As of Tuesday March 27, 2012 thirtythousand has moved from www.thirtythousand.wordpress.com to www.thirtythousand.us. All current email followers will be added to the new site but must confirm this in the email sent to them. Facebook followers will still receive updates of new posts via the same page. Readers wont notice much of a difference except for the web address. However, this change will allow me to eventually add many new features to the blog. Thanks for your interest in my blog and the aviation world in general. Let me know if you have any questions.
Spotting Guides
Houston George Bush Intercontinental is the Houston Metropolitan area’s largest and busiest airport. The airport serves over 40 million passengers per year to several domestic and international destinations. IAH is now the largest hub for United Airlines with over 800 daily departures.
The majority of the aircraft you will see when spotting at Bush are United’s 737’s, 757’s, 767’s, & 777’s as well as Turboprops and Regional Jets operated by United Express carriers. You will also see mainline and regional examples of other American domestic airlines such as US Airways, Delta, and American. In the afternoon there are several international arrivals from airlines such as British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Singapore, Air France, and Emirates, mostly utilizing Boeing 777’s & 747’s. Bush is also home to a fair amount of cargo airlines including UPS, FedEx, Atlas Air, DHL, Cathay Pacific, and many more. Cathay Pacific is now utilizing the new Boeing 747-8 on daily cargo flights to Bush.
Feel free to contact me for any specifics or questions you have about spotting at KIAH.
Spotting Locations
Spot 1: Lee Road Observation Area
The Lee Road location is the only official public spotting area for the airport. The area provides excellent views of aircraft on approach to Runway 27 as well as those departing Runway 09. The area is opened in the morning and closed after dark by airport security. 27 is one of the main arrival runways when winds are out of the west. 09 is occasionally used for departures when the winds are out of the east and 15L and 15R are extremely busy.
Photos from this location:
Spot 2: Airport Fire Department Entrance
This location is on a small access road off of Aldine Westfield Road on the airport’s west side. It serves as an entrance to the airport fire department. Although this spot isn’t an official viewing location, we weren’t hassled by airport security or police. The spot provides a great view of aircraft arriving to Runway 08R, the main runway when aircraft are landing to the east.
Photos from this location:
Spot 3: Terminal A & B Parking Garage
The 7th and 8th decks of the Terminal A/B Parking Garage provide some of the best views of IAH. Follow signs to terminal A/B from the airport entrance to get to this location. There is a fee for hourly parking in this garage. You MUST let airport security know by phone that you are spotting there or else you will be questioned. Their number is 281-230-1300. Once you let them know what you are doing, they will leave you alone. The North side of the garage provides great views of runways 26R/8L and 26L/8R, as well as the United Express and International terminals. Many aircraft, including most international heavies, will taxi right by the north side for departure from 15L and 15R. The south side provides views of the United mainline terminals and aircraft taxiing to 15L & 15R for departure. Departures from 15L & 15R can be photographed from the garage’s west side.
Photos from this location:
Marriott SpringHill Suites Hotel
This hotel provides great views of aircraft departing from runways 15L and 15R, which are used the majority of the time. Make sure to ask for a room on a higher floor (the hotel has 6) and facing the north. Photography can be difficult since the windows do not open, but the views are still great.
Photos from this location:
I finally made a video of the takeoffs and landings I saw when I went to St. Maarten this Summer. Sorry the quality isn’t great. Notice how low the Insel Air MD-88 gets over the beach.
There is no better way to view the daily operations of the busiest airport in the world than with a room at Renaissance’s Atlanta Concourse Hotel. The hotel is literally one hundred feet from ATL’s northern runway complex consisting of 26R/8L and 26L/8R. It is also right across the street from Delta’s northern parking area. What makes the Renaissance better than any other plane-spotting hotel is that all of the rooms facing the runway have balconies. You can see approaches and takeoffs from all 5 runways as well as operations at all 6 of Atlanta’s terminals. A DSLR camera with a decent zoom lens will allow you to get some amazing shots of arriving, departing, taxing, and even parked aircraft.
