If you follow Flightradar24, you probably know we like aeroplanes – and, there’s a good chance you like aeroplanes too! From hilltops and public parks to viewing decks and purpose-built viewing areas at airports (we’re looking at you, Manchester), there are a LOT of places to watch aviation in action. Which is your favorite? Leave a comment below!
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77 Responses
Proud Bird restaurant at LAX 🥰. Food, rare birds and nice landing trafic!!
Nice I gotta put that on my bucket list!
Café to fly at Hamburg Airport. Great view directly at the rotation point of RWY 33
Facts
Je pense que pour moi c’est à la plage de Maho beach
Pathway near Barbados cut next to Transit bridge 4-L arrivals JFK.
On a calm AM u can witness the wake vortex whip up mini tornadoes.
BTW best “was” Lufthansa MD-11 or 10-30F.
Old school used to be Worldport rear roof parking overlooking 31-L
Long gone, but a Concorde departure via CRI was an experience you could feel. 119.10. Ciao.
Bayswater St. East Boston, Ma., USA
Castle Island, South Boston, Ma., USA
Agree 👍
I also like grand view avenue as well. Looking at a plane land in the sunset with Boston’s tower is awesome 🤩
Very nice lokeshan 👍👍👍✈️
Amazing no one mentioned the park @DCA @ approach end 19.
River app with 757/200 was right on. Also 15 departure with a DC 9 50.
Needed iron underwear for that one , I bet ; 😉
I still can’t believe what happened. Real bad decision to use 33 app as a training/transit area. I mean a trainee should NOT have been PIC.
at night, with a rwy 1 config. She confused AA 737 dep with the called traffic. Never saw CRJ …IMHO .
Missed that one Eric. Hung out @ Revere Beach 22-L/R.
The beer was and transit right across the st. 🙂
At Bayswater (?) in the 70’s you used to able to walk out on the grass field directly under the flight path. It’s restricted now I believe.
One of my all time faves is the hill at LAX, early morning, light behind you luvvit!
Heathrow Urban Farm, another great.
Just over the bridge at Farnborough.
Southside at Luton
Good to see Farnborough gets a mention.
What about skiathos?
Also gotta add that to my bucket list!
Where is the bridge at Farnborough ?
Used to live in Farnborough and work at RAE occasionally and a member of FAST Museum but can’t place what bridge.
Colin
Look up Eelmoor bridge on Google maps.
My favourite place for plane-spotting is my garden.
I’m often just sitting there while either the red arrows or the BBMF fly over.
lol kinda Ditto here for me I live by an airbase and and intl airport Slc to be exact and I get lots of cool pics and veiws becaise my house is right below the approach path and what sparked my interest in aviation was when I was playing outside and then I heard an ear deafening roar and I thought it was a regular plane but just lower but then 5 F-35s flew right over me in a V formation and it wasn’t even a planned flyby…anywho sorry about the long comment!
I also live next to a large international airport and I can see planes from my balcony which is really cool.
Not to worry. But roumor has it that these F-35 aviators are willing to do anything to score being mentioned in a Flightradar24 comment… 😅
I am similar to you Chris, i am disabled so i do it all on you tube. When i was able i used to go most of the airports in the UK.
Bob, u got “LiveATC” there in UK Internet?
Any airport, anytime. An old, but not so bold, pilot’s best friend. 😁
I have many places mainly on Military Aircrafts…. In the US ! my favourite comes from NAS Ft worth KNFW. Nellis for the red flag… NAF EL Centro for the unexpected. MCAS Yuma for the Semper Fi Marines.
Among m favorites would be
– Eldorado Furniture MIA
– Imperial Ave LAX
– and ofcourse Maho Beach SXM
The concrete bench area (with SXM-style low flybys of aircraft in final approach, including the EK A380 amongst other heavies!!), and the elevated spotting platform, both by rwy 24R here at BCN! Great sights & sounds on both, absolutely recommended!!🤩👍
Noted
Sakuranoyama Park near Narita Airport.
Shep’s Mound at Sydney airport.
Ditto!
Rue du petit bellegarde pour regarder les avions atterrir à Limoges LIG
Shadow-Moss Metrolink Tram Stop – Manchester Airport (EGCC)
Yes I would agree.
I stayed in Shadowmoss road near the tram station in August 22 and I got some very good close up shots of airliners departing and arriving.
The pub garden at the end of runway is also an excellent spot.
I personally think the Manchester Airport Southside mound is perfect for head on photos from 23L to perfect touch downs on 23R. And it’s free!!! Or an alternative at MAN would be the superb Runway Visitor Park at Manchester with aircraft to explore (Static) and aircraft just meters away. Even got flight sim! Well worth visiting.
Can’t agree more!!!!!!
Runway Visitor Park @ Manchester is a terrible spot! You can’t see anything! It needs to be improved!!
Your probably better off at southside when you don’t have to pay!
My fav is lukoil fuel station with good cafe near one of vnukovo airport runways (yep I’m russian)
There are some classics such as LAX, SXM and so on but one of my favourites in Europe is Corfu. Great scenery, busy during peak summer time and bars to grab a beer whilst you watch the action.
