SDF-Spot1
Glasgow-Prestwick Airport – Spotting Guide
January 15, 2019
Punta Cana Airport VIP-Lounge Terminal B
January 30, 2019Louisville Intl. Airport Spotting Guide
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- last modified on January 18, 2021
Why go to Louisville? There is one good reason which is called UPS who is besides FedEx and DHL one of the biggest package/parcel delivery companies of the world. They have their largest hub at SDF, which was the worldwide seventh biggest cargo airport in 2017, handling almost 2,5 Mio. tons of freight.
You get the whole variety of the UPS fleet at Louisville which includes A300, 757, 767, MD11F, 744 and 748F. There are also sub-operators flying for UPS in and out of SDF like Kalitta, Western Global or Atlas Air. Like at many express freight/cargo airports most action taking place at night. But there seems to be an arrival wave in the late morning and a departure wave in the afternoon so there are always enough UPS flights to photograph during the day. But please check FR24 before you plan to go there.
Despite the cargo traffic you can see the common schedule passenger flights from American, Allegiant, Delta, United and Southwest. Latter is responsible for almost 30 percent of the traffic.
Written by Achim Walther and Steve and Jim (local spotters). Last Visit Dec 2018.
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations | |
| Weather |  |
| Visitor Rating How was your trip? Rate this airport! |
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| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 17R/35L | 3.623 m (11,887 ft) |
| 17L/35R | 2.615 m (8,578 ft) |
| 11/29 | 2.210 m (7,250 ft) |
| Terminals | |
| Concourse A | All other carriers |
| Concourse B | Southwest |
| Airport Chart |  |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Helpful at spot 4 and 5 but not recommend to use. |
| Car/Public Transport | Like always in the USA you should have a car. Spots 1 and 7 are just a short jump from the terminal. For 2 and 3 there is a bus for the UPS employess but they don´t run regular. |
| Restrooms | Not at the spots directly. |
| Drinks/Food | Not at the mentioned spot as they are situated in an industrial complex. |
| Hotels | Plenty of hotels are located north of the terminal. |
| Season | Better to go there in the summer months. Runway directions is almost north/south so you have perfect light in the morning and evening and less rainy days. But the days before christmas are great with many many additional movements and the Kentucky derby week is busy too. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 17R/35L | This is the major runway as it´s the longest one. Almost all UPS flights using this one as their facility and ramp is closer to this one than the other parallel runway. Also most UPS flights heading/coming to/from the west use it as it easier for the ATC. Furthermore they send the 747 ops on that side mostly and the 747-8 is always using the westernmost taxiway A as this is the only one who can handle heavy class aircraft. |
| 17L/35R | Mainly used by passenenger traffic with an eastern direction. |
| 11/29 | This is the crosswind runway but not really in use. |
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Spot #1 – Cell Phone Lot – 17L arrivals |
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| WHERE | This is (more or less) the official and authorized spot by the airport. When you drive to the airport just follow Terminal Dr to the end and turn right into the Admininstration Dr. At the end you’ll find the cell phone parking lot. Address: Administration Dr, Louisville, KY 40209, US By public transport take a bus to the terminal and get to the arrival level. From there walk eastwards on the sidewalk along some emloyee parking lots until you reach the cell phone waiting lot at the end of the road. |
| WHAT | Best for 17L arrivals and 35R heavy departures. You might be able to catch some line ups for 17L if you walk to the fence but we did not check that. |
| TIME | Best light from late noon to the sunset. In the morning you’ll face the sun. |
| MISC. | You only have some waste bins. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | approx. 70 to 200mm |
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Spot #2 – UPS Parking East – 35R arrivals |
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| WHERE | This spot is at one of the many employee parking lots at the south of the airport. There are no barrierss and the lot can be accessed from highway 1747 corner Grade Ln. This a pretty huge area so find your prefered postion and angle. By public transport you can use buses from Downtown lines 18, 93 and 99. Check the tarc website for schedule. Busses are mainly for employees so they don´t run regularly. |
| WHAT | 17L arrivals only. |
| TIME | Best light from late noon to the sunset. In the morning you’ll face the sun. |
| MISC. | This is private property so be aware of beeing asked to leave. Keep a low profile as well. You might be able to park at one of the restaurants east of the spot and walk to this positon. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | approx. 50 to 150mm |
We can´t provide sample pictures yet so please contact us if you do so.
