Even though I don't think that keeping non-ticketed people out of the gate areas is going to make airports any safer (hijackers have tickets), it's tough be too upset about the fact. Those same lax security regulations that allow us to get so close to these airplanes and enjoy our hobby may have been responsible for letting hijackers take over those four planes. As much as we love spotting, at a time like this it ought to take a back seat, especially considering that these attacks might not be over. My advice is that we just live with it and hope that one day airports will not be threatened enough to have such a strong security presence, and then we can go back to practicing our hobby.
Here's hoping that we rebuild quickly and that this doesn't get us down, and also that those who committed these acts get their just deserts for killing so many, taking away a beautiful landmark and symbol, and putting all our safety and sense of security in jeopardy.
1. A busy airport with lots of traffic.
2. A wide variety of airlines and aircraft.
3. Lots of heavies (I would define a heavy as a 767 or larger. 757's are borderline).
4. Lots of good locations around the airport from which to spot (preferrably outdoor locations) OR at least one really good location.
5. Security that is tolerant of spotters.
There are other things I like to look for but don't necessarily consider essential for a good spotting experience. Quality facilities and a nice terminal are always nice, especially on days where the weather might force me to do my spotting indoors. Having a public observation area is also something that can help make one airport stand out amongst the rest. Having a parking garage also helps, for they are great places from which to spot.
As a result of my love for busy airports, smaller airports serving smaller markets, like BOI or RNO, tend to suffer when I rate them. This is not to say that these smaller airports are worthless for spotting...in fact, many people prefer smaller airports because their perimeters are more easily accessible due to lesser security presence. But for me personally, I will always favor an airport which offers me an aircraft movement every few minutes to an airport which will only offer me a few every hour. Hub locations also tend to suffer in my ratings due to their lack of variety of airlines (see further down where I discuss "Hub Syndrome"). Again, this is not to say that "hubs" are worthless airports...in fact, they are some of the busiest around. But I will always favor airports which give me airline variety over an airport like ATL, which is wildly busy but offers 20 Delta movements for every 1 movement of another airline.
So which airports would I consider to be "ideal?" In my travels around the country, I have found three airports which have all five of my outlined criteria: LAX, MIA, and BOS. MIA is absolutely a delight. There's lots of heavies and traffic, and the airport is one that is very friendly to spotters (along the perimeter fence there are holes cut out so that people can stick their cameras through to get a nice shot). American has a fairly overwhelming presence there, but it still manages to have a great variety of airlines. BOS is really nice as well. There's a lot of traffic and variety, a good amount of heavies, and especially on days when the 4/22's are in use, the Terminal B parking garage is one of the finest locations from which to spot. There aren't a lot of places in BOS to spot, but the Term. B garage is so good that it it hardly matters. LAX is the best spotting airport in the United States, hands down. The variety of airlines is incredible, and about half the traffic is a 757 or larger. It's one of the world's 5 busiest airports, and it has a lot of great places to spot, both indoors and outdoors, including the Theme Building, which gets my vote for the best single spotting location in the country.
There are a lot of other airports which come close to being "ideal" airports. ORD comes awfully close, but the field is so big that you miss out on 1/2 of the action at any given time. JFK has the first four of my ingredients, but security's overwhelming presence and their dedication to a "war on spotters" makes it far too hard to enjoy spotting there. SFO also comes close, but United makes up too much of the traffic there. LAS, PHX and SEA are all great airports, but either a lack of heavies or a lack of good spotting places get in the way.
