Sint Maarten Princess Juliana Spotting
January 19, 2015
Aruba Queen Beatrix Airport Spotting Guide
January 30, 2015Worldwide Single Spotting Locations
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- last modified on March 9, 2020
This report covers worldwide spotting locations from different airports. We didn´t have enough infos for a complete guide but we wanna share the photo position that we have visited with you. New positions will be added from time to time so check back regularly.
Aitutaki Airport - Cook Islands
| WHERE | Aitutaki (AIT/NCAI) is the second biggest airport/airfield on the Cook Islands and handels a few daily flights to/from Rarotonga Avarua (the gateway to the Cook Islands). Normally all landings/departures are „Air Rarotonga“ Saab 340s or Embraer 120s, which are serving the routes RAR-AIT or AIT-RAR in about 50 minutes normally. Our spot is located just by the fence of Aitutaki Airport and can easily be reached by bike or foot. Honestly you can spot wherever you want, because the airport isn‘t that big and the fence is always just about one meter high. |
| WHAT | All airport activities, it doesn‘t matters, if it‘s a departure, arrival or something on the apron. |
| TIME | Depending on the angle and your exact position, but at the position we used, which is marked on the map exactly, light is good from noon till sunset. |
| MISC. | No ladder needed and nothing really nearby, but normally you won‘t stay here for a long time – traffic is quite uninteresting after a few days. Security and „parking“ are no problems here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm |
Alicante - Spain
| WHERE | If you come from the termainals merge highway N-332 to Alacant | Alicante until motorway intersection ‘Santa Pola’ and exit N-332 in direction to Santa Pola and Cartagena. Follow N-332s street course for 1,7km end exit N-332 at El Altet (Norte)/CV-849/Elx/Elche but bear left and go straight for 550m until a roundabout appears. Take first exit (Avinguda Sant Francesc). Follow street course for 1.3km (CV-849) until the next roundabout appears. Take first exit again and follow the street. A small plaza will be visible after 20m. Park your car here. |
| WHAT | All runway operations of runway 10/28 |
| TIME | From noon to sunset |
| MISC. | Heat haze can be a problem on hot days. A supermarket is not far from this point. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm |
Ayers Rock - Australia
| WHERE | Drive to Ayers Rock airport and the spot will be located next to the terminal on the left side next to the General Aviation ramp. |
| WHAT | Only parking and taxiing aircraft on the General Aviation ramp. |
| TIME | Mostly all the day but try to avoid end of afternoon. |
| MISC. | Heat haze can be a problem on hot days and you are shooting throw fences. You can get some foods/drinks inside the terminal. Be careful of snakes !! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18mm (overview picture of the ramp) until a 300mm is enough |
Belfast International Airport - Northern Ireland
| WHERE | There is a observation deck inside the terminal of the airport. The viewing area is behind glass and is accessable from the domestic arrival area. There is a signposted route from beside the domestic baggage reclaim. This area is landside and is open to everyone 24 hours a day. |
| WHAT | All movements on RWY 07/25 as well as taxiway and ramp movements. |
| TIME | Depends on what you photograph but usually you have will have backlit all day as you are facing southwards. |
| MISC. | Everything you need. Drinks and confectionery machine, live airband radio both approach and ground, arrivals and departures information boards. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | XXX |
Buffalo Niagara Intl. Airport - USA
| WHERE | Buffalo Niagara is a regional airport, in the state of New York, and gateway to one of the most popular tourist destinations in the USA, the Niagara Falls. The major US carriers Delta, Southwest, UPS, American Airlines, Frontier, JetBlue, United, Onejet, Vacation Express, FedEx flying in and out of BUF. The spot is on a picnic area that belongs to a flight school next to Merci Flight and its a known place for local aviation enthusiasts. You are on a small hill and have a nice and clear view over the airport fence. If coming by car you can park directly at the location and if you stay in one of the airport hotels you can even walk to this spot (15 minutes walk). |
| WHAT | Best postion if runway 05/23 and the parallel taxiway is active for arrivals and departures. Furthermore movements on 14/32 but heat can be an issues (not tested). |
| TIME | From sunrise till afternoon for 05/23. Runway 14/32 from sunrise till noon only. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby. If grass is not mowed parts of the aircraft are cut off. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Jetblue A320 = 120mm; UA E170 = 90mm; Delta CRJ900 = 130mm |
Cairns, The mountain - Australia
