GLOBAL SPOTTING REPORTS
USA - NY, NJ, MA & ME
New York JFK – Oct 2018
LANDSIDE
The Airtrain is a good start. Its elevated and runs in a loop around all the terminals allowing for some good views. A couple of the stations have good views depending upon which runways they are using but you probably won’t last too long before attracting attention.
T5 multi story – If they are landing on 31R then most arrivals can be seen. However don’t stand in view of the control tower, otherwise they will freak out and go squealing to mummy about you.
T2/3 multi story – Good views of a lot of Deltas stands and some international stuff. Traffic on 31L can be seen which is normally departures
There are several reported vantage points around the perimeter but I haven’t visited any.
AIRSIDE
It all depends upon which terminal you are in and what runways are in use. I’ve flown out of a few different terminals and all had windows allowing for decent views of the respective ramps.
One option would be to get a Jetblue flight into JFK and stay airside on arrival if you have no hold luggage. A lot of stuff from the other terminals appears to land or taxi past so you should do quite well.
HOTELS
Holiday Inn – Excellent views of most runways and some terminals but at a bit of a distance.
You ideally need the top floor which is the 6th. Odd numbered rooms provide a great view and all movements can be seen for those using the magic box.
At night they were using 31R for arrivals which come right over the top of the hotel. It may be possible to read these off during the day but they appear very late from behind the hotel. Traffic departing from 31L can be seen in the distance taxiing out. From my experience this seems to be the most common runway configuration. Fortunately for me they changed to 22L arrivals during the daytime. All could be read off with a decent pair of optics. They did disappear below the tree line as they touched down which is why you need the top floor. Departures from 22R were a bit more difficult especially when the heat haze increased or if they had small regs.
Don't confuse this with the holiday inn express which apparently many people do and catch the wrong shuttle bus. The shuttle bus runs 24 hours a day.
Its not the cheapest hotel but nothing is cheap in New York. Definitely worth paying a bit extra for the view for me. There is a bar / restaurant in the hotel. Behind the hotel theres an applebees and other fast food places about 10 minutes walk away. 7 Eleven is a mile down the road.
From the hotel its also possible to walk back towards the airport on Rockaway Blvd which is reported to have a couple of good spots for spotting and photos, especially when arriving on 31R or 22L.
Hilton JFK - July 2012
Also has excellent views. However due to the vast area the airport covers and depending upon which runways they are using a lot of stuff could be missed. If you are happy to use sbs then all movements can be seen. The approach and touchdown of one of the runways predominantly used for arrivals is directly in front of the hotel along with the cargo ramp. A lot of stuff will taxi around this way if they are not using this runway but a very good pair of binoculars is recommended due to distance and heat haze. Ask for a room high up with odd numbers. The higher the number the slightly better the view. If you are unable to get a suitable room then there are windows in the lift area giving the same view. The 10th floor is the highest you will get without paying extra. The 8th floor provided perfectly good views and I suspect even a bit lower would be fine as well.
The Hampton inn is next door and may offer similar views if rooms overlook the airport. The doubletree is also close by but at the time was more expensive than the Hilton.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Lots of international flights from all over the world make this a very interesting and varied airport. In terms of local carriers Jetblue have a large hub and you can expect to see a good chunk of the fleet in a day. Delta and American also have a base here with several commuter aircraft feeding the international flights.
New York Newark - Aug 2017
LANDSIDE
Nothing from the terminals. The top of the multi storey at the United terminal may have decent views. There is a monorail that runs between terminals and views from the stations are good. You may attract attention though.
There is an Ikea in the south east corner. There are decent views from the car park including the Fed Ex ramp. The foliage is spoiling the view a bit but anything taking off from 22R or arriving 04R should be seen, and some stuff taxiing may be seen through gaps in the grass.
AIRSIDE
No problems from here. All movements easily seen unless the small crossing runway is used for some of the E145s.
HOTELS
The Marriot at the terminal has excellent views. It also has a very large price tag.
The Howard Johnson on frontage road did a good job for a much cheaper price although still $129 plus $15 for car parking. Located in the north east and almost directly under the approach for runway 22R. Arrivals are generally on 22L which is just of to the side. Windows are on the smallish side but they do open which is very helpful.
Saying that it is probably only good when arrivals are from the north. If they are landing from the south then they would probably turn off the runway too early and be too far away to read. Departures would be high in the sky by that point and US planes don’t have the regs under the wings.
Rooms 333 - 353 odd numbers only provide a view of the terminals and look straight down runway 22R which most departures will turn onto. Most gates can’t be seen and are too far away but everything taxiing for departure could be read of when they turned onto the runway. Arrivals for 22L came from behind you at late notice but most could be read off unless the reg was located in front of the engine.