1. Los Angeles (LAX): LAX has it all...lots of heavies, lots of variety of airlines, lots of great places to spot, lots of traffic, beautiful facilities, and friendly security. LAX is easily the best airport this country has...perhaps even the best in the entire world. 2. Boston Logan (BOS): The best airport on the East Coast, BOS has all the elements that go into a great airport. A terrific variety of heavies and airlines give BOS a wonderful flavor, and although there's not many places to spot, the Term. B parking garage is so good you'll forget the fact. 3. Miami (MIA): Lots of good places to spot, lots of heavies and Int'ls, good variety of aircraft, and don't forget that great Florida sunshine! A great alternative in the winter to freezing northeast and midwest. 4. Chicago O'Hare (ORD): There's never a dull moment at O'Hare, the world's busiest airport. Lots of traffic to feast on, a great parking garage for spotting, and one of the top 2 or 3 spotting hotels in the country. Terrific spotting experience! 5. San Francisco (SFO): San Francisco is a wonderful airport with perhaps the best terminal facilities around. Indoor spotting isn't anything terribly special, but the Millbrae Ave. spotters' lot is among my top 5 outdoor spotting locations.
1. Theme Building Observation Deck, LAX: Situated almost directly in the center of
the airport, the Theme Building has an elevated observation deck which provides a 5-star,
360-degree view of the action. Takeoffs on the south field and landings on the north
field are such a delight to watch from this spot that you may never want to leave.
Certainly you’ll forget any other place from which you’ve been spotting before. 2.Terminal B Parking Garage, BOS: An incredible view of the entire field at BOS. Every runway in every direction is clearly visible, and when the action is on 4L/22R, everything happens so close to you that you feel you can reach out and touch it. Laid-back security helps to make this a location no spotter wants to miss.
3. Millbrae Ave. Spotters’ Lot, SFO: Directly south and east of runway 1R, this parking
lot puts you within rock-throwing distance of aircraft departing on 1L/R. A very popular
area which is often crowded but is very accommodating, with a catering truck and
portable restrooms. For those who like to sit in the sun, there is a small park directly east
of the parking lot which provides an even better view than the lot itself, although you’re
not nearly as close to the runway.
4. Founders’ Plaza, DFW: Situated on the southeast end of the field, Founders’ Plaza is
possibly the most highly-touted public spotting area in the country. Complete with a
loudspeaker which broadcasts tower communications and an aircraft recognition guide,
F.P. is more than just a spotters’ lot...it’s a genuine effort to reach out to spotters and
aircraft enthusiasts. Provides a good view of the eastern half of the airport and is
especially fun when aircraft are landing to the north.
5. Central Parking Garage, ORD: Head to the top floor and you'll be able to see the entire airfield, depending on what side of the garage you stand on. The Hilton hotel blocks much of your view to the south, but everything on the north side of the field is clearly visible, and there seems to be no end to the traffic, so getting bored is tough. Avoid the security guards and you'll be treated to a great show.
1. EWR, Terminal C, Gates 87-88. The circular shape of this end of the terminal provides a panomramic view of the airport from end-to-end. An incredible view of taxiing aircraft, arrivals on 22, and departures on 4. There is nothing happening at the airport that you can't see from this spot. Truly a superior place to spend an afternoon. 2. PHX, Terminal 2, Gates 13-15. An awesome view of aircraft departing on 26L. Runway and terminal are very close, and planes rotate at or near this spot. Adding to the fun is the apparent lack of soundproofing in PHX terminals. An incredibly powerful experience. 3. LAX, Bradley Int'l Term. Observation Area. All departures to the West are visible from this spot. None of them are especially close, and on the 25 runways, planes are already high in the air when they come into view, but it still a wonderful view of it all. Add to the mix the active taxiway just below the area, and you have the ingredients for a great spotting location. 4. LAX, Terminal 6, Gate 69B. This spot provides a powerful view of departing heavies on the 25's. You can only see the south half of the airfield, and you'll have no views of arrivals, but the exceptional view of departures makes up for it. 5. SFO, Terminal F, Gate 78. A comfortable place which provides you a view of all the action. Departures on 1 are distant, as are the touchdown point for arrivals on 28, but when aircraft depart on 28, this spot is the place to be for a commanding view.
