View allAll Photos Tagged PlaneWatching
We had a layover at Sea-Tac and took advantage of a day lounge pass for the lounge in the North Terminal. Excellent choice. With our elite status we have access to lounges in many airports and this one was one of the best. Planes were landing and taking off from the South so landing had the planes turning off the runways before we could see them. I took these photos in mid-September 2022 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
My wife and I drove to NAF El Centro to catch the Blue Angels practice for their first air show of the season. We were also fortunate enough to see some of the T-45 Goshawks trainers and other aircraft in town for the air show. Excellent day weather-wise. I took these photos in mid-March 2023 - what a great day!
LAX is a plane watching paradise - it's always busy and there is a great mix of domestic and international airlines. I try to stay near there a few times a year. On this trip I had just finished attending the WonderCon in Anaheim so I stayed a day at the H Hotel, famous for their 12th floor terrace. This terrace provides good views of both the 24 and 25 runways but lighting and obstructions are a problem - but it's still fun! I took these photos at the end of March 2023.
LAX is a plane watching paradise - it's always busy and there is a great mix of domestic and international airlines. I try to stay near there a few times a year. On this trip I had just finished attending the WonderCon in Anaheim so I stayed a day at the H Hotel, famous for their 12th floor terrace. This terrace provides good views of both the 24 and 25 runways but lighting and obstructions are a problem - but it's still fun! I took these photos at the end of March 2023.
I took these photos on our last day in Las Vegas in August 2021. We had a chance to check out Red Flag 21-3 - always a great experience. On this day we had to make the Raceway-Cheyenne shuffle several times - but it was worth it. Not only was the Red Flag activity awesome, we also caught the USAF Thunderbirds returning from an air show. Very impressive! We are already looking forward to more trips to LV and Red Flag.
I found an incredibly good airfare on Alaska Airlines from Boise to Orlando. The wife agreed to let me take it, so I headed to Florida for a week. I spent some of that time in Miami and had some time for plane watching. These photos are from my first day there. I took these photos from the El Dorado Furniture location. I like this location but wish I had a ladder with me to get over the fence. On this day I had bright sunshine, heavy but brief rain, dramatic clouds, and some nasty wind. Despite all that the plane activity made it worth it!
I took these photos at KMIA in February 2021.
These photos are from our second day the Red Flag 23-1 at Nellis Air Force Base in last January 2023. The day started off good with a bunch of Flex West departures. For some reason which we can't figure out, all the departures switched to straight out departures - pretty boring and not good for photography. Later in the afternoon we headed to Cheyenne Avenue for the recovery operations - and we weren't disappointed but it seems like the heavies landed on 21L instead. Oh well!
My wife and I spent some time at Nellis in November 2020 - great experience but our photos sucked big time. I think operator error on our settings. We decided to drive back down (10.5 hours) to Las Vegas in December 2020 to get some more photo practice (and for her to do some more shopping). Overall the photos turned out much better but still not where we want to be quality wise - especially when trying to photograph fighters taking off. Any advice? The landing shots look much better but we had better lighting and slower aircraft speeds.
We caught the tail end of one of the weapon school courses so it was a hopping place - we didn't mind that at all!
My wife and I liked Red Flag 21-1 so much we decided to check out 21-2. We knew it was going to be smaller so we only stayed for one full day. What we didn't count one was the nasty weather. Blah grey sky, very windy, and cold for the morning takeoffs. Takeoffs were to the SW so we joined up with a bunch of other spotters to watch the planes leave on Cheyenne Avenue. When the fighters take off on the 21R they bank right above your head so you get a mix of belly and side profiles - but it is a cool experience. Tankers and bombers tend to use 21L so you have a better angle but if there were no clouds you would be shooting into the sun. Despite this we had a good time. After the morning rush headed out we moved to the Speedway area for the recovery. All in all a very good day, even if we were turning blue and felt sandblasted.
I took these photos in early March 2021 near Las Vegas, Nevada.
Photos from my 2nd day at the 22-1 Red Flag Exercises held at Nellis AFB outside of Las Vegas. The morning was very slow but things picked up shortly after noon. A number of fighters took off, followed by 2 B-52s, 3 B-2s, and a number of support aircraft. A major wind event was coming into Las Vegas and I think that led to a lot of last minute Flex West departure cancellations. It also made things very dusty, gritty, and hazy. For recovery operations everyone made a beeline to the Cheyenne Avenue spots. Excellent day but it was freezing by the time the last B-2 landed shortly after sunset. I took these photos on 2/1/2022.