Haneda Innovation City, near Haneda Airport in Tokyo
Sitting on the beach at Kalyves, Crete,GR watching the comings and goings at LGSA (Chania) A good mix of civvie and military.
Changi beach, Changi viewing deck, or Changi industry park for 02L arrivals!
Sheps Mound at SYD , lots of aircraft cruising past nice and close…
madeira airport spotters, funchal airport
My favourite spot is Heathrow which is one of the busiest airports internationally
Wellington, New Zealand! Some of the best windy, sideways landings anywhere. After landing in an ATR 72-600 looking out the cabin window straight down the runway, I made a dash for the perimeter fence and sure enough those crabbing landings are common there. Been back a few times and never been disappointed!
Yes same! I especially enjoy the small hill at the northen end. On a windy day, it can get pretty sketchy, with many go-arounds.
I live about 46 miles from IAD and am on the southern approach so I get the 737 and some airbis but sometimes its so backed up that the big boys fly buy my home and last week I saw a 747 and couple 777 and a 787 its such nice surprise
LHR. Green Man pub, Green Man Lane, Feltham, England. Absolutely fantastic when 1) planes are landing at LHR on 27L, 2) the pub is open and 3) the weather is suitable to enjoy sitting outside with a pint of brew! Inbound aircraft pass almost directly overhead at about 350 feet!
End of runway at Washington National right in glide path. Loved it!
Playa Honda, Lanzarote (ACE)
For me,
1°) Look out terrace on the top of Tokyo Haneda airport’s terminal, Japan.
2°) Road D-167A of Wissous village, you can stand behind the fence, next to the runway of Orly airport, Paris, France.
3°) Bayfront Park, to spot these 2 crossing runways of San Francisco airport, California, USA.
VHHH/HKG/HONG KONG
South perimeter rd for 25L takeoff and 07L landings
Asia-world-expo for 07C and 25C
Although I live in hk, I have never gone plane spotting before so these are just information on the web although the pics look very nice
(IAD) Parking Garage 2 top credit to morrow aviation and (38.9142458, -77.4345817) near air space museum Dulles airport, Gravelly Point DCA
My favourite is Sheldon Park at the NW end of BHX (Birmingham UK). You can be directly under the flight path when the A380 lands (unfortunately only once a day ATM)
I like to drive out to Danaldson Air Feild in Greenville SC (GDC/KGYH) but since Lockheed Martin has lost the contract for the F16, I guess not much going on anymore.
My favorite is my window, plenty of rare narrowbodies into Seletar Airport like F100s and E190s and private jets!
The restaurant/bar terrace at the Thistle Hotel Heathrow, right beside 09L touchdown and overlooking T5. If the weather gets dodgy move inside.
There is nothing quite like having a full fat-boy breakfast watching the aircraft passing the window.
Grassy area across from IN OUT BURGER final approach to runway 24R AT LAX
A380 200 feet above your head
My favourite spotting place would be over the autobahn at Frankfurt.
One can get superb photos with no obstacles in the way.
Schiphol and Zurich come a close second.
Oshkosh-Wittman during EAA Airventure in July, either runway gives perfect views for photography and spotting and no shortage of aircraft
South Daily parking at Hartsfield
skiathos fresh cafe
The airport Manchester
My favorite spot is on the banks of the Senri River at Itami Airport, Japan. You can almost reach out and touch planes!!
Flyvergrillen right next to the landing grounds at CPH airport in Denmark. Junk food and flight spotting – what’s not to like 🙂
For those windy landings at Wellington airport during Northerly conditions the seat in the small reserve at the end of Coutts Street is pretty cool. The A320s usually get the reverse thrust on by this point. And on a good windy day the taking-off planes are starting to rotate. On a really windy day it’s fly-by time.
And if the wind is too much it’s a 10 minute walk to the terminal UNDER the runway in the pedestrian tunnel where you can’t see the planes but you definitely can hear them!
Rarotonga, Cook Islands. You can stand at the end of the runway as the plane comes in over the sea… I almost felt like I had to duck it was so close overhead! Such a great feeling.
I personally like Miami International Airport (MIA) because there’s a combination of little planes like puddle jumpers between jumbo Jets like the A380 and 747.
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned Myrtle Avenue, almost at the end of 27L at LHR! Famous on YouTube for fatuous comments e.g. “that plane’s too close to the houses” and “it’s all done with AI” 🤣
over my house near to LHR, LGW
over my house near to LHR, LGW
From Raf,
Definitely at cosford container park for SIN (WSSS)!!Theres alot of traffic there!
For those of you remember the old Kai-Tak airport in Hong Kong. Planes would fly towards a huge red/white checkered marker in the mountains and commence their right turn for landing. There was a vantage point maybe 1/4 mile away from the marker in the hills…planes would come maybe 1/4 or less…a local took me there my first time and I visited it frequently back in the day.
Airport Lakes Park, Just North of Orlando MCO. It sits between both runways. Free car parking
IKEA at Newark is amazing!