Does anybody else here find themselves not just a roadgeek, but a plane/aviation geek as well? I'm in the latter category, as is my son, and I've been making quite a few drives lately to spot planes.
My go-to is along MacArthur north of the 405 in Irvine for planes arriving at SNA. I usually pull into a parking lot right before the 55 freeway (which arriving planes basically parallel for landing at SNA majority of the time) and watch landings.
Red Hills Ave is a good place to watch departures from SNA.
There are lots of roads near LAX that provide great plane spotting opportunities as well. Vista DelMar Park, right off Vista DelMar is my go to for LAX plane spotting.
What roads will you find yourself driving along that provide good opportunities to spot low flying aircrafts?
Old Bayshore Highway near SFO (former Alternate US 101 and US 101 from many decades ago) has at least two notable parks where spotting is easy: the Bayfront park on the Millbrae/Burlingame border, and Fisherman's Park further southeast. (The state park in the middle, Robert Wooley, is alright too if you walk far enough from the parking lot). Overall, many roads in northern San Mateo County are good spots to watch the action at SFO: Skyline Boulevard/Route 35 in Pacifica and Westborough Boulevard in South San Francisco both take you towards the route planes taking off to go internationally fly over, I-380 east of course approaches the airport itself, and the Bayshore Freeway/today's US 101 sometimes gets planes directly flying over it as a result of its proximity to the airport perimeter.
TX 26 near Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas gives lots of sightings from DFW. Also Industrial Drive in Bossier City, LA as it borders Barksdale AFB.
GW Parkway north of Reagan Airport. From the northbound side you can park at Gravelly Point just north of the airport and get some great photos.
I'd think anyplace with a "Low Flying Planes" road sign would be worthwhile. Examples I can think of are US 50 between DC and Annapolis, and I-86 between Elmira and Corning.
If you like traffic, try your hand at I-75 in Atlanta. Traffic wasn't moving too fast when I took this shot (some cropping).
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5621/22586903915_e018c2bc1d_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/ApVMBR)
On the other hand, this is arguably safer...
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5643/22398741830_ffd0b31a75_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/A8ipzY)
M25 near Heathrow - even in good traffic you'll see 2 or 3 planes make their final approach or ascent with fairly decent closeness. And that's looking out the windshield. Look east if they are landing and you'll see 4 or 5 of them coming in (visibility dependant).
Travel at rush hour and you'll get loads more without needing to come off the motorway and park up!
Ballyhoo Road, Dutch Harbor, AK
Beacon Hill Road, St. Martin
And the NJ Turnpike eastern spur.
US2 in grand forks ND, The airport and Air Force Base have runways that go right over US2
SR528 at MCO is great if the planes are landing from the north. Also just about anywhere on the north end of downtown in SAN.
Quote from: realjd on October 30, 2015, 09:50:55 AM
SR528 at MCO is great if the planes are landing from the north. Also just about anywhere on the north end of downtown in SAN.
Yes! SAN is a great place to plane spot because of the airport's proximity to downtown, and how quickly the planes have to drop because of the terrain.
Balboa Park has several great spots to plane spot, and then there's the infamous parking garage right before the runway.
I-294 around O'Hare is always filled with planes taking off and landing throughout the day. I wouldn't recommend snapping shots unless you're going southbound which always becomes a major jam due to rush hour.
MDW there is a nice park not too far away in a suburb called Burbank where I always see takeoffs and landings from.
The street that runs along Maho Beach outside SXM.
The cops there only realized at the last second that Concorde used afterburners. Had they not cleared spotters off the fence, some people would have been burned to a crisp.
Quote from: OCGuy81 on October 30, 2015, 10:12:36 AM
Quote from: realjd on October 30, 2015, 09:50:55 AM
SR528 at MCO is great if the planes are landing from the north. Also just about anywhere on the north end of downtown in SAN.
Yes! SAN is a great place to plane spot because of the airport's proximity to downtown, and how quickly the planes have to drop because of the terrain.
Balboa Park has several great spots to plane spot, and then there's the infamous parking garage right before the runway.
There's also the frontage road and neighborhood on the north/east side of I-5 that offers some good spots to see landing aircraft!