1.New York (JFK): If in viewing this site you get the feeling I have a beef with JFK, you're not entirely wrong. The interior of most of the terminals at JFK are a mess...I'll bet there are better facilities in Bangladesh than at JFK. There is a new Terminal 4 at JFK, which is great because the old Terminal 4 was the most disgusting interior facility that I've ever seen, and Terminals 2, 3, 6, and 8 aren't much better. And, of course, the security at JFK makes life very difficult for spotters. All-in-all, JFK is the worst airport in the country for both spotters and travellers alike. 2. Boise (BOI): BOI is a nice little airport, but spotting there can be summed up in one word: boring! In my only trip there, departures at one point in the afternoon were almost an hour apart, and you'll almost exclusively see prop-jobs and a few 737's. Simply not enough traffic to give the airport any spotting worthiness. 3. Reno/Tahoe (RNO): With Reno Air gone, traffic flow and airline variety have gone straight down the tubes. What once was a relatively proud spotting airport is now a total snooze-fest. 4. Oakland (OAK): No outdoor spotting locations that are of any incredible value. Too much Southwest and too few heavies, until late at night when the FedEx planes start to come in. 5. St. Louis (STL): Arguably the airport with the worst case of "hub syndrome." Only hard-core fans of TWA will truly appreciate a trip to Lambert...everyone else will be bored within an hour of watching the same TWA DC-9's and MD-80's over and over again.
Some of the best places from which to spot are in the airport's parking garage. Because they are elevated, you can see above the terminals and get a really great view of the airport. Here is a list of airports I've visited which have accessible parking garages from which to spot. Keep in mind that in any airport, the parking garage is one of the most heavily watched and guarded areas (especially true of JFK and ORD), so always keep an eye out for security.
-Atlanta/Hartsfield (ATL)
-Boston Logan (BOS)
-Chicago O'Hare (ORD)
-Denver (DIA)
-Houston Intercontinental (IAH)
-Las Vegas/McCarran (LAS)
-Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP)
-New York/JFK (JFK)
-Phoenix/Sky Harbor (PHX)
-Portland (PDX)
-Reno/Tahoe (RNO)
-Salt Lake City (SLC)
Security is obviously a big concern for spotters worldwide. There is nothing worse than finding the perfect spot around the perimeter and then have security come along and kick you out. But fortunately, my experiences have seemed to demonstrate that security at most airports is very tolerable of spotters. Of the 20+ airports I've visited for spotting purposes, I've only had security problems at three of them: JFK, ORD, and SLC. At SLC, I was given the evil eye in the parking garage by a security guard who stopped to take notice of my activities, and at ORD, I was told by a security guard in the parking garage to be careful because "they" might take away my camera...both instances were relatively minor. JFK is the only airport that has ever consistently given me grief. Always be careful and mindful of security at any airport, but you don't always have to expect the worst. But although you shouldn't expect the worst, there are times when you will get it. Security can at times be very tight, sometimes downright nasty. This is especially true in times when there has been a recent crash, such as the crashes of recent years out of JFK. The best advice I can give you is to just politely do what they say...you may not like it (I know I don't!), but putting up a fuss doesn't get you anywhere. If you like, you can write a letter to the airport authority when you get home. I once had a bad experience with security at JFK and wrote a letter to their Port Authority...next thing I know I got both a letter and a phone call from a high-ranking official in the Port Authority. We all know that security at some times, and in some places, needs to lighten up; they don't understand that we're no threat to the airport or its passengers. But resisting or fighting them will only make things tougher for the next spotter that comes along.
-Jumpseaters on FedEx planes are supposed to be at the plane 1/2-hour prior to departure. I've had pilots who have yelled at me for being there less than 1/2-hour in advance, and I've also had pilots yell at me for being there more than 1/2-hour in advance. I guess they expect us to be there 30 minutes on-the-dot prior to the flight...not a second more, not a second less. I thank the 1 pilot out of every 5 that I actually liked...I'll buy them a beer if I ever run into them in a bar...but for the most part, I find airline pilots to be extremely intolerable people that think that everyone in the world who cannot fly a plane is beneath them. I don't mean to offend anyone, but sometimes I can't help but wonder if it's a coincidence that the word "pilot" and the word "prick" start with the same letter.