| WHERE | From the airport, exit it by taking the “Airport Ave” road. Then, turn on the right onto “Captain Cook Hwy”. You will cross a river and you will have to turn on the left onto “Aeroglen Dr” to finally take the first again on your left which is a small path where you can park your car under a tree. (That was the easiest part to reached the spot :D)
Second step is, to climb the mountain under a humid and hot weather condition. Please refer to the map, the trek has been mentioned for you by the BLUE line. |
| WHAT | Arrivals runway 33 and departures runway 33 + 15. |
| TIME | From 1300 to sunset. |
| MISC. | Heat haze can be a problem on hot days and theirs nothing around this spot so bring with you what you need. (the first shop is pretty far away as well from the spot). Be careful of snakes during hot seasons !! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18mm (overview picture of the airport) until a 500mm as you are pretty far away from the aircraft. |
Cape Town International Airport - South Africa
| WHERE | The Cape Town International Airport is South Africa’s second busiest airport and handled more than 10 million passenger in 2017. The common carriers at CPT are South African Airways, Mango, Safair, Comair or Kulala. Aport from those South African Airlines, there are a few international airlines, too, like Qatar Airways, Air Seychelles, Emirates, Lufthansa or Air Namibia. Our spot is located in a parking garage called “P1” next to the terminal. It can easily be entered and then just search your favourite spot on of the floors – (floors) 3 and 4 are best for spotting as your quite high there, although your view might be a bit disturbed on the upper floor (floor number 4) due to some sunprotectionshields. You can park your car on level 3 easily and spot from there or go up to the 4th floor by using the stairs/elevator; this floor’s (4th) parking spaces are reserved for the staff! |
| WHAT | All activities on runway 01/19 and nearby taxiway/apron. |
| TIME | From the mentioned spot you’ll have light from noon (around 2/3pm), till sunset. |
| MISC. | You will find everything you need inside the terminal. Ladder might be useful, if you are smaller than 1,70, but apart from this not absolutely needed.
Heat haze is a big problem around noon, but gets better in the evening. Therefore security is no problem here, which is unusual in Africa. The garage is supervised by CCTV at some spots and a security service, who tolerats our hobby luckily! They sometimes pass and ask what you are doing here, but never sent any spotter away. This is a big advantage, if you compare the spot with arrival spots. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70 – 400mm
734 on runway = 300mm / IL76 = 125mm / TAAG = 75mm |
Cincinnati Northern Kentucky - USA
| WHERE | CVG airport belongs to the top 30 of the biggest cargo airports of the world and handled more than 1 Mio tons in 2017. DHL Aviation is the main cause for this high amount of tonnage. It´s not really a small airport and there are a lot of beautiful spotting locations around the borders. BUT sadly the police and airport authorities are everything else than spotter friendly and absolutely not amused seeing people on their property. Thats why we just present that single official spotting location and not a complete guide.
There is just one single official viewing location which is tolerated. Its the CVG airplane viewing area (AVA) which is off Donaldson Road east of the airport and open from 08:00 to 22:00, offering parking, picnic tables, a play area and excellent views of the airfield. The area around the AVA is pretty undulating and the fence is going up and downso walk a bit around to find the perfect position (see yellow line on the map). At some points the fence is lower than you and then you don´t have parts of it in the picture. Not so easy for heavies but narrowbodys are fine. We collected all other locations in this map. You can give them a try but sooner or later the police will visit you and ask you to leave. |
| WHAT | The AVA is almost in the middle of the runway 18L/36R and perfect for all movements. If you go a few meters back to the entrance of the location you can even photograph arrivals on runway 27! Sunday morning is the time to view at CVG with multiple heavies coming in besides Amazon Prime 763 which is daily now between 07:00 and 08:00 with a couple of flights. |
| TIME | Runway 18L/36R from sunrise till noon all year round. Runway 27 from late morning until afternoon all year round. Backlit in summer evenings and early mornings. |
| MISC. | Pretty nice location with benches, picnic tables and even a childs playground. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Kalitta 744 = 190mm; AA CRJ900 =280mm |
Copenhagen Sea Airport - Denmark
| WHERE | Copenhagen Sea Airport (QEC(EKCC) is located almost in the heart of Copenhagens new cool area a bit north of the centrum. It’s not really an airport, rather just one waterwalk, which is being hosted by a little Danish Airline named “Nordic Seaplanes”. This airline is connecting Copenhagen Sea Airport up to 6 times per day with Aarhus.
