View allAll Photos Tagged PlaneWatching
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!
I had a few hours to kill at the H Hotel near LAX so I made the most of them. Nice crisp morning for photography - and a nice mix of air traffic. LAX is always so cool to watch planes come and go. I took these photos at the end of March 2023.
I had a few hours to kill at the H Hotel near LAX so I made the most of them. Nice crisp morning for photography - and a nice mix of air traffic. LAX is always so cool to watch planes come and go. I took these photos at the end of March 2023.
After a pleasant drive from Los Angeles I arrived in Las Vegas on a lovely afternoon. Before heading to the hotel I decided to sit near the end of 26L and watch some planes come and go. Nice choice. A steady stream of planes landing in a beautiful late afternoon sky. I found a spot in a little strip mall and had a really nice view. Not a bad way to spend about two hours. I took these photos in early December 2022.
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 took advantage of some great fares on Alaska Air and the Homewood Suites/H Hotel to spend 3.5 days near LAX at the end of March 2021. I did a bunch of aviation photography from the 12th floor terrace of the hotel. I pretty much had the terrace to myself. Great views of both the 24 and 25 runway pairs. The weather was pleasant but it was smoggy/hazy the entire time - bummer. Runway 25L was closed for construction so the south takeoffs and landing were on 25R - nice since it brought landing aircraft closer but there was a lot of construction equipment to deal with. Traffic wise things were picking up compared to 2020 - surprisingly a bunch of flights from China. Domestic and European traffic was also picking up. All in all a very good trip!
I had some time to kill before starting my drive back to Las Vegas; I wanted to miss the heavy LA traffic so I went to Clutters Park for a few hours. Good choice. Nice weather to enjoy my coffee and see a bunch of heavies coming and going. I think I left around 9:30 am and had a nice, relaxing drive to Vegas. I took these photos in early December 2022.
I had some time to kill before starting my drive back to Las Vegas; I wanted to miss the heavy LA traffic so I went to Clutters Park for a few hours. Good choice. Nice weather to enjoy my coffee and see a bunch of heavies coming and going. I think I left around 9:30 am and had a nice, relaxing drive to Vegas. I took these photos in early December 2022.
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!
After spending out a day checking out Santa Monica we stopped by the Proud Bird for a few hours to watch planes land. Good decision on a lovely evening. We had a chance to see some heavies and cool looking business jets come in. Nice way to spend the last day of January 2020.
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.
I flew into LAX at the end of March 2022 to attend WonderCon in Anaheim. I came down early to do some plane watching and aviation photography. Because of the insane price of rental cars and gas I opted to stay at the H Hotel, famous for their 12th floor terrace. Air traffic definitely has picked up since my last visit. A lot of heavies were active and international traffic seems back to normal. About the only negatives were very few special liveries and the same murky, gray, blah sky that always happens when I'm there. Oh well, maybe next time!
I took these photos at the end of March 2022 at LAX.
Seen on a very cold January day at London Stansted Airport, this World Airways MD-11 was a rare and unusual visitor
See the video here www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnTrhmcBWAA
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.
I flew into LAX at the end of March 2022 to attend WonderCon in Anaheim. I came down early to do some plane watching and aviation photography. Because of the insane price of rental cars and gas I opted to stay at the H Hotel, famous for their 12th floor terrace. Air traffic definitely has picked up since my last visit. A lot of heavies were active and international traffic seems back to normal. About the only negatives were very few special liveries and the same murky, gray, blah sky that always happens when I'm there. Oh well, maybe next time!
I took these photos at the end of March 2022 at LAX.
This was a lovely day to be outside of Nellis AFB watching Red Flag 21-1 take place. A bunch of fighters started the day off, followed by tankers and then the bombers. Decent blue skies made better photos. I have a hard time getting tack sharp photos for most takeoffs but things look better when everything comes home.
I took these photos outside of Nellis AFB, Las Vegas, Nevada in early February 2021.