-As a ramp employee at RNO, I once had a pilot get upset because I said "10-4" in a cockpit-ground conversation instead of "affirmative." To quote him, "You've been watching too many cop shows on TV."
-A FedEx pilot once called in to me, "Reno Ops, FedEx 1806, we're about 20 minutes out...and I want fresh coffee waiting for me on the ground!" (My ideal response would have been: "Sir, I'm paid to load your plane, not make your coffee. You want fresh coffee? There's grounds and filters in the drawer below the coffee pot!") As it happened, I made the coffee.
-One cold drizzly morning at LAX, I didn't have enough money to take a cab to the terminal from the FedEx building. I practically begged the pilot to let me ride with him in his taxi to the terminal. "I'd rather not," was his response. I ended up having to walk in the rain.
-A FedEx pilot, while giving his pre-flight safety briefing, once told me that in an emergency he and the captain would not waste time helping us get out of the plane. According to him, "saving lives is not my job."
-I once overheard a group of pilots talking about how they increased a fuel load just so a ramp agent they didn't like would have to do all his paperwork over again. Real professional, guys!
-As a ramp employee, I once had a TWA pilot lean out his window and yell at me because I plugged in the GPU a mere 3 seconds after he had shut down the APU. I thought the guy was going to rip my heart out he was so mad.
-I remember a FedEx pilot at OAK who rudely yelled at the ground crew and literally threatened to ground a flight if she didn't get some toilet paper. We eventually found there were already three rolls onboard, and she didn't even have the decency to apologize.
-An AA pilot once threatened me because the fueler decided to fuel another flight before hers (as if I had any control over what the fueler does).
-On the ramp one day we had an AA pilot go ballistic on our pushback driver because he wanted to be pushed onto taxiway B and he was pushed back into the alleyway instead (which was about a 2-second taxi away from B). I loved it when the tug driver, a pilot himself, told the captain that "as long as your plane's attatched to my tug, I'm in command, not you!"
-My favorite story was when I jumpseated on a FedEx DC-10 from OAK to DFW. There were three seats on the plane...two of them comfortable, reclining seats and the other being a not-so-comfy seat directly behind the captain's chair, so close to him that you have to sit spead eagle just to fit. I got on the plane first, so I claimed one of the comfy seats. The two other passengers turned out to be jumpseating FedEx pilots, and when they boarded, they ordered me to give up my seat. I resisted...after all, I was there first. They told me that since they were pilots they got to chose their own seat. I disgustedly took the uncomfortable seat, fearing that fighting them further would risk my being bumped from the flight. My legs were so sore and knotted by the time I got to DFW I could barely walk down the crew stairs. But hey, at least the jumpseating pilots had a nice flight!
So what do I prefer? I'm not sure I really have a preference, but when I first started out, I was a hard-core takeoff man. One thing that has always drawn me to airplanes is the amazing power that it takes for something so big to get off the ground, and hence, takeoffs were the best way to experience that. But as I have progressed in this hobby, I've started to lean more and more towards the landing side of the coin. I think that watching landings actually gives you a better chance to actually see the airplane fly; watching takeoffs means you watch the plane get off the ground, but watching the planes land actually give you a chance to see them flying (if that makes any sense at all). Flight somehow is different when a plane is diagonal than when it is horizontal. I think that watching planes land are better representative of how they actually are in flight than watching them depart, so lately I've found myself becoming more of a landings fan.
Obviously every individual will decide for himself/herself whether they prefer to watch takeoffs or landings, but either way you will have a good time. It's a bit like Coke and Pepsi...everyone has their preference, but both taste great. I'll watch either one...as long as I'm spotting, it's all good!
