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January 10, 2013Miami Intl. Airport Spotting Guide
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- last modified on March 2, 2020
Miami International Airport Florida, the US-gateway to South America, handled 44 Mio. passengers in 2017. You get a great variety of international carriers, mainly from Europe and South/Central America as well as a many different cargo operators. American Airlines has a big hub here and is responsible for most traffic. If you want to escape the cold European winter, Miami offers everything you will need. Sun, ocean, planes…. and the girls at Miami Beach.
Almost all know operators from South and Middle America serving Miami from their hubs. LATAM Group, Avianca, COPA, Aerolíneas Argentinas or Aeroméxico as well as operators from the Caribbean Sea like Aruba Air, Bahamas Air, Caribbean Airlines just to mention a few.
Furthermore MIA is the twelth biggest cargo airport of the world with plenty of operators from all over the world, flying in and out of Miami. In addition to the cargo airlines from Latin America there are Amerijet Initernation, IBC Airways, UPS and FedEx using Miami frequently.
Spotting at Miami is tolerated by the airport authorities for the moment. However, spotting trough or having the ladder close to the fences is not permitted, it’s at your own risk. Only at the spot 1 is tolerated.
Written by Gary Culpan, Jan Seba, Jeremy Denton, Julian Mittnacht & Zoltan Péter Pasztor / Last Update February 2020
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety | |
| Photo Locations |  |
| Weather | |
| Visitor Rating How was your trip? Rate this airport! |
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| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 08L/26R (north side) | 2.621 m (8.600 ft) |
| 08R/26L (north side) | 3.202 m (10.506 ft) |
| 9/27 (south side) | 3.962 m (13.000 ft) |
| 12/30 (crosswind) | 2.851 m (9.354 ft) |
| Terminals | |
| North Terminal (Blue) | exclusive for American Airlines/Eagle and British Airways |
| Central Terminal (yellow) | United, Oneworld, partly Star Alliance |
| South Terminal (red) | Delta, SkyTeam, partly Star Alliance |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not required but sometimes useful if the alternatives are already taken. Also recommended if you want to try some pictures at the maintenance area. You can buy it at “The Home Depot”, 3x of them are at 5 to 10 minutes drive from the airport. |
| Car/Public Transport | Car is recommend. No infos about public transport around the airport. Only spot 7 is in walking distance from the Miami Airport train station. |
| Restrooms | Tagged on the map, next to spot #3 or petrol station but you have to ask for the keys. |
| Drinks/Food | Tagged on the map, next to spot #3 or petrol station but you have to ask for the keys. |
| Hotels | There are cheap hotels all around the airport. |
| Season | Try to avoid the summer months. You will be confronted with heavy rain showers and high temperatures. Best conditions for spotting are in the winter from December till March with less rain and perfect position of the sun. All our spots are winter positions too! |
| Runway Usage | |
| 08L/26R | Used for departures and arrivals in both directions (08 is more in use than 26). Prefered runway for Centurion Cargo, Atlas Air, UPS, FedEx, IBC as their facilities located at the north of the airport. |
| 08R/26L | Used for departures and arrivals in both directions (08 is more in use than 26). Prefered runway for Centurion Cargo, Atlas Air, UPS, FedEx as their facilities located at the north of the airport. |
| 09/27 | Used for departures and arrivals in both directions, mainly by South American carriers and cargo airlines based in the southern cargo terminal (e.g. Atlas, Avianca, LAN Cargo, China Airlines, Amerijet) (09 is more in use than 27) |
| 12/30 | Used for departures and arrivals in both directions. RWY 30 is preferred landing direction for flights from South America and Amerijet. RWY 12 in use parallel to RWY 08 and 09. RWY 30 in use parallel to RWY 26 and 27. |
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Spot #1 – The Holes – 12 departures & arrivals and 08R/08L arrivals & departures |
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| WHERE | This is the only official spotting location in Miami which is located near the cargo area. When you drive northwards on the 826N/Palmetto Expy, take the exit NW 25 St. Turn right into the NW 25 St and drive eastwards. Towards 500 meters you will see the perimeter fence and some holes in it on the left. This is the spot to be. Park your car where we mention it in the guide.
