes you to the site from the airport where the spots are situated. The spot is about 5 minutes away on foot. There is a mound where you can climb up so no ladder is needed. |
| WHAT | As you are in the middle of the runway all movements are possible to photograph form here, even the helicopter landings. |
| TIME | From sunrise until 1100. In winter almost zero light on this side. |
| MISC. | There’s nothing here so take what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-200mm aircraft / Helicopter 200-400 mm depending on angle |
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Spot #5 – The crash gate & Bond |
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| WHERE | 2 mins walk from spot 4 infact you pass it. |
| WHAT | Helicopter close up shots bizjet static shots. |
| TIME | From sunrise until 1100. In winter almost zero light on this side. |
| MISC. | This spot is good for overcast days its backlit in the afternoons. Also there’s a hotel across the road with a restroom. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Parked up 737 18 mm / 70-200mm bizjets /18 mm helicopter up at the fence hangars. |
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Spot #6 – Dyce Rd – 16 arrivals |
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| WHERE | From the airport get on the Dyce Drive and drive all the way up. There is an unamed parallel street where you can stand higher to get a better angle for arriving planes/helicopters. Just park you car on the side and start your session. |
| WHAT | 16 arrivals only. |
| TIME | From afternoon till sunset. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby. Parking is no problem. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | ATR72 = 250mm |
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Spot #7 – Roundabout – 16 arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | The spot is at the roundabout at the end of Kirkton Drive. Easily to reach from the airport via dyce rd (spot #6). Dont park your car in front of the gates in the roundabout there are a lot of parking places. By Public get off at Dyce Station (same as 4 and 5) and walk for approximate 20 minutes to this location. |
| WHAT | 16 arrivals only. |
| TIME | From sunrise till around 11:00. In winter almost zero light on this side. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | ATR72 = 220mm, Helicopter from 240mm |
5 Comments
Hi
I was at Aberdeen on Wednesday (13/10) afternoon and whilst at Spot 1, I had visit from the local police. No problems just wanted a quick chat and to see what I was up to. Advised me that if I was to visit again, to pop in to the police station next to the terminal and make myself known (apparently airport management aren’t keen on people taking photos).
I can also confirm that the viewing area at Spot 2 is still closed and very much overgrown.
Good to know that #2 is closed. Thanks! At #1 you have to be discreet as it is close to the terminal.
-Julian
Near the railway station, there is a pub (Spiders Web), a cafe (Cafe 21) and a chip shop (Sea Salt and Sole) for food. This is only a five minute walk from the mound at spot 4.
Aberdeen – I was there on Thursday, it spot no 2 is temporarily closed and judging by the length of the grass and the poor state, it has been so for some time.
I spent the day on the car park, spot no. 1 and had no problem whatsoever.
Hope this helps
Thi has been shut for a long time now and may not reopen. The old road is still a good spot for ramp photos.