Some early morning and late afternoon photos from the Premier Inn Terminal 4 at London Heathrow. Nice view from the rooms but it's hard for me to get crisp shots through the double pane/glazed windows. Enough complaining - it was still a blast. I took these photos in mid-May 2022.
LAX is a plane watching paradise - it's always busy and there is a great mix of domestic and international airlines. I try to stay near there a few times a year. On this trip I had just finished attending the WonderCon in Anaheim so I stayed a day at the H Hotel, famous for their 12th floor terrace. This terrace provides good views of both the 24 and 25 runways but lighting and obstructions are a problem - but it's still fun! I took these photos at the end of March 2023.
This was our second day at the Naval Air Facility El Centro. It was also the day before the annual air show featuring the USN Blue Angels so we hoped for a full practice run through. Things were a bit off on this day - storms had passed through all morning delaying things. The Blues finally took off and started their antics when after about 15 minutes Blue Angels 1 and 3 landed and pulled off on a taxiway for about 15 minutes. We didn't see any vehicles approach so we were a bit mystified. They eventually took off and resumed the practice. By then the sun broke through and it was so bright - it made for very harsh shooting conditions. Despite all this they put on a great practice and we really look forward to seeing them again.
I took these photos at NAF El Centro, CA, in the middle of March 2021.
I had a few hours free before my flight home. I went back to a nice spotting area at the end of the 26s for coffee and breakfast. After checking in for my flight I spent time in the American Airlines gate area. I took these photos at the beginning of December 2022.
Always a favourite to see and hear at London Stansted Airport is Aurigny and their brightly coloured, wonderful sounding ATR-72 turboprops. The sound of these always gives goosebumps.
Check out my video of turboprops including the Aurigny ATR here www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RGFp9Z_t5A&;
We love heading to Nellis Air Force Base 1-2 times a year to catch the Red Flag Exercise. There is usually a really good mix of US and international forces. This year there were RAF Typhoons and a tanker. I understand the Australians headed for it but didn't make it by the time we were there. We lucked out in that many of the takeoffs involved Flex West departures which put the fighters banking right over the Speedway. We had really good weather (except for the wind) and really enjoyed this trip. We were there for 2.5 days in late January 2023.
After checking into our flight at LHR we headed to the Cathay Pacific lounge in Terminal 3. This is one of our favorites lounges in the OneWorld Alliance system. It has great amenities and a good view of 9R/27L activities. I took these photos in mid-October 2022.
The wife and I went to San Diego to visit family in August 2021. One of our must do activities is to picnic on Dog Run Beach on Coronado Island. We find a spot almost at the end of the runway at NAS North Island and hope for the best. Air activity is always so unpredictable. On this day no fighters were up and about but we did see a cool mix of trainers, a C-130 dropping paratroopers, and some other rare types (for us) plus a few Navy ships. We had awesome skies and good food too. Definitely not a bad way to spend a few hours!
The wife and I went to San Diego to visit family in August 2021. One of our must do activities is to picnic on Dog Run Beach on Coronado Island. We find a spot almost at the end of the runway at NAS North Island and hope for the best. Air activity is always so unpredictable. On this day no fighters were up and about but we did see a cool mix of trainers, a C-130 dropping paratroopers, and some other rare types (for us) plus a few Navy ships. We had awesome skies and good food too. Definitely not a bad way to spend a few hours!
I took advantage of some great air fares and hotel rates to make a quick trip to do some plane watching and aviation photography at LAX. The plane watching was great, the photography was iffy due to a lot of heat haze and smoggy blah skies. Most of these photos are from the terrace of the H Hotel/Homewood Suites. From the terrace you get a good view of the approach ends of both Runways 24 R/L and 25 R/L.
Since my last trip here a few months earlier I noticed a big increase in domestic and international traffic. I also shot a bunch of special liveries, 737 Max, and some cool charter flights. All in all a good trip.
I took these photos toward the end of May 2021.
My wife and I drove to NAF El Centro to catch the Blue Angels practice for their first air show of the season. We were also fortunate enough to see some of the T-45 Goshawks trainers and other aircraft in town for the air show. Excellent day weather-wise. I took these photos in mid-March 2023 - what a great day!
Some aviation photography I did in the morning and evening hours from the Premier Inn Terminal 4 at London Heathrow Airport. It's always cool seeing so many heavies and special liveries. I took these photos in late-April 2022. Once again it was another day of easterly operations - blah!