Our spot is no exact position rather the area along the walkside next to the waterfront. Example shots 2 and 3 were taken from the surrounded waterwalk, example shot 1 was taken from the normal walkway along the seaside and the red line is the way, which the seaplanes drives/swims after arrival/before departure all the time, because the “runway” is a bit outside this harbour. |
| WHAT | Seaplanes onliest airplane, the Twin Otter OY-NSA shown on the example pictures. The plane is flying QEA-QEC-QEA normally all day and can be seen every ~2 hours here at QEC. Time “on stands” is around 30-40 minutes depending on the traffic. |
| TIME | Depending on angle and your position, but light is better in the afternoon. |
| MISC. | Everything you need inside the city or nearby restaurants. No ladder needed and enough parking possibilities nearby. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 24mm – 300mm depending on the seaplanes position |
Dalaman - Turkey
| WHERE | The main spot is just next to the entrance of the Thermemaris Spa & Thermal Hotel. It is only accessable if you are coming from the north on the express way which is leading to the airport. The junction appears shortly after/before the approach path. Drive southwards parallel to the airport perimeter fence until the hotel. Another opportunity is too continue on the road until you reach the beach where you can spot from too but the aircraft are much higher. |
| WHAT | Arrivals RW01. Planes departing RW19 might be too high. You can just walk along the street and find a suitable spot for your photos. |
| TIME | Sunrise till noon. (Mostly the best time for spotting, as most of the charter traffic arrives in the early morning hours). |
| MISC. | Dalaman is not only a civil airport but also a military air base. For that reason be very careful walking there. The time I’ve been there I got warned by a military officer but as I continued with taking photos he did no further action. In addition there is a forbidden zone in the east but since it’s not affecting this spotting location. Its up to you if you stay there o not. We take no responsibilty! If you wanna be safe just walk to the beach and you have no problems at all. But don´t move over to the afternoon side as its military zone! I took a taxi to get there because there was no public transport. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 90mm for wide bodies (B757), 150mm for narrow bodies (A320 etc.). |
Beach Spot:
Dehli Indira Gandhi Airport - India
| WHERE | Named after Indira Ghandi, Delhi’s airport is currently the busiest in India in terms of passenger traffic, and has been since 2009. Many aviation enthusiasts consider Mumbai the place to go, but the variety of traffic using this airport should give any visitor a chance to see almost all of India’s lo-co airlines with the exception of Air India Express. Its current record stands at handling 82 flights in an hour. No airport in India is an easy proposition and security within the country is very tight. Almost all the world’s major carriers operate into Delhi, but many do so in the hours of darkness, although the hours of daylight will provide an excellent selection of airlines and types.
The airport is generally surrounded by old high concrete walls, but to the south is an area where good photographs can be obtained. The perimeter road marked as UER II (Urban Extension Road 2) near the intersection of Old Delhi Gurgaon Road is the place to be. The ground is filthy and littered with the detritus from fast food, but aircraft on approach to runway 29 are easily captured on camera. |
| WHAT | Here you can get shots of traffic arriving onto runway 29, and also traffic lining up on 29. You will miss many lo-co carriers using the more northerly runways, but you should be able to enjoy a never ending procession of aircraft ranging from ATRs to 747s |
| TIME | The sun is behind you most of the day and patience is required. Sadly Delhi, like Mumbai now has days of extreme air pollution, making even seeing aircraft impossible, and often only a good rain shower will clear the air. |
| MISC. | Many Indians love watching planes, and taking photos on their mobile phones, and wherever a crowd gathers, soon there are food stalls and traders. Here you will attract some stares, but soon mingle with the crowd. In several visits here over a couple of years no problems were encountered.
Accommodation around the airport varies. The more modern European style hotels are located in Aero City (built for the Commonwealth Games of 2010), which does have an Ibis (which in itself is not cheap), but also a lot more expensive hotels. None have rooms overlooking are airport itself, and as the Indian Air force ramp is close by security here is tight. Even to get into a hotel your luggage is X-rayed and you must pass through a body scanner. Anyone visiting should remember that all airports within India are treated as military bases, and are therefore subject to quite stringent rules. Airlines registered within India should remind passengers that there should be no photography from their aircraft and airlines registered outside India are supposed to ask passengers to refrain from photography. In practice this rarely happens, but it is as well to realise that you may be stopped and questioned at any time. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | XXX |
Dubai Al Maktoum International Airport - United Arab Emirates
| WHERE | Drive to Al Maktoum International Airport (Dubai World Central) but follow Dubai Air Show signs or Jetex FBO signs and continue a bite more after the Dubai Air Show turn signs. |
| WHAT | Only arrivals runway 30 afternoon. |
| TIME | Best afternoon, from 1200 to sunset. |
| MISC. | Theirs nothing nearby this location, so take what you need or drive back to the airport you will find toilets, drinks, foods and free wifi.
