Depature vs Arrival Photos
Greetings,
From my comparatively limited experience
Ive found that photographing arriving flights is far more dramatic than capturing departing flights
given the same observer distance from the end of an active runway.
Near LGA
Since arriving aircraft touch down not far in from the end of the runway
I dont think anything comes close
in sheer drama and impact
to the l-o-w l-e-v-e-l arrivals to runway 4 as seen from Plane View and Landing Lights Parks. Yet
runway 22 as seen from MacNeil Park in College Point
is another story entirely due to its greater distance. Runway 31 from Worlds Fair Marina seems somewhere in the middle.
Since departing aircraft
especially the prop DASH 8s
leave the runway far before its end
these same locations offer less dramatic views IMHO since the aircraft are already higher in the air and climbing for altitude when passing over the aforementioned spotting sites.
Near JFK
Ive had far less experience down south
from being a non-driver
and have only visited spotting sites A and E for runway 31L departures. [A creative mix of research ... local public transportation ... and ardent footwork ... allows me to do this.] Im waiting for favorable SE winds to open up runways 13L
and especially 13R
for arrivals over the Howard Beach
Cross Bay Boulevard area. Maybe this coming week when Im on vacation again.
Of course
accessing ATIS in advance is a must here as it easily takes me an hour to get down there from Flushing via the #7 subway and Q53 express bus from Woodside. As for the other spotting sites to the north and east of JFK
maybe the situation will improve for me as I further investigate available public transportation
walking distances
and the neighborhoods themselves
for the feasibility of solo visits. Some member input would help fill some needed information holes here. Thanks.
Mike (shamrock838)
Departure vs Arrival Photos
Quote:
Originally Posted by GothamSpotter
Location B on the LGA spotting map is good for watching Runway 13 departures, good for photographing only if you have a long lens. The Q48 from Flushing and another bus which I can't remember (goes to Forest Hills) both stop there.
GothamSpotter ...
Yes, the Q48 does stop opposite the pedestrian bridge over the GCP at Ditmars Boulevard and 27th Avenue. The other bus is the Q23 which indeed goes to Forest Hills.
On the other side of the ped bridge ... to the left ... there's a "desire path" that leads up an embarkment to an airport perimeter road with pedestrian walkway alongside. This in turn leads past the Delta/Northwest and US Air terminals. I think it's used mostly by airport workers who live locally.
Mike (shamrock838)