This was my last day in Europe after five weeks abroad, and it was one of the nicest days yet. I thought about spending it in London but the Piccadilly Line was partially shut. Instead I went out looking for new spots to watching landings on Runway 27R at LHR. I lucked out by finding the Cranford Lane bus stop. Nice place to watching the landings - I will have to try this place again!
After a pleasant drive from Los Angeles I arrived in Las Vegas on a lovely afternoon. Before heading to the hotel I decided to sit near the end of 26L and watch some planes come and go. Nice choice. A steady stream of planes landing in a beautiful late afternoon sky. I found a spot in a little strip mall and had a really nice view. Not a bad way to spend about two hours. I took these photos in early December 2022.
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.
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.
My wife and I visited Las Vegas to check out Red Flag 21-3, a big exercise for the USAF, Navy, and some foreign countries. It's a great experience watching so many warplanes coming and going. Las Vegas in August is HOT - as in over 100 degrees so we were sweltering. I still can't seem to get consistent tack sharp photos of the high speed takeoffs so I will keep practicing. Any advice is welcome.
I took these photos outside of Nellis AFB, Las Vegas, in early August 2021.
After spending out a day checking out Santa Monica we stopped by the Proud Bird for a few hours to watch planes land. Good decision on a lovely evening. We had a chance to see some heavies and cool looking business jets come in. Nice way to spend the last day of January 2020.
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.
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.
We pass through Las Vegas a few times a year. Plane spotting tends to be decent but with the pandemic going on there are very few international flights. On this trip, in March 2021, we overnighted at the LaQuinta near the SE end of the airport. It's good for plane watching but not so good for aviation photography due to the thick windows - I just can't seem to get tack sharp photos from the room.
On this day we had high hopes - Air Force 2 (a 757) was scheduled to land early in the morning and then depart around 2 pm. We found a good spot for the landing since everything was landing on 26L. It was an extremely windy day and some pilots were reporting moderate chop. I started tracking AF 2 on FlightRadar 24 and as it approached KLAS it started doing circles over Valley of Fire State Park. That was odd. After that it flew west and I knew it was going to land on Runway 19R. We saw it come in but only as a speck. Big sad eyes. Oh well, we decided to see it take off. We found a good spot and waited ... and waited. 2 pm came and went, as did 3 pm. We had to return the rental car by 4 pm so we left feeling bummed. AF did leave around 4:30 and once again we saw it, as a speck. Oh well, it was still a good trip!
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 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.
I had some time to kill before starting my drive back to Las Vegas; I wanted to miss the heavy LA traffic so I went to Clutters Park for a few hours. Good choice. Nice weather to enjoy my coffee and see a bunch of heavies coming and going. I think I left around 9:30 am and had a nice, relaxing drive to Vegas. I took these photos in early December 2022.
Please see my high quality aviation videos
in 4K Ultra HD with many from London Stansted Airport www.youtube.com/user/bananamanuk
My London trip was coming to an end so I wanted to spend some time at the Myrtle Avenue field. Forecast was for excellent weather. Sunrise was shortly after 5 a.m. so I got an early start and got to the field around 5:15 - and people were there already! The bad thing was the sun rose almost directly behind the landing aircraft. We went en masse to Hatton Cross Underground Station and found some better angles. After a bit the sun got higher and was less harsh so we went back to the field. Beautiful day just sitting there watching life go by - until I fell asleep in my chair. I decided to return to my room for a proper nap. I regret that now since a bunch of cool planes landed and I would rather have shot them outdoors. Hopefully there will be a next time soon.
I took these photos in mid-May 2022.
I had planned to go to Nellis on this day for Red Flag 22-1 but the winds were extreme - 40-50 mph so I guessed not too much would be happening. Very dusty and stuff was blowing everywhere. I stayed near LAS but it was pretty boring. Good day to catch up on reading and photo editing. I took these photos in early February 2022.