The wife and I went to San Diego to visit family in August 2021. One of our must do activities is to picnic on Dog Run Beach on Coronado Island. We find a spot almost at the end of the runway at NAS North Island and hope for the best. Air activity is always so unpredictable. On this day no fighters were up and about but we did see a cool mix of trainers, a C-130 dropping paratroopers, and some other rare types (for us) plus a few Navy ships. We had awesome skies and good food too. Definitely not a bad way to spend a few hours!
LAX is a plane watching paradise - it's always busy and there is a great mix of domestic and international airlines. I try to stay near there a few times a year. On this trip I had just finished attending the WonderCon in Anaheim so I stayed a day at the H Hotel, famous for their 12th floor terrace. This terrace provides good views of both the 24 and 25 runways but lighting and obstructions are a problem - but it's still fun! I took these photos at the end of March 2023.
My wife and I drove to NAF El Centro to catch the Blue Angels practice for their first air show of the season. We were also fortunate enough to see some of the T-45 Goshawks trainers and other aircraft in town for the air show. Excellent day weather-wise. I took these photos in mid-March 2023 - what a great day!
After checking into our flight at LHR we headed to the Cathay Pacific lounge in Terminal 3. This is one of our favorites lounges in the OneWorld Alliance system. It has great amenities and a good view of 9R/27L activities. I took these photos in mid-October 2022.
I took these photos at Los Vegas McCarren International (LAS) in August 2021. It was God awful hot so heat haze was a factor. I took most of these photos from the LaQuinta Airport South hotel - good place to shoot when the landings and takeoffs are east to west. It was good to see air activity picking up too.
I had some time before my flight home to Boise so I found a nice area past Security to do some plane watching. SJC is a lovely airport with good views of the active runway. I was lucky enough to catch a special livery and the arrival of a Zipair 787. Nice way to pass the time!
We made a quick trip to SoCal in November 2020. My wife knew I was suffering from cabin fever so she let me hang out at LAX for a few hours on a beautiful afternoon. I spent the time at Clutters Park. It was fairly crowded with spotters - and all of them were masked. Good for them! Still a nice mix of traffic despite the pandemic.
After attending the 2022 WonderCon I stayed close to LAX at the H Hotel. I do love their terrace. It was cool to see so many heavies landing. Unfortunately I seem to visit whenever Los Angeles has murky, blah skies - what a bummer. I took these photos in early April 2022.
Since we were in Las Vegas, the wife suggested we go to Nellis Air Force Base to see if anything interested was going on. This was our first time in this area so we weren't sure where to go. We found a nice spot by the Speedway. The air traffic was great - we probably saw about 70 different aircraft takeoff and land - F-15s, F-16s. F-22s, F-35s, a KC-135, some Drakens, and a few US Navy Hawkeyes.
It was a great experience but neither of us got any excellent photos. I'm not sure if we were using the wrong camera settings, or if it was the distance and speed of the planes, if the heat haze was a factor, but most of our shots were grainy, blurry, and just not tack sharp. What a bummer, but we decided to come back in the near future.
I took these photos in mid-November 2020.
We had about an hour before we could check into our hotel so we spent it at the Sunset Road viewing area. This spot recently re-opened after a long closure. It's a nice place to watch planes but not so good for photography - no real opening in the fence (like Miami) and heat haze is an issue. However, it's a cool place to sit back and watch the planes come in. I took these photos on a very windy day in January 2023.
These photos are from our third day of plane spotting at the 23-1 Red Flag Exercise at Nellis Air Fore Base. After a lovely morning at Red Rock Canyon we got to Nellis around 1330, just as the B-52 was taxiing for take off. Excellent timing. Good weather, still windy, and most planes were doing the Flex West departure - very nice. About an hour after the wave of takeoffs subsided, we went to Cheyenne Avenue to catch the afternoon recoveries. This was one of our best days there ever. Seemed like nonstop action for over an hour. The lighting conditions were awesome - good late afternoon sun right before sunset - especially when the AWACS finished the days activities. Wow!
I took advantage of an Alaska Air fare sale to MCO, rented a car, and headed to MIA and FLL for a few days. The photography gods were with me on this trip. Very good weather and a nice variety of airplanes.The only negative was the ongoing construction at the Holes - hopefully it is finished sometime soon.
I took these photos in mid-December 2021 at Miami International Airport.
