PAE-Spot1
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June 25, 2015
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June 30, 2015Paine Field-Snohomish Country Airport Spotting Guide
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- last modified on October 4, 2021
Snohomish Country Airport, commonly known as Paine Field (PAE/KPAE), is the home of the Boeing Everett Factory, the world’s largest building by volume and the primary assembly location for Boeing’s wide-body 747, 767, 777, 787 aircraft. Also, four flight schools, Chinook Flight Simulations, Regal Air, Northway Aviation and Everett Helicopters are based at PAE, making it a popular destination for flight training. There are also a number of flying clubs located at Paine Field.
Boeing’s test and certification flights as well as departures of delivered aircraft represent the most interesting, but also very unpredictable traffic. Dreamlifters come and go usually at least twice a day on weekdays, but often during night hours. Since March 2019 the airport is being served by commercial flights as well. Horizon Air (Alaska Airlines subsidiary), United Express (both with E175) and Southwest Airlines have established several connections per day to various destinations in the western part of the USA.
Written by Remo Garone, Peter Psenica and Thomas Okaty (last visit/update June 2019)
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety | |
| Photo Locations |  |
| Weather | |
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| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 16R/34L | 2.746m (9.010ft) |
| 16L/34R | 914m (3.000ft) |
| Terminals | One for all flights opb. Horizon, United Express and Southwest |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not required |
| Car/Public Transport | Recommended as there is no public transport to get easily around. |
| Restrooms | Available at the museum and next to spot 2 |
| Drinks/Food | Available at the museum and next to spot 2 |
| Hotels | Best one is the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel as you are right next to the museum and the most popular spotting location #1. |
| Season | March until October |
| Runway Usage | |
| General Info | When the wind is not particularly strong, landings and take-offs can happen from both directions, according to the apron where the aircraft is based. |
| 16R/34L | Mainly used by Boeing related (cargo, test flights, deliveries) and commercial traffic |
| 16L/34R | Du to its shortness only used by general aviation |
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Spot #1 – Arrivals & Departures rwy16R |
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| WHERE | This is the most popular spotting location at Paine Field and it is located next to the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel and the Future of Flight Aviation Museum, from where the Boeing factory tour starts. Park your car in the museum’s dedicated lot and climb up on the hill at between the lot and the runway to clear the airport fence. Alternatively, during hours of operation you can go inside The Future of Flight exhibition. It has a viewing deck on top of the building, which will provide a more elevated view than the hill, and entry is free of charge. |
| WHAT | All arrivals and departures on rwy 16R. |
| TIME | Winter: from 13:00 until sunset Summer: from 14:00-14:30 until sunset |
| MISC. | Restrooms and a café can be found in the museum. The hotel’s restaurant is open to the public as well. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-200mm |
Taken from the hill
Taken from the viewing deck of the Future of Flight museum.
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Spot #2 – Arrivals & Departures rwy34L – Afternoon |
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| WHERE | Coming from the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, turn left onto Paine Field Blvd and follow it all the way to the end, then turn left onto Mukilteo Speedway. At the light on top of the hill – there is a Shell gas station on your right – turn left onto Bernie Webber Dr. Follow this road, which after a short drive will circle back towards the main road. Once you have completed the 180 degree turn you will see a paved shoulder on your right, where you can leave your car. The spot, which is sufficiently elevated to clear the airport fence, is on the grassy area on the other side of the road. |
| WHAT | All arrivals and departures on rwy 34L. |
| TIME | Winter: from 13:00 until sunset Summer: from 14:00-14:30 until sunset |
| MISC. | Restrooms, drinks and snacks can be found at the gas station. There are also a handful of restaurants and fast food places along Mukilteo Speedway. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | tbd |
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Spot #3 – Arrivals & Departures rwy34L – Morning |
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| WHERE | It is a parking at the end of 109th St SW, probably for employees, but fully accessible to anyone. On the Google Maps it looks like being freshly finished, but in reality it was already fully available some two months ago when I was there. Just park the car and you see the threshold RWY 34L in front of you and when you want to photograph something, step out of the car and go to the grass to the left. |
| WHAT | From this spot you can take photos on final approach before touch-down. A side-on short is hard to get as the fence gets in the picture then, but slightly angled photos are fully possible. |
| TIME | During Winter : from sunrise until 11:00 During Summer : from sunrise until 12:00 |
| MISC. | There is nothing close-by to buy drinks/foods. Brink with you what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Dreamlifter around 100mm for an P3 Orion 170mm. 50-200 mm should be good |
2 Comments
Hi Jeremy,
I have visited Seattle area at the beginning of May 2015 and I would like to add information about a morning spot for RWY 34L. At the end of 109th St SW (on the eastern side), there is a small (free) parking, from which you can observe the threshold of RWY 34L. As the fence to the left goes down, it is possible to take nice shots of aircraft right before touch-down on RWY 34L from the elevated grass area next to the parking lot. Also, if there is anything taxiing to the RWY 34L for departure, you can take a shot of it through the fence, although the TWY is extremely close. The same is possible when the aircraft is already on the RWY, but on a hot day heat-haze can be a problem then. PAE is a very interesting airport, however you must be lucky to catch some interesting visitors, sometimes there is no movements for hours, except for the local aeroclubs. Dreamlifters come and go usually at least twice a day on weekdays, but the test flights or deliveries are very unpredictable. Just to add to your info on spotting location 1: The Future of Flight exhibition offers an entrance to a large balcony, which has great elevated view onto the RWY 16R, but the entry costs 10 USD (it is included if you buy a more expensive exhibition ticket). And one more information: When the wind is not particularly strong, landings and take-offs can happen from both directions, according to the apron where the aircraft is based.
Hope this helps other spotters visiting the area.
Best regards,
Peter
Hi Peter,
Thank you so much for your help, everything was updated 🙂 !
Regards
Jeremy