UPDATE DECEMBER 2019: Ongoing construction work make spotting very uncomfortable here. This spot will be gone from spring for a while… |
| WHAT | As the name says, there are some big holes (5x big ones + 3 small ones) plus some in the airport perimeter fence. You get all 08 & 12 action at this spot. The planes are pretty close when 12 is in use for landings and its a little bit tricky to catch them threw the hole. Departures are much easier and you can make great close up shots!
If all the holes are already taken, we recommend you to buy a ladder at “The Home Depot” (3x are located at 5 to 10 minutes from the airport) and stand back in the grass as the overview picture is displayed. |
| TIME | For RWY08 its almost an all day spot. Only in the summer you get backlit in the late afternoon. RWY12 starts to become interesting from the late morning hours before it’s backlight. |
| MISC. | There are no facilities at this location and no shadow. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 08L : B763 = 220mm / B752 = 270mm / Convair = 400mm 08R : B748 = 100mm / B763 = 135mm / B738 = 200mm 12 : A359 = 45mm / B738 = 80mm / E145 = 105mm |
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Spot #2 – Cargo Ramp |
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| WHERE | This spot isn’t official as its on the roof parking of some cargo companies. Its just a puddle jump from spot #1. Drive back the NW 25 St and take the second left into the NW 67th Ave. Follow the road until you reach the intersection to NW 22 St. Cross the road and drive up a ramp that leads to the visitor parking on top of the cargo buildings. Please keep in mind that this is private property and you should be careful in what you are doing, cameras are present! |
| WHAT | This is only good to overlook the western cargo ramp and make pictures from the parked aircraft. Atlas, Avianca/Tampa Cargo, Cargolux, Estafeta, Kalitta, Martinair and TAB are some of the operators there. 09 arrivals/departures are possible too, but you will face the sun. |
| TIME | All day and night shot possible. 09 arrivals/departures are possible too, but you will face the sun. |
| MISC. | We recommend you to stay in the car and get out only for the pictures. Keep a low profile. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18 to 50mm |
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Spot #3 – El Dorado – 09 arrivals and departures |
|---|---|
| WHERE | The best spot for all the 09 action is the ‘El Dorado’ , named after the furniture store next to it. When you start at the hole, drive back the NW 25 St until you will cross the NW 72nd Ave. Turn left and follow the road for 2 km. You will pass the threshold of 09 on your left and come to the next intersection. Here you turn left into the NW 12th St and again take the next left into the NW 72nd Ave (you see the furniture store at the intersection). Just follow the road until you reach some railroads. Park your car at the end of the road. |
| WHAT | Once arrived, you have a great overlook of the threshold of 09. You get all 09 arrivals and departures from this spot. All arrivals from South America will use 09, as they are closer to their terminal. Cargo flights use it too, for arrivals and departures, as parts of the cargo area almost next to 09 (Avianca, Atlas, LATAM, etc.). The perimeter fence is disturbing if you want to make departure shots. There is a rock where you can climb up as well as a small fence that can be seen on the below picture. However, we recommend you to buy a ladder if there are too many spotters. |
| TIME | The spot is okay for most time of the day. Only in the summer you get backlit in the late afternoon. |
| MISC. | A gas station and 7 Eleven is just across the intersection (tagged on the map). Ladder might be useful in order to totally avoid the fence on departure shots. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A388 = 50mm / B738 = 105mm / E190 = 120mm |
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Spot #4 – Employees Parking |
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| WHERE | When you drive northwards on the 826N/Palmetto Expy, take the exit NW 25 St. Turn right into the NW 25 St and drive eastwards direction spot 1, the Holes however, just before you have an access to your right which will take you on a roof top car park. Please keep in mind that this is private property and you should be careful in what you are doing, cameras are present! |
