Hog Island Road at PHL International

Greetings,

I visited my daughter and her husband in the Philly area this weekend and talked her into driving me down to PHL International. We briefly checked out international terminals A and B but they were tight as a drum ... not even a hint of viewing areas that we saw. I guess that's only for those actually departing/arriving by air. We didn't linger.

We found Hog Island Road E and SE of the airport complex and I was able to get some interesting domestic arrivals (737s and smaller Airbus types) ... mostly of these were US Air with a Continental and a couple of colorful Southwests ... about to touch down on RW27R (yes?). I had the sun to my back around 1pm (1300 hours) so the lighting was perfect ... and I made sure to stay on the outside of the road (away from the fence) and next to the rusty RR tracks.

I'm trying to zero in on just where we were along Hog Island Road. Hope the following helps: we were (1) definitely south of the runway underpass and Fort Miflin (2) just outside "Sunoco Logistics" with a service road leading off Hog Island Road just south of us with a big ship moored at riverside in the distance (3) a street sign read "#4 Hog Island Rd" and (4) some regionals were also arriving from my left (south) on runway RW35 ... alternating with RW27R? Did I have my runways rights.

We couldn't stay long as I didn't want to press my daughter's patience. We didn't see any of the larger domestic aircraft ... and I guess we were too early ... by hours ... for any of the big internationals.

Still ... it was a first time visit that turned out better than expected. This was barely any vehicular traffic and nothing resembling local authorities.

Remarks welcomed. Thanks.

Mike (shamrock838)

If you look on an airphoto, and follow the road around, you were right near the big oil tanks just abeam the threshold for 27R. Sounds like a pretty typical PHL/Hog Island experience. A word of caution, though - even though they look disused, those are active railroad tracks, so don't get too close!