SR 518 is pretty good for planespotting near Sea-Tac. Same goes for the light rail line, which is elevated above the airport freeway and has a great view of the northern terminals on the way in.
Hog Island/Fort Mifflin Roads run around PHL's airfield. Many airliner photographers park alongside the road to get some good lading photos; especially when Runway 27R is used.
One photographer's there on a daily basis and posts his photos in his website, www.phlairline.com (http://www.phlairline.com).
For BOS (Logan Airport); when the planes use Runway 22L for landings, one can literally be driving along MA 1A (from just south of Downtown Lynn to East Boston) and see them.
One excellent spot to see the planes just prior to landing (on BOS' 22L) is MA 145/Saratoga & Main St. at the East Boston/Winthrop line.
Revere Beach Blvd. (where the original Kelly's is located) is also another road to see planes coming in.
There's a whole designated parking area off of MD 176 right across the road from BWI just so people can watch the planes come and go. You can also access a walking/biking trail there that completely circumnavigates the airport.
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1630197,-76.663612,3a,75y,120.28h,78.39t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sBDt_If6vJG5Igkb3s2sXZA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Quote from: wphiii on November 02, 2015, 12:13:21 PM
There's a whole designated parking area off of MD 176 right across the road from BWI just so people can watch the planes come and go. You can also access a walking/biking trail there that completely circumnavigates the airport.
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1630197,-76.663612,3a,75y,120.28h,78.39t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sBDt_If6vJG5Igkb3s2sXZA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Oh yeah, I remember seeing that and being very confused, because you can't bring shaving cream into the airport gate area, or photograph a minor county courthouse in New Jersey, but apparently the government will build you a whole place to sit around and watch airplanes so you can figure out where to stick the bomb.
I-10 passing Phoenix Sky Harbor.
VA 156 and US 60 near Richmond International are also great for plane spotting.
VA 267 east of VA 28. Don't worry, there's a shoulder you can park on. You'll see planes departing at Dulles.
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VA 28 near the Air and Space Center. Get off at Air and Space Parkway or Frying Pan Road (or stay on VA 28), and you have a clear shot at Dulles Airport. The runway faces the Air and Space Center (as the Air and Space Center was once Dulles).
Quote from: noelbotevera on November 04, 2015, 04:14:34 PM
.... (as the Air and Space Center was once Dulles).
Not sure what you mean there. The museum is on airport grounds and has a connection to one of the runways, but the museum was built as a museum and was never an airport terminal or the like.
Quote from: 1995hoo on November 05, 2015, 07:25:35 PM
Quote from: noelbotevera on November 04, 2015, 04:14:34 PM
.... (as the Air and Space Center was once Dulles).
Not sure what you mean there. The museum is on airport grounds and has a connection to one of the runways, but the museum was built as a museum and was never an airport terminal or the like.
It has an air traffic control tower and everything. It's layout is like an airport. you go through gates, then to the parking lot, then you enter the main concourse of the airport. In fact, one of the exhibits is original equipment since it was an airport (control panels and the aviation alphabet sign).
Quote from: noelbotevera on November 05, 2015, 08:05:19 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on November 05, 2015, 07:25:35 PM
Quote from: noelbotevera on November 04, 2015, 04:14:34 PM
.... (as the Air and Space Center was once Dulles).
Not sure what you mean there. The museum is on airport grounds and has a connection to one of the runways, but the museum was built as a museum and was never an airport terminal or the like.
It has an air traffic control tower and everything. It's layout is like an airport. you go through gates, then to the parking lot, then you enter the main concourse of the airport. In fact, one of the exhibits is original equipment since it was an airport (control panels and the aviation alphabet sign).
It's a museum designed to look (and in some ways, function) like an airport. But it was built in the 90s, long after Dulles opened. It was not "once Dulles" itself.
TX 114-TX 121 on the north side of DFW Airport; or park just off the freeway at Founder's Plaza on N. Airfield Drive to be safer and still get your plane-gawk on.
Meanwhile, not far away, Love Field in Dallas has side-street flight views along Mockingbird, Lemmon, and Northwest Highway.
Quote from: Bruce on October 31, 2015, 12:29:17 PM
SR 518 is pretty good for planespotting near Sea-Tac. Same goes for the light rail line, which is elevated above the airport freeway and has a great view of the northern terminals on the way in.
