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May 14, 2018Washington Dulles Intl. Airport Spotting guide
at - last modified on October 5, 2019
Washington Dulles International Airport (KIAD) is one of the most important airports at the east Coast of the United States. It is located in Virginia and 26 miles from Washington D.C, the capital of the United States. Comparing with two other two major airports KDCA and KBWI in Washington-Baltimore area, Dulles has the most international traffic with more than 22 million passengers a year and more than 125 destinations around the world. Located next to Dulles airport is the Udvar-Hazy Center, which has a lot of interesting collections like SR-71 Blackbird inside, it’s worth to have a visit.
Dulles is a hub of United Airlines which flies to Europe, Asia and South America. Almost all major Europe airlines like Lufthansa, Air France as well as Asian airlines like ANA, Air China service daily flights to Dulles. In this way, all kinds of heavies especially like United B767-400 can be observed every day. Also, because of its special location, VIP aircraft and Special Visitors like Amiri 747-400, Luftwaffe A310 and AN-124 can be seen all year round if you are lucky enough.
The airport authorities are pretty friendly to spotters, but there will still be chances be to approached by the airport police at garage 1&2 (location 2&3). Normally the police will just ask after a few questions but it’s advised to make a call to the airport authority at 703-572-2730 before coming to those two locations since it’s the airport property.
Written by Ruoyang Yan and Ruoyao Wang (Last update October 2019)
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations | |
| Weather | |
| Visitor Rating How was your trip? Rate this airport! |   (9 votes, average: 4.11 out of 5) Loading... |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 01L/19R | 2.865 m (9.400 ft) Concrete |
| 01C/19C | 3.505 m (11.500 ft) Concrete |
| 01R/19L | 3.505 m (11.500 ft) Concrete |
| 12/30 | 3.201 m (10.501 ft) Concrete |
| Terminals | |
| Concourse Z (Main Terminal) | Air Canada Express, Frontier |
| Concourses A and B | all non United Flights |
| Concourses C and D | only United and United Express |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not necessary. |
| Car/Public Transport | Not necessary but recommended, all locations can be reached by bus but they’re not that convenient especially if you’re planning to depart from Downtown Washington DC. |
| Restrooms | All locations have restrooms located nearby except location 3 and 6. |
| Drinks/Food | There are shops nearby at all locations except location 3 and 6. |
| Hotels | Many hotels located around the airport and most of them provide shuttle bus from the terminals, the most convenient hotel is Washington Dulles Airport Marriott since it’s the closest one. |
| Season | All year round is fine, but in winter it gets dark pretty early (Around 4 – 5pm). |
| Runway Usage | |
| 01C/19C | Mainly be used for arrivals. In southern operation, domestic flights and almost all European airlines will land on 19C. But in northern operation, arrivals on 1C are mostly those coming from south and west while others are more likely to use 1R. ANA, Korean Air and cargos will mostly use 1C/19C regardless of direction of operations. During the peak in the early morning, 1C/19C may also be used for domestic departure. |
| 01R/19L | Used for both arrivals and departure. During southern operation, arrivals coming from south and most international flights of United Airlines will use 19L while most European airlines will use 19C. In northern operation, traffic coming from north and east will use 1R in the morning as well as Ethopian, Emirates and SAA. In the afternoon almost all international arrivals will use on 1R. |
| 01L/19R | Only be used during peak hours, at most time, there is no operation on this runway. |
| 12/30 | Only be used for departure. Arrivals will only happen when encountering strong NW wind during few days of a year. Most departure flights will use runway 30 in the morning. |
 | Spot #1 – Sully Place Shopping Center – 1R Arrivals in The Morning |
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| WHERE | If you’re driving, use VA-28N and exit at S/Sully Road. follow the direction of Sully Place Shopping Center, it’s a pretty market area so parking is always available. Step up to the sidewalk to avoid the overhead utility wires. There are a few hidden old sprinkler heads in the grass between the lot & sidewalk, take care not to trip over them. You can also take Bus 652 to “Centreville Rd and Metrotech Dr” and walk for a short distance to there. |
| WHAT | This location is good for spotting arrivals on 1R during north operation. traffic come from north and east like Emirates, Ethiopian and South Africa will use 1R. You can move to the sidewalk for a better angle since there are trees and wires which may obstruct the planes. |
| TIME | From sunrise to noon all year round. |
| MISC. | Shops and restrooms are inside the market. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200mm for B777/ A380, 300mm or longer for domestic flights and business jets. |
 | Spot #2 – IAD Parking garage 2 – All movements on 1C/19C in The Morning |
|---|---|
| WHERE | Parking garage 2 in next to the main terminal of IAD, there is pathway connects the ticketing level of the terminal and the 3rd floor of garage 2. Use the elevators to the top level for a better angle. You can also take the parking lot shutter bus from the arrival level of terminal. (The parking fee is $6 / hour and $17 / day) |
| WHAT | This location is wonderful for spotting all operations happen on 1C/19C in the morning. During southern operation, most arrivals will use 19C. And during northern operation, arrivals are more likely to be those coming from south and west. ANA and Korean Air will mostly use 1C/19C. Sometimes in early morning (about 7am to 9am), 1C/19C may also be used for departures which you could get a pretty good angle, but after the peak, departures will move to 30. |