It was from this location that I observed a Delta MD-88 start on fire and evacuate on the tarmac after arriving from Pittsburgh. See post: The Right Place at the Right Time
Most of ATL’s operations consist of Delta’s domestic 737’s, 757’s, 767’s, MD-88’s, DC-9’s, and Regional Jets operated by their regional carriers. Delta also operates some 777’s and a330’s on international routes from Atlanta. Most other Domestic airlines offer mainline and regional service to the airport including US Airways, American, United-Continental, and Alaska. Atlanta also serves as the hub for AirTran and it’s 717’s and 737NG’s. Korean Airlines services the airport twice a day with 777’s and 747’s from Incheon. KLM, Lufthansa, Air France, and British Airways also have at least one daily flight operated by 777’s, a330’s, or a340’s. Some of the airports more interesting flights are chartered DC-10’s and MD-11’s from World Airways and Omni Air International. Aircraft from various world airlines also fly in occasionally to take advantage of Delta’s state of the art maintenance facility. The airport is constantly busy from 5:00 AM until about Midnight. During the night, some straggler Delta flights will come and go as well as some Cargo flights from UPS, FedEx, Omni Air, and a few others.
Here is a look at some of the shots possible from this location. (All photos by Kyle Dunst.)
Chartered Miami Air International 737-800 at the G.A. Ramp
Delta 767 Departing while a Lufthansa a340 taxis to the E Concourse
Delta a330 arriving from Madrid
American Eagle CRJ arriving from Dallas - Fort Worth
Frontier a319 Departing 26L
Air Canada Jazz CRJ arriving from Toronto
"Speedbird" 777 arriving from London Heathrow
World Airways MD-11 taxing to Concourse E for a military charter flight
Last month I wrote an article about the spotting opportunities at St. Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport in the Caribbean. (See post: Spotting Spot: Maho Beach, St. Maarten) Andy Cruickshank was there last November and spent an afternoon watching the various approach techniques. He was nice enough to send in some really great pictures he took while visiting St. Maarten as well as information and photos of two great nearby spotting locations, Saba & St. Barth’s.
American Airlines Boeing 757 on a near perfect approach into St. Maarten (Photo by Andy Cruickshank)
A Regular Visitor to St. Maarten, this Amerijet Boeing 727 is a tad low to say the least! (Photo by Andy Cruickshank)
Air France a340 lining up for departure back to Paris (Photo by Andy Cruickshank)
The surfboard at the famous Sunset Beach Bar, showing St. Maarten's arrivals for the day (Photo by Andy Cruickshank)
There are two airports close by to St. Maarten that are definitely worth a visit. The islands of Saba and St. Barth’s are just a 10-15 minute flight from SXM.
Saba (SAB or TNCS) claims to be the shortest commercial runway in the world at about 380m or 1300 ft and sits atop a rock about 50m above the ocean. Winair flies there 4-5 times a day and offers a “same day” round trip fare. The take off is more dramatic than the landing. Saba is 5 sq miles and 3000 ft in the center. There are several great places to view the Winair arrivals and departures and one place is at the departure end and you can see how much runway is used!
A WinAir DHC-6 Twin Otter departing Runway 12 at Saba (Photo by Andy Cruickshank)
The other (and in Andy’s view more exciting) is St Barths (SBH or TFFJ) where the runway is about 490m or 1600 ft but has a 100m or 300ft hill and road on the approach. It is a VERY exciting ride and very steep approach. Andy flew with Winair to both in a Twin Otter but there are other operators to St Barths as well. Typically the cockpit door is open and if you are at the front of the line you can get a “jump seat” view. There is a YouTube videoout there of a botched landing and the aircraft is still parked at the airport. You can walk from the terminal up the hill and watch the arrivals from there. Flights are about $60 each way in to either place and all connections are through STM.
For aviation enthusiasts having three dramatic airports so close together can make for a great vacation in it’s own right. Special thanks to Andy Cruickshank for all of his information and photos making this article possible.