+++ SECURITY INFORMATION +++ |
| FOCAL LENGTH | MD11 = 116mm / 320 = 210mm |
Gdansk - Poland
| WHERE |
Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport (GDN/EPGD) is one of Poland’s busiest airports with its ~5 million passengers per year. It is located roughly 12km northwest of city centre of Gdansk. This spot can be found south of the airport’s only runway at the roadside of “Kosmonautów”. Pictures can be taken from the hill/outlook there, which can also be found on Gmaps as “Stanowisko spotterskie”. Spot can be reached easily by car (parking area right next to the hill) and bus: therefore we recommend to take bus 126 and exit at “Rakietowa”, from where you can walk to the hill within 5 minutes (marked on the map). |
| WHAT | Mainly 29 activities, 11 departures may be too high and 11 arrivals may already left the runway here. |
| TIME | From midday/late morning till sunset. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby, no ladder needed. Parking possible, heat haze may occure problems during hot summer days. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-250mm
CRJ900 = 100mm / B738 = 80mm |
Spot itsself looks like THIS and shots taken from there like these ones:
Geralton - Australia
| WHERE | Geralton Airport (GET/YGEL) is one of the few gateways to the Western Australian outback. It’s regularly (normally 2-3 times per day) served by F100s and smaller props. Sometimes you might also meet up a B737 or similar here. This spot is located along “Geralton-Mount Magnet Rd” and no exact position. Can easy be reached from the city, therefore just follow the highway “123”. Park your car by the roadside nearby. |
| WHAT | All arrivals on runway 21. |
| TIME | From late morning/noon till sunset. |
| MISC. | No ladder needed. Nearest facilities in the city or in the very small terminal. Take care of Roadtrains and the wind pressure they create! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-300mm |
Gold Coast Airport - Australia
| WHERE | The most common spot at Gold Coast Airport is at the end of Adina Ave next to the Airport. Park your car next to the street. |
| WHAT | All movement on Runway 14 |
| TIME | Best light from sunrise till early afternoon |
| MISC. | Parking is for free. There is only shade from a tree. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-200mm |
Krabi - Thailand
| WHERE | The airport opened in 1999 and since that it is growing rapidly and now serves over 4 Mio. passengers. With one single runway its pretty easy to catch every movement at KBV. The spots are at a dirt road that runs parallel to the runway. You can enter it from the Nuea Khlong District road 4037. |
| WHAT | If you wanna get arrivals on 32 (which is the main direction), stay at the spot close to the entrance of the perimeter road. To get all movements continue on the road for approximate 1 km. There you have to shot trough the fence but the mesh is big enough for a camera lens. |
| TIME | Good light conditions in the morning only. |
| MISC. | Everything you need within the Nuea Khlong District. Hotels, Restaurants, Supermarket etc. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-200mm, A320 on arrival = 150mm |
Leknes Airport - Norway
| WHERE | Leknes Airport (LKN/ENLK) is a small airport on the Lofoten island group in Norway. It’s located north of Leknes’ city center and offers up to eight flights per day in the high-season, which are operated by the local carrier Widerøe and connect this quite isolated area to the mainland/world.
This spot is located next to a airport firegate. If you’re coming from the northwestern direction on the “E10” (so from Svolvær/Kabelvåg/Haarstad), take the first exit at the third roundabound after entering Leknes area. Follow the “Sjøveien” for about ~150m, then turn left into “Storgata” and immediately right into “Hagebyveien” again. Follow the road, keep right at a y-junction and drive up the “hill”. Park your car along the roadside and walk up till the firegate on your right. Search your favourite position; example shot was taken from the meadow right of the gate, which is a bit higher than the street next to it.
|
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 03 as well as probably late rotators on runway 21, but those will have a bad angle. |
| TIME | This extremely depends on the season! Generally we’d say from late noon till sunset, which can change between 4pm in winter and 2am in summer (sun doesn’t sets from late May till early August). |
| MISC. | No ladder needed. Nothing here, everything you need inside the city as food or restrooms. Along “Storgata” you’ll find a few gas stations and shops. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-300mm |
London Ashford - United Kingdom
| WHERE | Lydd Airfield, which is also known as London Ashford Airport, (LYX/EGMD) is a small airfield in south-west England. This spot is located along the perimeter fence and no exact location. It can easy be reached from the main (and onliest offical) entering road – coming from western direction from the “Romney Rd”/”B2075”. Park your car by the roadside or in the parking infornt of the “terminal” and search your favourite position. |
| WHAT | Depending on your exact position, but along the fence you can take actually everything on the apron. Runway difficult to be seen. |
| TIME | Depending on exact angle, but rather from noon till late evening. |
| MISC. | Ladder needed, if your lens is wider than 70mm (until it will fit through fenceholes). Nothing nearby, nearest facilities in Lydd. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-250mm |
London Heliport EGLW - United Kingdom
| WHERE | London Heliport EGLW is the only licenced Heliport in the City of London and was founded 1959 already. The Airport is really buisy during big Events like Wimbledon, Formula one, etc.