Rooms - 301 - 323 odd numbers only face the approach path. Meaning you get a far better look at the arrivals but have no view of the airport. Arrivals still appear late from behind the building but are much easier to read off.
The other option is to spot from the car park and watch the arrivals from there. No departures can be seen from here though. The arrivals are close enough that most could be read off at night.
WHAT TO EXPECT
One of Uniteds Main hubs. Lots of E145s and E175s as well as some DHC8s. Plenty of B737s and B777s as well.
Not too much else. The usual smattering of the other mainline carriers, a couple of Biz maybe and Several Fedex flights.
New York La Guardia - Oct 2018
LANDSIDE
Terminal B offers good views from the food court and other areas. Most movements should be seen.
AIRSIDE
Terminal C/D which is pretty much exclusive to Delta has good views from the end of the piers. The far left pier had views of the arrivals on the runway to the left as well as everything going for departure on the runway in front of it.
Terminal B – The pier I was in had some windows but not great.
HOTELS
Courtyard By Marriot. Excellent views over the threshold of runway 04 and Terminal A, the old Marine Air Terminal. The other terminals are off to the right with half of the other runway visable. All movements should be seen. Difficult to read of anything at night. Some stuff depending on the location and colour of the reg.
I booked direct with them and requested a room with a view. But it shouldn’t be a problem getting one. Views from the lobby are pretty good so any room facing that way should have a good view. They have 6 floors. Theres not a lot around here but they have a bar and restaurant and prices where not to bad as well as a shop for other stuff.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Delta are probably the biggest operator with lots of E175s and CRJ900s operating. American Eagle had a good number of E145 and E175s. A general mix of everything else.
Donald Trumps B757 lives here and parked in full view of the Hotel along with 2 or 3 other Biz at the time.
New York Teterboro - Aug 2017
From the perimeter roads a good number of the inmates can be logged. Redneck Ave on the south east corner had partial views of these ramps. Difficult though as theres no proper place to stop the car. Best if theres a couple of you and one can jump out to log whats here while the other turns the car around.
Then on the north east side theres Fred Wehren Drive. The Dassualt Car Park was accessible and it was possible to stand discretely by the fenceline allowing a lot of these ramps to be logged.
From here turn left back onto Rte 46 and a theres a few car parks you can pull into that may allow a few more to be logged. Then take a left into Industrial Ave which runs behind the hangers and may allow some additional planes to be seen. Continue to the end and another ramp will come into view.
This place is very active. I went on Monday afternoon and then returned on Tuesday morning and logged nearly as many new ones as the first visit.
The Hilton reportedly has good views. Floors 7 and above with rooms facing Manhattan.
Atlantic City - Aug 2017
The FAA have a massive facility here and security is pretty tight. The top of the multi storey had good views including some of the military and FAA stuff. Might not be wise to spend too long up here though.
The FAA have several aircraft. B727 N401Z is parked right outside the terminal in full FAA cls. They also have a B747, B737 and Tristar parked in the distance.
There hanger door was slightly open and I was fortunate enough to be able to see there Global Express N47.
A Fedex B727 is also here. N234FE. Its parked behind there hanger and can be seen by taking a right turn into a small car park before the main terminal close to where N401Z is.
The FAA also have another B727 partially broken up in there compound . N511FE, however the perimeter is surrounded by forest and I was unable to get any views of it.
Bangor – Oct 2018
The main reason for visiting is for the stored aircraft. Lots of Saab 340s, ATRs and E145s are here for maintenance or parting out. The majority are parked in the south west corner. This is about a 2.5 mile walk from the terminal. Not everything can be seen as they are all parked close together and some fuselages are dumped behind others. More are parked by the hangers next to the terminal and easily seen. I logged about 25.
Security is fairly tight here. I was reported to the police a couple of times but fortunately they didn’t care and let me on my way.
A seat on the left side for arrival may help depending what direction you land from.
Bangor is also used as a fuel stop for the USAF with several parked up. A left seat on arrival helped identify these.
Boston - Aug 2010
LANDSIDE
None from the terminal but the multi story car park offers excellent views over this panoramic airport.
I’m pretty sure theres several spots that would provide excellent approach shots but theres several runways that can be used. The runways are mostly surrounded by water so you would have to explore the suburbs across the water.
AIRSIDE
Good views and possible to walk around various piers depending what airline your with. The car park probably has a better overall view though.
HOTELS
There is a Hilton at the airport that has some views but it was costly.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Jetblue have a large base along with plenty of commuter flights to the New York and Washington areas. There was several international flights from Europe.
