PBI-Spot1
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May 20, 2022Palm Beach Intl. Airport – Spotting Guide
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- last modified on May 5, 2022
Palm Beach International Airport (PBI/KPBI) is a middle sized airport, with roughly 7 million passenger a year, at Florida‘s atlantic coast, serving the area of Palm Beach. This includes mostly passenger flights served by all major US mainline and low cost carriers. Air Canada and Bahamsair are the only international visitors and FedEx and UPS are responsible for some cargo movemetns. In addition you may also see some military action, transporters like C17s as well as C32/the AF1 if US governmental personnel is visiting the area. Furthermore, the area is also frequently visited by rich people and their private planes, which brings a lot of GA (mainly NetJets) traffic to PBI.
Written by Severin Hackenberger in cooperation with Matthew Calise and Arno Vesterholm. Last Update: 2022
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| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations | |
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| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 10R/28L | 980m x 23m |
| 10L/28R | 3050m x 46m |
| 14/32 | 2113m x 43m |
| Terminals | There is one main terminal with three concourses |
| Concourse A | Bahamasair |
| Concourse B | Air Canada, Allegiant, American, Avelo, Southwest United |
| Concourse C | Breeze, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Spirit |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Actually not recommended though it might be useful sometimes. We recommend to shoot thru the mesh instead to avoid attention. |
| Car/Public Transport | A car is definitely needed as public transport is poor here. Spot 6 is the only location within walking distance from the terminal. |
| Drinks/Food | There are no highways with lots of restaurants around here, but mostly you will find a fast food restaurant and the time to go there. |
| Hotels | The Hilton next to spot 1 may offer nice views onto the approach plus also a good distance to all spots as base for the nights. |
| Season | Summer is hot, hazy and the light is worse. We recommend coming here in winter. |
| Security | In general spotting around PBI is pretty safe and calm and you should not be harassed by airport security or police.
Please be also aware of following facts: |
| Runway Usage | |
| 10L/28R | Major runway used in both directions. |
| 10R/28L | Smallest runway and almost never in use. Only by small props. |
| 14/32 | Crosswind runway and seldomly in use. Only during harsh winds. |
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Spot #1 – Hilton grass pitch – 28R arrivals + 28R line-up |
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| WHERE | This spot is nothing more than the patch of grass next to the Hilton hotel, in between I95 and Australian Ave. Just get rid of your car in the nearby parking lot (do not use preserved/private spots obviously) and position yourself freely in the area here on the grass between the trees.. |
| WHAT | Good for 28R arrivals, if you step up the side to the north a bit it’s good for 28R line-up as well as you see them earlier then. No ladder needed as the position is on a higher level than the runway. |
| TIME | In summer the sun will be in your back from later morning till mid/late afternoon. In winter all day long. |
| MISC. | In the hotel you will find a restaurants and thus restrooms. There are trees spending shadow. Keep away from the busy street a bit to avoid attention/issues with the police as you are said to disturb traffic. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-300mm |
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Spot #2 – Public Viewing Park – 10L/28R and 14/32 movements + nearby ramp/taxiways |
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| WHERE | This is the airport‘s official public viewing park at Perimeter Road South of the airport with a parking lot where you can easily park and see the action. |
| WHAT | Actually all 10L/28R movements, but best are 10L departures as the planes are already airborne. You can also spot 14/32 movements, which are rare though, plus bit of ground movements, too. |
| TIME | In summer the sun will be in your back from later morning till mid/late afternoon and in winter all day long for 10L/28R. |
| MISC. | Benches and trees for shadow. Taking pictures of ground action is often blurred by heat haze. No shops around. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-400mm Departing aircraft = 250mm-300mm / Cessna on ground = 365mm |
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Spot #3 – Perimeter Rd – 32 Arrivals |
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| WHERE | Literally nothing more than the roadside of Perimeter Rd west of the axis of runway 32. You can get rid of your car by the nearby roadside or maybe in some of the parking lots. Wait in the car and only come here with your camera for taking pictures for a short time. |
| WHAT | This spot is good for 32 arrivals, however these are pretty rare. |
| TIME | Later morning/early noon till sunset. |
| MISC. | Please note, spotters have been stopped by the local police a few times in the past at this spot. Keep a low profile as you are close to a busy road and you may be seen as threat to the street’s safety as you could distract drivers. Stay in the car and keep your camera down as long as possible. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm |
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Spot #4 – UBCP parking – GA ramp |
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| WHERE | South of the field, there is this small US customs and border protection (UBCP) building with a U shaped parking lot. Come here quickly by car, get out, take your shot and leave! It is a “catch & go” spot as if you stay long you will attract unnecessary attention. So do not park here, just stop quickly. Also best on weekends as the lot is usually empty then. |
| WHAT | Good to catch biz jets that may be parked in front on the apron. It’s used to park overflow traffic from Atlantic/Gama and some locals. |
| TIME | Depends on the angel and how the plane is parked. |
| MISC. | Mostly you do not have an issue spotting thru the fence here unlike other GA ramps in the south. There are some spots west of this that offer nice ramp views, but are private property, one being Flight Safety for examples. They’ve called the cops and thrown spotters out several times, wouldn’t advise going there or any FBO parking lot to spot – no matter how good the shot is! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-100mm |
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Spot #5 – Tulane Dr/Lindy Ln – 10L Movements + 28R Departures |
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| WHERE | This spot is located at the junction/curve of Tulane Dr/Lindy Ln. There are “no parking signs” here, however, no one has ever given issues in the past years spotting there as this is a pretty remote area. |
| WHAT | Good for 10L arrivals. In addition you will also see 28R departures but mostly too high. If you stand on the roof of your car, line-ups prior 10L departure can be manageable. |
| TIME | In summer the sun will be in your back from later morning till mid/late afternoon. In winter all day long. |
| MISC. | Ground shots will be hazy in summer quickly. Don Cafe is just around the block where you can find food/restrooms. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm |
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Spot #6 – Parking Garage – Apron + 10L/28R and 14/32 movements |
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| WHERE | The last location is to be found on the 7th floor of the short term parking garage. Nothing special, easy to find, just follow the signs and then search your favourite location up here along the front. |
| WHAT | Aprons in front plus 14/32 and 10L/28R movements. |
| TIME | Depends on the angle. Good for night shots all year long and late summer afternoons. |
| MISC. | Only been approached by the DOA once at this spot, no issues taking photos here. Fee is $17 per day. Direct access to the terminal. $1 for every 20 minutes. Credit cards, cash, SunPass accepted. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-400mm |
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