The Heliport is in Battersea. From Clapham Junction Station it’s a 10-15 Minutes walk to the Heliport. The Spot is directly at the Waterfront in front of the Crone Plaza Hotel London-Battersea |
| WHAT | All traffic on the Helipad and on the taxiway to the Parking Spots. |
| TIME | From Sunrise till 14:00 |
| MISC. | There is a restaurant in the Crone Plaza Hotel(a bit Pricy). You can sit on the wall while waiting for the Helicopters. Rubbish Bins are arround as well. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-200mm |
Manado Sam Ratulangi - Indonesia
| WHERE |
Sam Ratulangi International Airport (MDC / WAMM), originally named Mapanget Airfield is the airport serving city of Manado and adjacent areas in North Sulawesi. It’s one of the busiest airport in Sulawesi. The airport built by Japanese in 1942 and later named after the Minahasan educator and revolutionary. Current terminal building officially opened in 2001. The destination served from here mainly in Indonesia except few flights to Singapore, Davao in Philippines and several cities in China as chartered flight. In addition, there is a small Naval Air Arm and Air Force base here so sometimes you may able to spot Indonesia Air Force or Indonesia Naval Air Arm flights on this airport, which includes 737-200 Surveiller which Indonesia is the only user of this variant.
This spot is located inside the airport, offering great background of Mt. Klabat and surrounding mountains. It’s formerly a public Observation Deck, however it has been closed since several years ago and a executive lounge has been build nearby. Since it’s located after security checkpoint, you need to enter as a flying passenger. As per December 2019, you don’t have to enter via executive lounge and the area is open for every passenger for free. After entering 2nd floor, find a lift to Concordia Lounge. When exiting from lift, turn left and go through the coridor to the rooftop lounge. It’s always open at all times |
| WHAT | Both taxiing, takeoff and landing in the runway and taxiway. Touch down moment can be spotted here. |
| TIME | The terminal is facing east so movement on the runway will be backlight in the morning. Heat wave may occur in the afternoon. |
| MISC. | All you need is inside the airport. Since the glass is angled, reflection and distortion is a real problem here, thus limiting your spotting angle freedom. There is no tint in the glass and clear enough. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | On Apron : <55mm for all aircrafts if you want to show Mount Klabat and surrounding mountains as a background. On Runway : <150mm for A330, <200mm for 737 / A320, and ~250mm for ATR. |
Mechanic Bay Heliport Auckland - New Zealand
| WHERE | Next to the Mechanic Bay there is the Ferguson Walkway from there you have a perfect view on the apron and get every movement on the helipad. There are sevral Helicopters based here including 2 Rescue Helicopters, 1 Police Helicopter and Several Helilink Helicopters You can park your car at the carpark off the Heliport or come here with the bus which stops in front of the Heliport. |
| WHAT | All Movements at Mechnic Bay Helipad |
| TIME | From ~ 12.00 till sunset |
| MISC. | Only inside the Heliport |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 40-200mm |
Nashville TN - USA
| WHERE | This is the official Aircraft Oberservation Area of the airport. It’s a small paking lot with a good view towards the runways. You sit in the grass or on the guardrail. Coming from Murfreesboro Pike (US route 41 / 70S) exit northbound on Briley Parkway (Tennessee 155) for half a mile an exit right into Vultee Blvd. On the end of the road you can see the parking lot. Address: Vultee Blvd, Nashville, TN 37214, USA |
| WHAT | Best if RWY 02L or 20C are used as the spot is next to these thresholds. 20R and 02R should be okay too. Furthermore all taxiways around these two runways. RWY 13/31 is also in sight but very far. But pictures are possible if there is no heat distortion as you can see below on the BA 787 sample photo. |
| TIME | For north/south runways from afternoon till sunset. Almost all day for the crosswind runway 13/31. |
| MISC. | You only have some waste bins, at Briley Parkway you’ll find a gas station. More infos and photos from this location can be found on facebook. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | up to 300mm for runway 20R/ 02L , 450mm for runway 20C / 02C, 550mm for runway 13 / 31 (BA 787) |
New Orleans, Louis Armstrong - USA
| WHERE | The two positions are located at the overpass of the Airport Rd (to Interstate 10) and the Verterans Blvd. and both are suitable for northern arrivals. If coming from the airport drive northwards on the Airport rd and exit at Veterans Blvd. In the morning take the left lane and turn left and don´t drive on the Veterans Blvd but park under the overpass. In the afternoon turn left into to Veterans Blvd and drive until the next street on the right. Turn into it and look for a parking option on the left. On the right you’ll an unzoned open area where you can see the landing planes for runway 19. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on RWY19 only. The angle of the morning spot is not the best but due to the airport rd we couldn´t find a better position. The airport is approached by all major American airlines with narrow body planes like B737 or A320. |
| TIME | All day long. |