Please see my 4K Aviation video of the NATO arrivals including Lockheed C5M x2, Government of Bulgara, Hungary and Netherlands plus Air Force One, Chinook, VH60 Whitehawk helicopters and Turkish Government Airbus A330 and Boeing 747-8
I had some time before my flight home to Boise so I found a nice area past Security to do some plane watching. SJC is a lovely airport with good views of the active runway. I was lucky enough to catch a special livery and the arrival of a Zipair 787. Nice way to pass the time!
Ryanair Boeing 737 Max 8-200 EI-HGG lifts off from London Stansted runway 22 heading for Copenhagen.
The Max is the latest evolution of the 737. It first entered service in February 1968.
Taken at the monthly spotters meet run by the Essex Police Plane Watch scheme.
29 of 122 pictures in 2022 - Evolution
I visited Las Vegas mainly to watch the Red Flag exercise being held in January 2022 at Nellis AFB. We have been to several exercises before and expected a bunch of activity but on the 1st Monday of the 2nd week, not too much was going on. It looked like a normal training day. We could see the B-52s and B-2 on the flight line but they never moved during the day. Also working against us was the very high winds in the area. Very few Flex West departures, most were straight out. Oh well, here's hoping to a better day tomorrow!
I took these photos on 31 January 2022 outside of Nellis AFB, Las Vegas.
We love heading to Nellis Air Force Base 1-2 times a year to catch the Red Flag Exercise. There is usually a really good mix of US and international forces. This year there were RAF Typhoons and a tanker. I understand the Australians headed for it but didn't make it by the time we were there. We lucked out in that many of the takeoffs involved Flex West departures which put the fighters banking right over the Speedway. We had really good weather (except for the wind) and really enjoyed this trip. We were there for 2.5 days in late January 2023.
We love heading to Nellis Air Force Base 1-2 times a year to catch the Red Flag Exercise. There is usually a really good mix of US and international forces. This year there were RAF Typhoons and a tanker. I understand the Australians headed for it but didn't make it by the time we were there. We lucked out in that many of the takeoffs involved Flex West departures which put the fighters banking right over the Speedway. We had really good weather (except for the wind) and really enjoyed this trip. We were there for 2.5 days in late January 2023.
Check out my 4K Ultra HD Video of Smartwings Boeing 737-800 landing at London Stansted Airport along with other movements here www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgWbxSeOIbg
I took these photos from one of the parking garages at LAS. I checked in early and had some time to kill so I wandered up to this spotting spot - it was pretty nice - and cold. It was about 35 degrees with a nasty wind blowing. I lasted about an hour before heading back inside. I would definitely come back here again - when it is warmer!
We had a layover at Sea-Tac and took advantage of a day lounge pass for the lounge in the North Terminal. Excellent choice. With our elite status we have access to lounges in many airports and this one was one of the best. Planes were landing and taking off from the South so landing had the planes turning off the runways before we could see them. I took these photos in mid-September 2022 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
I stopped at the Hibiscus parking garage at FLL to spend a few hours plane watching. Beautiful day outside and air traffic is picking up finally. Unfortunately I didn't pay enough attention to my camera settings and some of the photos are not tack sharp - I hate that. FLL is very spotter friendly and I see a return trip in my future!
I took these photos in mid-December 2021.
My wife and I spent some time at Nellis in November 2020 - great experience but our photos sucked big time. I think operator error on our settings. We decided to drive back down (10.5 hours) in December 2020 to get some more practice. Overall the photos turned out much better but still not where we want to be quality wise - especially when trying to photography fighters taking off. Any advice? The landing shots look much better but we had better lighting and slower aircraft speeds.
We caught the tail end of one of the weapon school courses so it was a hopping place - we didn't mind that at all!
I was in Los Angeles to attend the big Anime Expo ComicCon at the Convention Center. On this day it was ungodly hot and I was dying. I left early; my hotel was near Clutter's Park so I decided to head for the park to enjoy the breeze and much cooler temps. I lucked out with the air traffic - many Europe bound widebodies heading out, really interesting sky too. Definitely not a bad choice!
I had a few hours free before my flight home. I went back to a nice spotting area at the end of the 26s for coffee and breakfast. After checking in for my flight I spent time in the American Airlines gate area. I took these photos at the beginning of December 2022.
My wife and I drove to NAF El Centro to catch the Blue Angels practice for their first air show of the season. We were also fortunate enough to see some of the T-45 Goshawks trainers and other aircraft in town for the air show. Excellent day weather-wise. I took these photos in mid-March 2023 - what a great day!