| WHAT | This is an alternative of spot 1. You get all 08 & 12 action at this spot. The planes are pretty close. |
| TIME | For RWY08 its almost an all day spot. Only in the summer you get backlit in the late afternoon. RWY12 starts to become interesting from the late morning hours before it’s backlight. |
| MISC. | We recommend you to stay in the car and get out only for the pictures. Keep a low profile. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-400mm for all aircraft except B747/A346 and bigger. |
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Spot #5 – The Lagoon |
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| WHERE |
From spot 6A, exit the petrol station and drive down the road on the left until you reach the end. Park your car on the side of the road. During weekend no much cars but during the week it’s pretty busy. |
| WHAT | You will get only arrivals on rwy 27 and rwy 30 are possible too but they are a bit high. |
| TIME | All day during winter. |
| MISC. | The petrol station is next to this spot. Be aware that heat haze can be a problem during the day. Morning until 10:00 should be ok and end afternoon as well from 16:00. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A346 = 180mm / MD11 = 200mm / B762 = 250mm |
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Spot #6 – Exxon Petrol Station or Hyperbaric Therapy/Dentist |
|---|---|
| WHERE |
6A) From the Hilton, exit the Blue Lagoon Dr take on the left on NW 57th Avenue until the lights where you have to take on the left on NW 7th Street. Drive a few minutes on this road until you reached the Exxon petrol station on the left side. Make the left turn and the spot is located on the back side. This spot can be tricky as you see the plane arriving on the right side then it’s hid behind the building and appears between the right and left yellow building (this is your gap).
6B) Alternative spot of the Petrol Station is on the opposite of the street after the lights, Hyperbaric Therapy/Dentist car park (8 places in total). |
| WHAT | You will get only arrivals on rwy 30. |
| TIME | Good from 10:30 in winter. |
| MISC. | You might be ask to leave at the Hyperbaric Therapy/Dentist car park. However, was not our case during the two days spent there. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 6A : B752 = 200mm / A320 = 220mm /E175 = 250mm 6B : B763 = 170mm / B738 = 240mm / E175 = 290mm |
Spot 6A
Spot 6B
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Spot #7 – Alfa Garage |
|---|---|
| WHERE |
From spot 6, continue back on NW 7th street direction East until the crossroads. Then turn left and drive on NW 42nd Avenue until you merge with 953 Le Jeune Rd. Once you are on the Le Jeune Rd take the third way on the right on Nw 27th Street. For a couple of meters you will see the Alfa Garage on your right side. Please park the road on the left side of the road near the tree along the fence. |
| WHAT | Arrivals runways 26R/L. |
| TIME | All day during winter time. |
| MISC. | A petrol station is very close to the spot. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 27L : MD11 = 70mm
26R : B738 = 240mm / E175 = 310mm |
Rwy 26L
Rwy 26R
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Spot #8 – Oracle |
|---|---|
| WHERE |
From the Hilton Hotel, follow the Blue Lagoon road direction West until the end. Enter in the public car park and find a place as far as possible towards the runway. |
| WHAT | Only departures runway 27. |
| TIME | All day in winter time. |
| MISC. | You might be ask to leave by the private security. Stay in the car and keep a low profile. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | B748 = 80mm / B789 = 100mm / B738 = 130mm |
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Spot #9 – Storage Yard (PRIVATE PROPERTY) |
|---|---|
| WHERE |
From spot 1, drive back, passed the second lights and then turn right on a small dirty road and enter in this private property by turning on the left side. |
| WHAT | Only arrivals 08R/L. |
| TIME | All day in winter time. |
| MISC. | We recommend you to stay in the car and get out only for the pictures. Keep a low profile as it’s a PRIVATE PROPERTY. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 08L : DC10 150mm / Convair = 250mm / GLF6 = 270mm 08R : Rarely used. Mainly for 744/748 parked at the north apron or 380 if rwy 9 too busy. 12 : B763 = 95mm / B738 = 120mm / E170 = 170mm |
Rwy 08L :
Rwy 08R : No pictures as the runway is rarely used for arrivals but possible from this spot.