| MISC. | Bring with you what you need. Spotting around the airport is no problem, only some people are asking what you are doing but the are very interested in it. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-300mm |
Morning Location:
Afternoon Location:
New York La Guardia, NY - USA
| WHERE | The spot is located at the Hermon A Macneil Park situated in the northern corner of Queens. Park your car for free at the Poppenhusen Ave next to the park entrance and walk along the water for a few minutes. You can already see the planes arriving. |
| WHAT | All runway 22 arrivals. |
| TIME | Good light from morning until noon. |
| MISC. | There are some benches to relax. Bring everything you need with you. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Huge lense is needed! + 400mm for a regional jet, 350mm for a 737/A320 |
Ontario Airport CA - USA
| WHERE | Ontario International Airport (ONT/KONT) is one of the many airports in the metropolian aera of Los Angeles. The airport had 5.115 Million passengers in 2018 and is served mainly by Southwest Airlines besides the common US carriers. Volaris and China Airlines are the only foreign airlines. A few cargo operators are responsible for a big part of the movements at the airport. UPS has his west coast hub at the airport and Fedex, Ameriflight and Amazon Prime Air serving several cities from there. This spot itself is located next to the S Haven Ave on a gravel track east of the Airport. Be careful by entering the gravel track with your car. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runways 26L/R. |
| TIME | Light on this side is from 08:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| MISC. | Nothing at the spot. A Burger store is not too far away. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100 – 400mm |
Praslin Iles des Palmes Airport - Seychelles
| WHERE | The “Iles des Palmes Airport” (PRI/FSPP) on Praslin Island is mainly used by Air Seychelles who are serving this little airfield more than 10 times a day. They are flying from/to Mahe (the biggest airport on the Seychelles) with one of their 3 DHC-6-400 (Date: 2017). The little airport can be reached by car or bike and this spot is located at the southern end of the airport near the tiny terminal. Just stay next to the traffic light at the unnamed road next to the “Creole Travel Service”-Center. |
| WHAT | All activities on the runway 15/33 (arrivals and departures) and aircraft which are parked on the apron or taxiing to/from RWY. |
| TIME | You’ll have light on the runway from around 8-11am (this depends on the month of your visit) till sunset. For planes on the apron or the taxiways it depends on the angle they are parked/taxi. |
| MISC. | There is a “Whole Foods Market & Cafe” just about 400m into eastern direction, where you can find restrooms and something to eat/drink and a few meter away from this market you’ll find two restaurants. No ladder needed. Take care of cars and other vehicles. If it is hot, you may have problems with heathaze on the apron or the taxi-/runway. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18 – 300mm |
Pula- Croatia
| WHERE | Pula Airport is located 8 km to the northeast of the city, it takes approx. 15 min. to drive by car. There is a shuttle bus from Pula’s ferry port to the airport in summer, the timetable can be found here: http://prodaja.fils.hr/ can spot Russian operators like S7 and Redwings as well. A domestic service to/from Zagreb is run by Croatia Airlines. Trade Air offers flights to/from Osijek and Spilt. Aircraft types to be expected: A32x, B737/757, CR9, EM2 and Dash-8’s. Sadly the times with B747’s (Rossiya) and IL96’s (Aeroflot) are over, but from May 2018 there is photographic evidence of a visit by a TUI 787.To get to the spot park your vehicle at the public parking (costs a few Kuna, pay before you exit) and walk a little further across another parking lot reserved for hired cars. Get to the far eastern end right to the fence. If the diameter of your lens is 6 cm or less you can shoot through it, otherwise you would need a ladder with 3 – 4 steps. All Informations are from August 2018. |
| WHAT | At the spot you overlook 4 – 6 parking positions of the northern part of the apron and some other parts of the apron/taxiing area. |
| TIME | The described spot can be used only in summer from early to mid morning. |
| MISC. | All facilities in the terminal. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Depending on the parking position the aircraft rolls to 50 – 150mm. |
Québec Aéroport intl. de Jean Lesage - Canada
| WHERE | The Aéroport international Jean-Lesage de Québec (YQB/CYQB) was opened in 1941 and offers flights to Europe, Caribic islands and of course within North America (Canada, USA and Mexico) today. This spot is located at the northern end of the airport at the “Route de l’ Aéroport”. Just get onto the meadow next to the corner of the mentioned road and the “Rue Principale” or choose your preferred position, this depends on the angle you like the most. This spot can be reached by bus, too. There is a bus stop at the mentioned corner where bus “78” stops. Sunwing was taken from the marked point on the map – Air Creebec from the bus stop, that’s why the angle is that different! |
| WHAT | All Arrivals on runway 24 and departures on runway 06 can be photographed from there, too (but most of them are already very high). |