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Spot #3 – UPS Parking West – 35L arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | Like spot #2 this is another employee parking lot but on the west side of the UPS facilities. Just continue on Grade Ln westbound till the approach of RW35L. |
| WHAT | 35L arrivals only. |
| TIME | Best light from sunrise till early noon. In the afternoon you’ll face the sun. |
| MISC. | This is private property so be aware of beeing asked to leave. Keep a low profile as well. Some light poles disturb the view a bit. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | approx. 50 to 150mm |
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Spot #4 – UPS Expedited Feeder Lot |
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| WHERE | This is located in an industrial area near to the runway. Coming from location #3 continue northbound on the Crittenden Dr. After a mile you’ll see the way to the UPS Feeder lot on the right. You can park on the shoulder. |
| WHAT | Best for heavy departures on 17R. Others might be too high. You can walk to the fence and take pictures through the mesh for 35L arrivals and departures as well as the taxiway A and the opposite ones B/C. You need to shot through the mesh or use a ladder. |
| TIME | Best light from late noon to the sunset. In the morning you’ll face the sun. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby. We don´t recommend to use a ladder to photograph over the fence. It is possible that the police come by and ask you to leave as it is “UPS property…” |
| FOCAL LENGTH | for departures only: 70 to 300mm for most planes and angles. Below 70mm for a B747-F on 90° |
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Spot #5 – Republic Airways hangar – 17R/35L movements |
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| WHERE | Pretty similar to spot#5 but you are almost in the middle of the western runway. Just continue northwards all the way up on Crittenden Dr till you reached the fence and the Republic Airways hangar to your right. Park at the end of this dead end road. |
| WHAT | All runway movements on 17R/35L as well as the taxiway A and the opposite ones B/C. You need to shot through the mesh (samples were taken through it) or use a ladder. |
| TIME | Best light from late noon to the sunset. In the morning you’ll face the sun. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby. We don´t recommend to use a ladder to photograph over the fence. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | approx. 50 to 200mm. Around 10mm for the 748 on the taxiway. |
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Spot #6 – Old Park Blvd. – 35L departures |
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| WHERE | Pretty separate from the other spots on an abonded former housing area. Coming from Interstate 264/Terminals use exit ‘Critenden Dr.’ and turn right into. Immediately left into Park Blvd and go straight on the junction. After half a mile go ahead on the traffic lights (junction with East Woodlawn Ave). Turn the first right (Wabasso Ave) and right into Old. Park Blvd. |
| WHAT | Good for runway 35L heavy departures. 17R arrivals and departures on ground are possible if you go up a little bit to Crittenden Dr but you will have parts of the fence within your photo. |
| TIME | Best light from late noon to the sunset. In the morning you’ll face the sun. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70 to 200mm for most starts, perhaps less for a B747-F. |
Photo of 17R departure
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Spot #7 – Terminal Parking garage – 17L arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | Get on the top of the one and only terminal parking garage level 4. Select the lane for over 4 hours to reach that level. |
| WHAT | 17R arrivals only. |
| TIME | Best light from sunrise till early noon. From afternoon you’ll face the sun. |
| MISC. | Everything you need within the terminal. The airport police are subject to bother you here so make a call in advance and let them know about your intentions. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | approx. 70 to 200mm |
7 Comments
Spot 4 was amazing for the sunday afternoon takeoffs but after an hour the cop came and said I had to leave because I was on ups property. the parking garage was amazing for the morning landings. I got there around 6am and there was nobody.
What time is the best time to go, I can make the drive but I’ll only have 3-4 hours at the airport. The article talks about a wave of arrivals in the morning and a wave of departures in the afternoon, can anyone give me a better estimate of what times those occur? Thanks!
Please have a look at these two links: https://flightaware.com/live/airport/KSDF/departures and https://flightaware.com/live/airport/KSDF/arrivals
At the bottom there is a page navigation where you can click to the previous days and can see when the waves occurred.
-Julian
Thank you so much!
Sunday morning from 6am to 10 am landings. The afternoon from 2 to 5 or 6
Thank you for providing this. I will definitely experiment with the locations
You are welcome. Please let us know if you have updates or noticed anything new.
-Julian