- A Winair Twin Otter on St. Barth’s very steep approach for Runway 10 (Photo by Andy Cruickshank)
Cessna Caravan on approach for Runway 10 at St. Barth's (Photo by Andy Cruickshank)
Delta Airlines DC-9-50 about to touch down on 18C (Photo by Kyle Dunst)
Although Charlotte Douglas International Airport doesn’t have the best variety of airlines compared to other hubs, it has one of the best spotting locations in the United States. The “Airport Overlook Park” at North Carolina’s largest airport draws many aviation enthusiasts daily. The park sits right at the end of runway 18 Center providing great shots of departing and landing aircraft alike. 18 C is usually the most active runway at the airport, which makes it easy to see everything Charlotte has to offer from this location. During the busiest times of day, usually the morning and late afternoon, you will see back to back takeoffs and landing constantly from this location. The city of Charlotte also provides a great backdrop for photographs, as the skyscrapers are easily visible from the park. The park is so close to the runway that a camera with a lot of zoom really isn’t necessary. Pretty much any DSLR camera will allow you to capture amazing shots here. The park is located off of Old Dowd Road, on the airports North side.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport one of the top 10 busiest airports in the world in terms of passenger traffic. It is also the hub for U.S. Airway’s. Most of the planes you will see at the airport overlook will be US’s a320’s, a321’s, a330’s, 757’s, 767’s, 737’s as well as CRJ’s and Dash 8’s operated by their regional carriers. (See Post: US Airways Diverse Fleet) You will also see mainline and regional aircraft from most of the United State’s carriers including Delta, United, American, AirTran, and JetBlue. The most exciting arrival each day is definitely the Lufthansa Airbus a340-600 from Munich, Germany.
US Airway's Boeing 737 taxiing to 18C for Takeoff with Charlotte's skyline in the background. (Photo by Kyle Dunst)
Piedmont Dash 8 facing some tough crosswinds while touching down on 18C. (Photo by Kyle Dunst)
Continental Express, operated by ExpressJet, ERJ-145 about to land (Photo by Kyle Dunst)
American Eagle CRJ landing (Photo by Kyle Dunst)
The daily Lufthansa Airbus a340-600 arriving from Munich. (Photo by Kyle Dunst)
This spring I had a layover in New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport while traveling on JetBlue from Rochester, NY to Charlotte, NC. At the end of Terminal 5 there is an area with big windows that provide an excellent view of aircraft landing on 31 Right and Departing from Runway 22R. Also, one of the main taxiways leading to the International terminal goes right by this area allowing for great close-up viewing and photographing of Kennedy’s many international airliners. A DSLR camera with a decent zoom lens is required for getting good shots of landing and departing aircraft. However, any camera will work for photographing planes taxiing to the International terminal.
Here are some of my best shots:
A very heavy KLM Boeing 777 burning rubber on 31R.
China Eastern Airbus a340-500
British Airways Boeing 747-400
Lufthansa Airbus a340-600
JetBlue Embraer E-190 landing while the Airport Fire Department trains in the background.
Alitalia Boeing 777
This past summer I was lucky enough to go to what is undoubtedly the most famous airliner spotting location in the world. Maho Beach, at the end of Princess Juliana St. Maarten International Airport’s (TNCM) Runway is anything but a quiet relaxing beach.
We first arrived at the beach at 9:00 AM on a Friday expecting it to be full of aviation enthusiasts. To my surprise, we were the only ones there and there wasn’t much aircraft activity. We decided to go to the famous Sunset Beach Bar to get a drink and a bite to eat while we waited for TNCM’s vast assortment of arrivals.
Around noon, the quiet beach quickly turned into a crowded tourist destination and the planes started coming in. The first arrivals were smaller turboprops like Winair’s Twin Otters and LIAT’s (Leeward Islands Air Transport) Dash 8’s. Next were a variety of arrivals from the United States including a United a320, American 757-200, Delta 737-800, and US Airway’s 767’s. Finally around 3:00 PM the Air France a340-300 from Paris arrived.
I recommend a trip to Maho Beach for any aviation enthusiast or just someone looking for something exciting to do on the Caribbean Island. There really isn’t any need to arrive before Noon local time, as even the smallest local flights don’t arrive until then. The jets start to come and go around 1 o’clock and the airport is very active up until 6:30 PM. To get to Maho Beach you can take a “Bus” for very cheap from the Cruise Terminal or downtown Philipsburg. It is about a half an hour ride from either depending on traffic.
Last Winter I drove to Toronto’s Lester B Pearson International Airport (CYYZ) to try to get some pictures of the daily international heavy arrivals. Here are some of my best shots.
Air Canada Boeing 777-300 (C-FIVR)
Air France Airbus a340-600 arriving from Paris.
KLM Boeing 747-400 arriving from Amsterdam.
Air Transat Airbus a330-300
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