| TIME | From the mentioned spot you’ll have light from sunrise till around 3pm, but you can easily change the side ( just follow the “Route de l’ Aéroport” for about 1km into northwestern direction). |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby, but if you follow the “Route de l’ Aéroport” for about 1km into southeastern direction you’ll find some shops, hotels and restaurants. Ladder not needed. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 24 – 200mm |
San Marcos - USA
| WHERE | San Marcos Regional Airport (HYI/KHYI) is a small airfield in the USA. The airport can be found near San Antonio in Texas, the second biggest state in the US. The airport is mostly used by small sport and business aircraft as well as storage airport for some smaller turboprop aircraft like Dashs or Embraers. This spot is located at the end of an unnamed road at the airportfence. The just mentioned street can be entered from “Airport Drive”, just after you left the highway 21 into airport (so southern) direction. Once you’ve entered this unnamed street, drive till its end, park your car there and take your pictures there. |
| WHAT | Arrivals and Line-Ups onto runway 08 as well as the apron on the opposite side of the runway. |
| TIME | Apron has light from late midday till sunset. Runway from late afternoon till sunset (or on cloudy days). |
| MISC. | Ladder (or at least a car top) useful, but not really needed as you can shot over the fence as well. No facilities nearby, but enough space for parking your car. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200 – 450mm |
Viru Viru Santa Cruz - Bolivia
| WHERE | VIRU VIRU (VVI – SRVL) This is the main airport in Bolivia, 17 kilometers away from the city center of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, which is also the largest city in the country. Due to the capital La Paz being in great altitude, 4100 meters, this hinders the operation of several aircraft, being chosen then Santa Cruz de la Sierra to be the main airport of the country. It is from Viru Viru that departs most flights from Bolivia to Europe and the United States with operations of Air Europa (A330) and American Airlines (B767) respectively. operates a single runway of 3500 meters (16/34), moved in 2017 1.2 Mio passengers. It is a hub of the two largest Bolivian companies BOA (Boliviana de Aviacion), Amaszonas and a third Bolivian company named ECOjet which operates with the AVRO RJ100 jets, ideal for the high altitudes of the Bolivian Andes.The main flights departing from VVI are to La Paz, but the main cities of the country are linked to this airport, such as Cochabamba, Uyuni, Sucre, Trujillo, in addition to the Latin American flights to Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Lima, Santiago.You can shot from the viewing deck on the top of the terminal (landside) but there is a grid with less space for your lens. After security through the glass (airside) from the international waiting area. |
| WHAT | You can get all movements from here. The runway is more far away so there can be heat distortion. Boliviana,Amaszonas und Ecojet are the most frequent visitors. International airlines airlines are AAL, Copa and GOL. |
| TIME | Only good in the afternoon for runway/taxiway movements. For side on shots on the ramp you can use the deck the whole day. |
| MISC. | Everything you need within the terminal. There is no shadow on the roof so be prepared with sun blocker. At the deck you have to shot trough a close-meshed fence which is suboptimal if the planes park in front of you. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 20-400 mm, depends on RWY/Ramp photos |
Sayak Airport, Siargao Island Airport - Philippinen
| WHERE | Sayak/Siargao airport is the one and only airport of this Philippines island. Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines (PAL Express) and SkyJet are the only carriers who serve this airport, latter with their BAe146 (not shown on FR24). The spot is just next to the terminal on the mini bus parking lot. There is a fence where you can photograph through the mesh so no ladder is needed. |
| WHAT | You can see the right part of the apron and the single runway. |
| TIME | From morning till noon for the runway. Apron depends on the angle. |
| MISC. | You can´t access the terminal without a boarding pass but there is a toilet outside of the terminal building. A horn is blowing 5-10 minutes in advance of an arrival. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 17-200mm |
Seattle King Country Boeing Field - USA
| WHERE | Follow the signs from the airport to The Museum of Flight. |
| WHAT | The only spot allows pictures of approaches 31L early afternoon by taxi or a fence hole of parking. We need to step back to the static aircraft to be slightly above or providing a ladder. |
| TIME | Afternoon. |
| MISC. | Bring with you what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-300mm |
Robert L. Bradshaw Airport - St. Kitts (West Indies)
| WHERE | Robert L. Bradshaw Airport (SKB/TKPK) is the only airport on the island of St. Kitts and is located north of Basseterre’s downtown. This spotting location can be found at the western end of the airport (see screenshot below) on the southside of the road (best spot is the slightly elevated bridge). From the airport, it’s about a 30 minute walk along the road just south of the airport. It will take about the same time to get there from the cruise port. Mind the left-hand traffic!