S 156 St also has good views, though there is a huge retaining wall on the south side, so the planes are visible for less time than from the 518. But, there is a great ped/bike path along the road, which means it's a lot easier to camp out and watch planes land than from the freeway.
Kraft Ave in Cascade Township, MI ends at a park right by the Grand Rapids airport. Also planes fly over Patterson Ave and M-6 on a regular basis.
Here on Irving Park Rd (https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9511044,-87.901696,3a,75y,11.32h,76.01t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sbb78IVac4z3bH89pEhBLzw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en) (IL-19) used to be my favorite spot as a teen to watch planes taking off and landing at ORD back in the late 80's. This view is right at the threshold lights for Runaway 4R.
There would always be cars parked along the perimeter fence, with people watching and taking pictures back then. I havent been in the area since 1991, but I am sure the tightened security in the post 9/11 world we live in now has probably put a stop to it (I didn't see any cars in the GSV when I moved it around the area for this post.
Quote from: empirestate on November 03, 2015, 01:40:52 AM
Quote from: wphiii on November 02, 2015, 12:13:21 PM
There's a whole designated parking area off of MD 176 right across the road from BWI just so people can watch the planes come and go. You can also access a walking/biking trail there that completely circumnavigates the airport.
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1630197,-76.663612,3a,75y,120.28h,78.39t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sBDt_If6vJG5Igkb3s2sXZA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Oh yeah, I remember seeing that and being very confused, because you can't bring shaving cream into the airport gate area, or photograph a minor county courthouse in New Jersey, but apparently the government will build you a whole place to sit around and watch airplanes so you can figure out where to stick the bomb.
Indeed. There used to be a small parking area on Goddard Road on the northern edge of Wayne County/Detroit Metro Airport very close to one of the runways (I *think* it was around here: https://goo.gl/maps/jia7S63U3Tt), but it was closed and removed several years ago with the usual vague catchall excuse of "security reasons."
Hard to read the sign at that MD-176 parking lot, but I think the lot is intended for trailhead access. Still, I'm kinda surprised its proximity to the airport hasn't riled up the security forces.
There are numerous streets in the College Point section of Queens that dead end at the water and provide direct views of La Guardia Airport. Pick one and enjoy the show.
I-494, MN 5 and MN 62 around MSP are the best options to see planes taking off and landing at that airport.
WA-526 is probably a nice one, especially since Boeing's megafactory is on the north side of the freeway. The parking lot and berm at the Future of Flight museum is a popular spot.
Quote from: wanderer2575 on December 24, 2015, 07:32:34 PM
Hard to read the sign at that MD-176 parking lot, but I think the lot is intended for trailhead access. Still, I'm kinda surprised its proximity to the airport hasn't riled up the security forces.
No, it's specifically intended for observing aircraft. That sign says it's the Thomas A. Dixon, Jr. Aircraft Observation Area (also note same in the Google map view).
Sunset Road (SR 562) in Las Vegas. It parallels the east-west runways directly on the south side of the airport (these are the default runways, except in windy conditions or during runway repair). There is a pullout parking area to view plane landings/takeoffs, which has (had?) signs indicating a radio channel you can tune to listen to control tower communications.
McCoy Road in Orlando, before Bin Laden caused the FAA to make the City of Orlando fence in the area we all used to park and watch for fear of throwing something at a landing plane.
Now its all in passing there and on FL 528. However, if you want go to the roof of the terminal top garage in the Orlando International Airport and you can see everything there. The problem is you have to pay to get into parking your car which like many airports is high, unless you have someone drop you off at the curb of the airport and let you hang for an hour or two, then have them pick you up later.
Phoenix, AZ Sky Harbor Airport
S. 24th Street Between Airlane (Yes the City of Phoenix spells it as one word on all signs) and I-10. West End of Runways 8, 7L & 7R
E. Airlane between S. 24th Street and 42nd Street. South side of street you can view at spots (There are some Aerospace Companies that are along the road that can block views), activity on Runway 8/26 an view the North Concourses of Terminal 3 & Terminal 4 and the American Airlines Hangar (Formally US Airways & America West Airlines)