Rwy 12 :
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Spot #10 – The Dolphin parking |
|---|---|
| WHERE |
Drives towards at MIA Airport and follow The Dolphin Parking signs, it is the central parking on the roof top car park. |
| WHAT | 08R departures only. |
| TIME | All day in winter time. |
| MISC. | We recommend you to stay in the car and get out only for the pictures. Keep a low profile. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200-500mm |
| Unofficial Spotting Locations – Around the MIA Airport | |
|---|---|
| WHERE |
Located in the north side of the airport, near the business jets apron, IBC Apron & the maintenance facilities. |
| WHAT | Aircraft parked for maintenance or rest. Some can be easily taken some require to be smart. |
| TIME | Early morning or late afternoon. |
| MISC. | These pictures have been taken in various locations where you are allowed to be and see them. However, it is strictly not allowed to take pictures through the fences or having a ladder near by. Spotterguide is not responsible for any issues that you might have with the airport security, it is at your own risks. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18mm to 200mm |
28 Comments
Just visited MIA. 19-24 Feb.
1. ‘The Holes’ (spot #1). Still OK but it looks like incipient marked-out construction may block 3 of the 5 holes. Don’t park on NW25thSt. I wash asked to move (rather aggressively by security personnel). Park on the grassy area by the palm trees on the west of NW6thAve.
2. El Dorado (spot #3) fine. Walk east alongside the railway tracks to get a better view of aircraft in cargo area.
3. Told by someone staying at Hilton Blue Lagoon that the screens on the balconies had been removed (at least temporarily). A summer measure?
PLANNING TRIP IN SEPTEMBER HOPING STOP AT THE CLARON INN AND SUITS HAVE WE HERD WHETHER THEY HAVE AIRPORT VIEW ROOMS OR ANY OTHER HOTEL ALONG THE 36
Confirm with Hilton Miami Airport Blue Lagoon, All rooms FACING to the airport HAVE bug screens, no exclusion. All the room NOT facing the airport does NOT have bug screens.
The Hilton Miami Airport Blue Lagoon phone operator explains the reason as “The is the decision made by hotel management team”.
Yeah we all know the REAL reason behind that decision and it is definitely NOT to “repel/prevent mosquitoes” 😒😡
We just returned from the Miami area. This was my first time spotting there and this site provides a lot of great info. Here are some general observations. I started off at the The Holes (Spot 1) – it was mediocre. There is a lot of construction going on in the immediate area and parking was nonexistent. My wife dropped me off and I was on my own. The area is totally exposed and hot, even in mid-December. There are 5 holes in the fence but they are not very big. It’s hard to shoot arriving aircraft, your best bet is aircraft taxiing for take off. I spent an hour there and it really wasn’t exciting. We hopped back into the car and went to Spot 3, near the El Dorado. There is a small street to the right of the store with plenty of parking. The area had about 20 spotters from all around the world. It was nicely shaded too. Good unobstructed view of arrivals on 09; for takeoffs the top of the fence can be an issue but you can edit the photos in Photoshop. A ladder would be nice; several spotters had ladders and let others use them. This was such a cool environment
Traffic-wise Runway 09 handled a bunch of the South American and cargo arrivals, but not all. Also, most of the European arrivals used Runway 12 by The Holes but some landed on 09 (like the A-380s). I had a chance to shoot several aircraft that did not show up on Flight Radar 24 – that was a bonus. All in all a great experience; kudos to this site for the excellent info!
Hi Frank!
I see you really enjoyed MIA. Thanks for the update though as well…
Guide updated now. Okay like this?
-Severin
Yes, thanks!
I was in December 2018 in Miami. At the Cargo Ramp loccation there is a sign at the entrance saying that only autorized persons are allowed to enter that parking area. I did not see that sign and a guy that worked on the ground handling informed me if the Police catches me I would probably get arrested and pay a fine for this. So I would not recommend going there. I am not sure if is true, but I assume it is beacuse of the sign.
Hi Alessandro. The signs are there for at least 10 years and we never heard that a spotter was arrested or had to pay a fine. I general you don´t need to spend much time there. Just photograph the parked planes on the ramp and then leave. This takes just a few minutes.
-Julian
Can you access the cargo building by foot?
You can walk up the ramp but I don´t recommend that as its very suspicious! You are just too easy to recognize that you are not a customer. Everybody drives up there.