The airport is mainly served by regional carriers, such as LIAT, Winair and Seaborne. American and Delta operate daily scheduled flights from/to the US mainland. British Airways sends a 772 from LGW (via ANU) twice a week, which is the only connection from/to Europe. A handful of cargo carriers can be seen here as well, e. g. Fedex Feeder (Cessna Caravan) and Amerijet (762F or 763F). Due to the predominant wind direction runway 07 is being used for takeoffs and landings most of the times. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 07. |
| TIME | From sunrise until early afternoon. |
| MISC. | No food and no drinks near by, so bring everything you need. Also, no restrooms and no shelter. There is a little locked-up shed a few steps west of the mentioned bridge (red pin in the screenshot), which provides a little bit of shade when standing/sitting close to its wall on the front side. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 24 – 180mm |
Tbilisi - Georgia
| WHERE | The spot is located on an elevated gully cover next to a parking lot. To get there you can just take the bus line 37 from Tbilisi City Centre to the Airport (costs around 0,5 Georgian Lari=0,17 Euro) and then just walk about 250 meters from the bus stop in front of the terminal to the named parking lot. |
| WHAT | Good overview on movements on Taxiway C and on the stands 116-100. In the distance you can also spot movements on the runway and the outer stands 108-111. |
| TIME | Sunrise – 11am |
| MISC. | The situation of aviation, airport and plane photography in Georgia is highly disputed. It is forbidden to photograph military territory, which the airport of Tbilisi somehow is. You might be send away by the police and you taking photos of airplanes might not be tolerated. It is important and recommended to keep a low profile. So don’t use a ladder and put your camera back into your bag immediately after taking the picture. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | FOCAL: Stands 116-100: 50-90mm Taxiway C: 70-120mm Stands 108-111: 180-220mm Runway: 350-450mm |
Vancouver Harbour - Canada
| WHERE | The “Vancouver Harbout Flight Centre” (CXH/CYHC) is the city’s biggest water airport and handles some interesting rare aircraft and airlines.
You can easily shot from the waterpromenade as it’s higher than the normal sea level and the harbour airport itsself, so you can see the aircraft on the water well. Just search your favourite position along the front. |
| WHAT | Good for all airport activities. |
| TIME | The light is normally good almost all day. In the early morning or late evening you might have slight backlit or at least worser light. Due to the different positions an water airplane can be in, you might also have backlit during the day sometimes. |
| MISC. | Everything you need is nearby along the promenade such as restaurants, toilets or shadow. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-500mm
Dash front shot: ~300mm / Dash back shot: ~450mm |
Vientiane Wattay - Laos
| WHERE | Wattay International airport is the biggest airport in Laos and serving the country’s capital, Vientiane. The spot itself is behind a neigbourhood between some trees. To get there you need a tuk tuk or taxi. Otherwise there is a Mini Bus (lines 30 and 49, last run at 17:15) that stops at the main road next to a B-Mart. From the B-Mart follow the streets as marked on the map trough the neighbourhood to reach the location. |
| WHAT | From here you can photograph the arrivals on runway 13, the one and only of the airport. This is also the major direction and 31 is rarely in use. |
| TIME | Perfect postion from noon until sunset. |
| MISC. | Before you go there buy your stuff at the B-Mart. The area itself is safe BUT all the private houses you have to pass on your way to the spot owning a watch dog. Some of them are straying on the street and sometimes they are very aggressive so be aware of it and maybe you wear a limb with you to protect yourself! At the spot itself there are no dogs! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A320 = 180mm; ATR-72 = 250mm |
Winnpeg - Canada
| WHERE | Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International airport, is the main airport of the Province of Manitoba, Canada with a bunch of interesting and unique traffic as the newcomer Canadian Swoop or the local resident C-130 and Dash-8 in various variants of RCAF. Is located on the west, not far from the city centre in a very nice residential area and is also home of the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.
Morning: it is along Ferry Rd corner St Matthews Ave, south of the terminal complex. Parking is possible in St Matthews Ave. Afternoon: Drive from the morning spot south and turn right into Silver Ave. There is a sports park called” St. James”. After you have passed that turn right into a dirt path and drive up until the perimeter fence. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on RWY31 only. There are some ramps at both spots where you find some nice parked stuff. If you are looking for a busy airport this isn’t the best one, but if you are in Winnipeg (in spring or summer!) spending some hours at the airport is a wise choice. You can see Perimeter, Calm Air, Air Canada, Westjet, Flair and even the new LCC Swoop, plus a lot of aircraft and helicopter business and private traffic. A welcome add-on to that is the local RCAF’s Air Base with its C-130s and Dash-8s operating from the airport and often running take-off and landing training. |
| TIME | All day, just switch to the afternoon side once the sun moved over. |
| MISC. | You are in a industrial zone and not much is nearby. Some shadow spending trees are there. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Metroliner = 220mm; E190 = 100mm |
Morning Position:
Afternoon Position:
