DTW-Spot1
Ciudad Real Airport Spotting Guide
June 14, 2020
Kristiansand Airport Kjevik – Spotting Guide
June 19, 2020Detroit Metropolitan Wayne Country Airport Spotting Guide
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- last modified on June 23, 2020
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne Country Airport (DTW/KDTW) is the primary airport serving Southeast Michigan, Northern Ohio as well as partsof Southern Ontario. The airport is located about 20 miles west of Downtown Detroit in Romulus, MI. In 2019, the airport registered almost 37 million passengers. Delta Airlines is by far the largest carrier, accounting for about 75% of the traffic and it is Delta’s second biggest hub after ATL. Detroit is also a large base for Spirit Airlines. DTW serves over 140 destinations in 39 states, Europe, Asia, The Middle East and Central America/Carribien. While there, expect to see the following aircraft.
Aeromexico: E-190, B737
Air Canada (Jazz): CRJ-200
Air France: 772 (Winter) 789 (Summer)
Alaska: A320
American: A320, B738, E-145, CRJ-700, E-175
Delta: A350, A330, A319/20/21, B717, B738/9, B757,
B767, MD-90, CRJ-2/7/9, E-175, A220
Frontier: A320/321
Jetblue: E-190, A320
Lufthansa: A330, A340
Royal Jordanian: B788
Southwest: B737/738
Spirit: A319/20/21
United: A320, B738, E-175, CRJ-700
Written by Brady Noble (local spotter) and Maria Lu (Spot 5). Pictures provided by Alexandre Fazan. Last update: June 2020
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| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 04L/22R (western runway) | 3.048 m (10.000 ft) Concrete |
| 04R/22L (western runway) | 3.659 m (12.003 ft) Asphalt/Concrete |
| 03L/21R (eastern runway) | 2.591 m (8.500 ft) Concrete |
| 03R/21L (eastern runway) | 3.048 m (10.000 ft) Asphalt/Concrete |
| 09L/27R (crosswind runway) | 2.654 m (8.708 ft) Asphalt/Concrete |
| 09R/27L (crosswind runway) | 2.591 m (8.500 ft) Concrete |
| Terminals | |
| McNamara Terminal | Delta, Delta Connection, Aeromexico, Air France |
| North Terminal | All other carriers |
| Airport Chart |  |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | No ladder needed. |
| Car/Public Transport | For spots 1 and 2 no car is needed if you arrive at the terminal. |
| Restrooms | Directly available at spots 1 and 2, inside the terminal. |
| Drinks/Food | Some fast-food chains are available north of the airport. |
| Hotels | The Westin Hotel located adjacent to Delta ticketing and even offering rooms with ramp view. Other hotels are located north of the airport which offer limited view as well. |
| Season | Spring is best, winter in Michigan is very cloudy. However, in the summer, heat haze can occur. |
| Runway Usage | |
| General | 4 paralell north south runways used primarily. East-west runways only used in case of extreme wind. |
| 04L/22R | Only in use for arrivals and preferred runway for flights approaching from the west. |
| 04R/22L | Only in use for departures. Preferred runway for all heavy departures as well as flights from the north terminal use 22L for take off as its a shorter taxiway roll.. |
| 03L/21R | Only in use for departures. Mostly CRJs use this one. |
| 03R/21L | Only in use for arrivals and preferred runway for flights approaching from the east. |
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Spot #1 – McNamara Terminal Parking garage (West) – Ramp Gates A3-A35 |
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| WHERE | Take Eureka Rd. to John Dingell Dr. and follow the signs for international arrivals and enter the parking garage. Then, either park on or walk up to the top floor. If you go to the south-west side of the garage, gates A3-A35 will be visible |
| WHAT | You will be able to have a clear view of Delta aircraft taxiing, refueling and pushing back. Most traffic on the A gates will be Delta Connection, but you may see Delta Mainline as well. Furthermore you can photograph 22L departures. |
| TIME | Sunrise to Noon. Heat haze possible in the summer especially for ground shots. |
| MISC. | All food/drinking fountains/restrooms will be in the terminal. Police tend to leave you alone in the parking garages. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | CRJ700=40mm Departures = from 400 for 737/A320 |
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Spot #2 – McNnamara Terminal Parking garage (East) – 03/21 runways, taxiways M and W |
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| WHERE | Take Eureka Rd. to John Dingell Dr. and follow the signs for international arrivals and enter the parking garage. Then, either park on or walk up to a high floor and proceed to the north-east side of the garage. |
| WHAT | From here, you will have a view of 21L and 21R as well as taxiways Mike and Whiskey. When the 21s are in use, you have a prime view of aircraft taking off. When the 3s are in use, you are within 200ft of aircraft holding short 3L. |
| TIME | 3PM to Sunset. Again, heat haze possible some months |
| MISC. | All food/drinking fountains/restrooms will be in the terminal. Police tend to leave you alone in the parking garages. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | For aircraft taking off-150mm. For aircraft taxiing to 3L, no more than 100 mm. For landing aircraft, 200-300 mm. A320=100mm |
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Spot #3 – Green Lot – FBO ramp, 21R line-up |
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| WHERE | Take Interstate-94 to Exit 198 and then, follow the signs for the Green Parking Lot. Look for a free lot next to fence. Don’t use a ladder there and take the pics through the fence. |
| WHAT | You will have good views of the FBO ramp as well as good views of aircraft taxiing along Mike towards 21R for departure (no arrivals on 21R). When the Detroit Lions have home games, the opposing team’s plane will park at the FBO ramp. |
| TIME | For FBO ramp-sunrise to noon. For taxiing aircraft-3PM to sunset. |
| MISC. | Sundays during the fall are always good. Please keep your time here brief, don’t linger. The police will eventually come after a few minutes. The North Terminal is just around the corner. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Gulf=50mm |
2 Comments
The comforts inn metro airport hotel parking lot can take some photos of aircraft approaching rwy 22R in the morning or departing 4L. Hotel lobby can enter freely before 6 PM (don’t know how COVID-19 they change it). restroom and Starbucks inside.
Hi, thanks for this info. Can you send me some pictures to info@spotterguide.net please so I can add it. Thanks, Julian