Plane Spotting

[Dead2009]

Have you ever gone to an airport and watched the planes take off/land?

I personally havent but found a channel who livestreams it, its kinda neat

 

[tvguy]

I have but usually I just go to flightradar24.com to see what planes are flying over my house. Especially if they are circling.
Some teenager a few years ago wondered why there was a small plane circling all night long, every night from 11 pm to 3 am. When he checked, the plane showed up but the ID was not available because the transponder was turned off. Then one night he checked and the ID came back as FBI. He recorded it all and gave it to the TV stations. FBI had no comment, but the next week that plane was up for sale on a Federal Government Auction site. Like I said, that was years ago, and there is still a small plane up every night from 11 pm to 3 am, just not THAT plane.

 

[amcnj]

I never went for that purpose. I used to pass an airport going to work so occasionally saw some (it’s not a busy airport). There is a local yearly air show so occasionally saw some more unusual aircraft like a stealth bomber. Air Force one also has landed there. And after 9/11 I saw a lot of early morning darkness air national guard jet take-offs, with the flames shooting out of the back.

I do still tend to look up when I hear a plane (currently near some much busier airports) and marvel that they are able to achieve flight at all!

 

[RedAngie]

I liked to go to Dockweiler State Beach in LA and watch the planes taking off from LAX.

Even better, the In-n-Out Burger on Sepulveda Blvd to watch them land.




The top level of the parking garage at the old Kai Tak airport in Hong Kong was another excellent spot.



But the ultimate was probably Saint Maarten where you could watch landings from the beach.

 

[JimMIA]

I don't pay much attention to large aircraft, but after many years as an EMT my ears are very finely tuned to the sound of Air Rescue. We happen to be in the normal flight path for Air Rescue South flying into a local trauma center, and I hear the aircraft miles away and know exactly where it's going. Even with their newer, quieter aircraft, when it passes overhead it literally rattles our windows.

In addition to putting numerous patients on Air Rescue, I did have one opportunity to fly a 12 hour shift with Air Rescue South as a training exercise. Pretty elegant accommodations!



And being a music lover -- to show you what weird gymnastics the mind goes through -- when Air South flies overhead, I always think of Mr. Mister's "Kyrie Eleison." I love the song, and the title translates to "Lord, have mercy," so it just seems to fit the moment.

"Kyrie Eleison down the road that I must travel
Kyrie Eleison through the darkness of the night..."

 

[wendypooh22]

When we were younger our parents would take us near the runway used for landings at the Burbank airport. There is a parking lot in the flight path and we would get take out and have a mini picnic watching the planes land.

 

[Kennywood]

When I was a little kid back in the late 60s / early 70s, we would go out to the big international airport and watch the planes land and take off. It may sound boring but it's one of my fondest memories.

 

[sam_gordon]

My local airport isn't busy enough to really spend time doing that and when I'm somewhere near a busier airport (Orlando for example), I have other things I want to do. lol

 

[fla4fun]

When I worked in a high rise in downtown Orlando, the windows in our office faced east, and we could watch the aircraft kind of forming a line to come in to land when the approach was from the north. It was interesting to have that perspective.

 

[maxaroni]

@RedAngie Loved the airport in St. Maarten. Our first few times we went we were on a 747 and it was crazy to see. Also, we loved the takeoffs from their as they would show it on the big screen. It looked like we were going to crash right into the mountains.

 

[OhDannyBoy]

 

[Dan Murphy]

We did this for family entertainment back in the early/mid 50's, at Midway Airport, before jets and before O'Hare opened up to full commercial flights in (I think) 1958. We'd all go to the Midway observation deck (yes, that is what is was called and what it was for) and we'd watch people boarding and getting off the planes. No jetways at the time so everybody walked up or down the stairs rolled up to the planes. Our favorites were, what we thought at time were gigantic, about 70 passengers) TWA triple tail Constellations. Flying was not cheap then and it was mostly wealthier people flying. We'd always discuss where we thought they were flying to or coming from.

Amazing what we did for an afternoon of entertainment then.

 

[Minnesota!]

All the time - Fort Snelling cemetery is across from the runway at MSP. So, we would go visit my dad there and then climb the big hill at the back of the cemetery and have a picnic and plane spot - saw some AMAZING things from there.

Now, they have a viewing area, right off the runway, that we go to. Picnic tables and info sheets, etc. Good times.

We use FlightRadar24 a lot, too, when out and about. Love aviation!

 

[Kitty 34]

We did this for family entertainment back in the early/mid 50's, at Midway Airport, before jets and before O'Hare opened up to full commercial flights in (I think) 1958. We'd all go to the Midway observation deck (yes, that is what is was called and what it was for) and we'd watch people boarding and getting off the planes. No jetways at the time so everybody walked up or down the stairs rolled up to the planes. Our favorites were, what we thought at time were gigantic, about 70 passengers) TWA triple tail Constellations. Flying was not cheap then and it was mostly wealthier people flying. We'd always discuss where we thought they were flying to or coming from.

Amazing what we did for an afternoon of entertainment then.

.......and in '73 my girlfriends and I would go to O'hare to watch 747s land and take off. They even had an outdoor area to watch!!! Now I watch freighters via webcam; life can be sooooo full circle.

 

[georgina]

I haven't, but since we moved to Virginia last year there seems to be a popular spot nearby (gravelly point) where people go to watch planes from Reagan airport. I bought a new bike so maybe I will ride over there when the weather warms up!

 

[Dan Murphy]

They ever had an outdoor area to watch!!!

Maybe either on Mannheim or Irving Park Rds?

 

[Babs Johnson]

Baltimore Friendship Airport (before it was BWI) had an observation deck open to the public. My father would take us there sometimes.

I need to get to St, Maarten to that beach. I've heard about it for many years but haven't visited yet.

 

[White Cat]

Often at the Toronto airport. You can get very close and there is a Wendy’s right there. There are usually 20 to 30 people there. We did too just the other day at the Orlando airport. But there they closed the road off to parking since the terrorist attacks. Used to be quite a crowd with a hot dog vendor there.

 

[mjkacmom]

I’ve seen some up pretty close driving on the NJ turnpike.

 

[sam_gordon]

BTW, if you do some plane spotting, check out https://www.liveatc.net/. Put in your airport code and you might (not available at all airports, but many) be able to listen to radio communications on ground, tower, departure, arrival, etc.