-Julian
Hello i do confirm that nets installed in ALL rooms with balcony except high rooms ending with xx20. I take a photo pf the balconies from the pool. The top 5 starting from the highest are free. Note that category of those rooms are suites.
Nets istalled recenlty so i guess they close all during next schedule works. The istallation ade from the outer side, not from inside thats why took time. Before you try Hilton check. I stay twice in between 20 and 30 March in two rooms with no luck.
I went spotting in MIA about 2 years ago, my advice: spend more than 2 days there! 2 days for me was definitely not enough as it’s quite a hard airport to spot at if you’re chasing some certain movements, runways to be used are sometimes unpredictable and you will always miss some cool stuff spending the day at just one spot, a lot of the classics and interesting stuff from South America don’t show up on the schedules or FR24 so spend a day at each runway 09 and 08. It’s pretty much impossible to catch everything here. Awesome airport though.
And be weary of the storms there during summer, I was hiding away during a massive one and a KF cargo DC10 appeared out of nowhere on final.
I my MIA on Friday, when wind conditions indicate landing on 27 and 30. I notice, from Google maps, that there is a large parking lot on the eastern side of 49th Aero squadron restaurant. Is this part of the restaurant, and if not is it available to the public.
I was there once a couple of years ago for 30 arrivals. Okay if you just look for the numbers but the heat was a mess due to the highway and photography impossible. Parking was no problem. Spot six is the better choice.
Julian
I believe Spot 4 (Hilton Hotel) is putting permanent mosquito nets over the balcony rooms, rendering them useless for spotting and photography. Very disappointing if that is the case.
Hi Mark, where do you got the info from? Would be very disappointing if this going to be happen!
-Julian
I read it also in the Civil Aviation Enthusiasts mailing list on Google…
Hi Julian,
It was first posted on one of the spotting lists by someone who recently stayed at the hotel. This was also confirmed by Airport Spotting Blog. However, a reply to the thread from someone who had just stayed there implied that mesh has indeed been put over the balconies of some rooms, but these were the smaller rooms with small ‘standing’ balconies and that the larger balconies of the suite rooms did not have such netting and may not receive such netting.
I guess we will have to monitor the reports of those staying there in the coming months or alternatively try and obtain an official line from the hotel management.
Thanks for the great work you do with this site – it is a great source of information and your efforts are truly appreciated.
Mark
Hi Mark,
exactly lets keep an eye on that until we have more infos. I will left a notice in the guide. Usually there is one person who is spreading informations which are not 100 percent correct. This could be a bit missleading. Better to listen to at least 2-3 people who have been there. We try to find out more. And thanks for your kind words! Much appreciate that.
-Julian
Hi
Stayed at the Hilton between Christmas and new Year in room 1120 and there is no net – Still wide open.
According to my email-conversations ahead of my trip with the hotel, the following room-numbers are net-free: 1120, 1020, 920, 820 and 720. (I have not personally checked this though).
The question is: Have these rooms been left open intentionally or are they just not fitted with nets YET? I would urge anyone who wants to stay there to contact the hotel about it before they check-in to find out what the status is. The staff is very helpful.
Thanks for the update Mike. I left a note in the guide with your infos.
-Julian
Hi all
Unfortunately, all balconies have been equipped with screens…. I have just been at the Hilton and have checked this from the outside.
Yes too bad. Just updated the guide.
-Julian
Couldn’t agree with you more regarding Miami International. Always busy, lots of action. Back in the day 30 years and back it was amazing. The era of the wide body jumbos, Eastern Airlines and original generation one passenger jets! 707’s, DC-8’s and even Convairs. Their were even some prop and turbo prop classics like the Electra! Question if anyone can answer. It seems when landing you come in over and from the Everglades and on departures head East over the beach and over the ocean. Is my assumption correct on this?
The prevailing wind is usually from the east. Therefore you land into it (from the Everglades) and take off into it (over the beach.) When the wind is from the west you land over the beach and take off over the Everglades.
I have a few pictures from Spot #5, even though I find that the fence at this location can be quite disturbing, in addition to heat haze.