| TIME | From sunrise to noon all year round. |
| MISC. | Shops and restrooms are inside the terminal which is accessible by the pathway on the 3rd floor of the garage. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 250mm for B777/ A380, 400mm or longer for domestic flights and business jets on the runway. Shorter length is available for spotting the movements on the taxiways. |
 | Spot #3 – IAD Parking garage 1 – Arrivals on 19L and Departure on 1R in The Afternoon |
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| WHERE | Parking garage 1 is a separate building so it’s relatively farther from the terminal than garage 2. But it’s easy to find, just follow the direction of garage 1 and go to the top level to get a better angle. Garage 1 is also accessible by the parking lot shutter bus. (The parking fee is $6 / hour and $17 / day) |
| WHAT | This location is ideal for spotting arrivals on 19L and departure in 1R in the afternoon. During southern operation, international arrivals of United Airlines are more likely to use 19L, some other arrivals like European and Asian airlines may also land at 19L but they are most likely to use 19C. In northern operation, you can also spot 1R departure before sunset, keep in mind that 1R will mainly be used for arrivals in the early afternoon, departure will mostly happen in late afternoon until sunset. (Normally begining with Air China 77W and ending with Lufthansa 747). Also note that during summer, heat haze can be a problem so this location is more ideal during cooler weather. |
| TIME | From noon to sunset all year round. |
| MISC. | As I mentioned before, Parking garage 1 is separate from the terminal, please bring food you need and there is no restroom inside the garage. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 300 mm for B767/B777, 400mm or longer for domestic flights. |
Photos for 19L arrival:
Photos for 1R departure:
 | Spot #4 – Udvar-Hazy Center – 1R Arrivals in The Afternoon |
|---|---|
| WHERE | Udvar-Hazy Center is next to the IAD, you can follow the direction drive to the museum parking lot or take the Bus 983 from the terminal which is convenient. Parking fee is $15 and a 30-minute gracing period at any time of the day. |
| WHAT | It might be the most famous spotting location of IAD during northern operations. Most international arrivals will use 1R including heavies. aircraft flies low at this location so it’s easy to get nice pictures. You can move around the parking lot to find a better angle since sometime the trees may obstruct the planes. |
| TIME | From noon to sunset all year round. |
| MISC. | MacDonald and restrooms are inside the museum and the entry is for free. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 150 mm for B777/ B747/ A380, 250mm or longer for domestic flights and business jets. |
 | Spot #5 – Fairfield Inn – 19L Arrivals in The Morning |
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| WHERE | This location is at the parking lot of the Fairfield Inn. The address is 23000 Indian Creek Dr, Sterling, VA. It’s at the north side of the airport. To access it from Old Ox Rd, you can turn right into Pacific Blvd, and then turn right again into Indian Creek Dr. You can park your car in the Eastern side of the Fairfield Inn’s parking lot. |
| WHAT | At this location you can spot the morning arrivals of Runway 19L. International arrivals from Europe and Middle-East in the morning are likely to use this runway during southern operations. Some domestic flights can also be seen. |
| TIME | It is good from sunrise to noon all year round. |
| MISC. | Restroom is located inside Fairfield Inn. Foods are available nearby in the Cracker Barry Store. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-200mm |
 | Spot #6 – Ambassed or Bible Church – 1C Arrivals in The Afternoon |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This location is at the parking lot of the Ambassador Bible Church. The address is 15100 Enterprise Ct, Chantilly, VA. It is in the south side of the airport. To access it from Lee Jackson Highway, you can turn left into Pleasant valley Rd, and then turn left again into Lafayette Center Dr. You can park your car in the parking lot of Ambassador Bible Church. |
| WHAT | At this location you can spot the afternoon arrivals of Runway 1C. The majority of the traffic here is domestic. Some of the international flights from Asia or South America will also use this runway. In some circumstances arrivals from Europe do use this runway but it is not a common scene as they are more likely to use 1R which can be spotted at location 4. |
| TIME | It is good from noon to sunset all year round. |
| MISC. | There aren’t any restrooms or stores nearby. Prepare your own food and water. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-200mm |
 | Spot #7 – CiCi’s Pizza/ Costco Parking lot- 1R Arrivals in The Afternoon |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This location is at a street across the parking lot of the Costco, just follow the direction and park next to the CiCi’s Pizza which has been closed. It’s close to location 4 — Udvar-Hazy Center and what you spot are the same traffic here. However, in this location, you will have a better view as there is no tree which may obstruct the planes. Another advantage comparing with Udvar-Hazy Center is that you don’t need to pay for the 15 dollars parking fee here. |
| WHAT | In this location you can spot arrival in 1R during northern operations in the whole afternoon. Most international arrivals will use 1R including heavies. |
| TIME | It is good from noon to sunset all year round. |
| MISC. | Restroom is located inside Costco and there is shops nearby. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200-300mm |
14 Comments
Hi,
There was some mention of “southern operation” (and “north operation”) at IAD. Can someone explain what those terms mean, and also, is there a way to find out which is being used?
I live in Oakton, a bit south and east of IAD, and some days (like today) arrivals fly directly into the north end of the airport, so I get to see very little traffic. However, on some other days, I see arrivals flying straight southward, to the east of IAD, and on those days I see a LOT of planes overhead, including Emirates and Ethiopian in the morning. On these days, they fly down to south of IAD, then do a kind of “U turn” to the west and north and then land at IAD (kind of like a “J” pattern).
Is this what you all refer to as “southern operation”, and again is there a way to tell which it is, other than sitting for awhile and watching how planes are arriving at IAD?
Hi Jim,
southern operations means planes coming from the north and landing southwards. Same with departures that going down the south. In the case of IAD these are the runway 19 operations. This all depends on the wind. If the wind blows from the north than they make the northern operation. If the come form the north and landing from the south (northern operations) the make a so called “downwind” that is usually parallel to the runway and then they make a U-Turn to get on the center line of the runway.
At flightradar24 you can easily track the flights and see if norther or southern ops are active.
Hope this will answer your questions.
-Julian
Hi Julian,
Great! Thanks for that info. I’ve been watching flightradar24 the last couple days (freezing my xxxx off :)!!) and I see what you mean. There was one weird day last week where I saw planes coming down the WEST side of IAD, then after they were south of the airport, they were turning EAST (“U-turn”) until they were past IAD, and then went north (while south of IAD), for a “bit” then they quickly turned west, and then north into the south side of IAD. It was they were trying to avoid flying over the museum almost.
Jim
Thanks for sharing these locations, very helpfull. For Spot 1/Sully Shopping Center I parked at the CVS Pharmacy & just stepped up to the sidewalk to avoid the overhead utility wires. There are a few hidden old sprinkler heads in the grass between the lot & sidewalk, take care not to trip over them. If you are a fan of United Airlines and its regional partners, this spot is for you. The morning wave of arrivals saw 24 straight United/United Express paint jobs before the Ethiopian 777 & the Emirates 380 showed up. Ditto for my second day there with the addition of a late arriving South African 330 for a sunrise photo. Spot 7, Costco/Cici’s is good too, but the international arrivals were evenly split between runway 1C and 1R. They must fit them into the landing pattern wherever it’s quicker to get them on the ground, then sort them out to the gate from there. They do this as well at Dallas/Ft Worth. Same thing my second evening getting photos of two United 777’s, a United 787, and Icelanair 767, but the frustration of seeing the TAP 330, Etihad 787, Air France 777 & Lufthansa 350 all going to the center runway behind me. Such is the life of aircraft spotting & aviation photography.
Nice to hear that we were able ot help you 🙂
I added your infos to the guide.
-Julian
The museum was the one I went to and it is terrific. If you ever want to see an A380 right in your face then there is on that lands around 10:30 and if you go to the observation tower it is the best view of the airport. There is a McDonald’s and the museum is super good( they have a 707,Concorde,Enola Gay,SR71 black bird ,and many more planes)
Also there is a parking lot called green lot directly below heavy’s
While on the roof of Parking Garage 1 (Spot #3), I was approached by the police inquiring what I was doing.
After a few questions they were fine with it but asked that we notify operations at 703 572 2730. This would
apply to Garage 2 as well. I’d assume it would apply anywhere on airport property. 4/19/2019.
Thanks for your information, it’s really rare to be approached at the garages since I have never seen police there. However, making a call before coming is helpful as it’s airport property. I’ll update it to the guide.
The same happened to me in October. I’m going back today and I’ll try to contact Dulles operations. Are you sure that’s the number? Let me know
Wow this post showed up at the perfect time.I’ll be in that are this summer. Thank you !!!
Great to hear it’s already that useful!
-Severin
Did you guys take the IAD spotter guide down from your website. I can only find it with a google search. If i click locations>North America>United States i only see DCA in the list. IAD not at all. let me know please
There was no category selected, this is why you have not seen it. Its fixed…
Thanks, Julian