where to go to get up close to a landing or taking-off plane

what's up fellas, new here. so far i just got a chance to check out a few of the spotting positions around jfk and it was a blast. i don't have a camera with a telephoto lens (yet) but just seeing the planes up close and personal was awesome. one thing i wanted to do, and this has nothing to do with spotting, was to find a location from which you'd get a really close vantage point to watch planes landing or taking off. kind of like in the movie "wayne's world": o_-kP1lNIW8

can anyone recommend a place like that around nyc?

thanks!

george

The best spot for Wayne's World-style close encounters are Landing Lights Park and Planeview Park, about a block from each other near LaGuardia Airport. When planes are landing on Runway 4 at LGA, they'll be about 100 feet over your head at Landing Lights. Planeview is also very close but it's more of a side-on angle. You'll see what I mean when you get there. :)

Check out Spot A on our LaGuardia Airport Spotting Guide.

thanks, heading over now :)

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Originally Posted by promo718

thanks, heading over now :)

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Ehh, don't know if they'll be coming in on 4 today... Very windy out there....

They were using 29 at EWR today because of the winds... Drove right under a 737 on super-short final.

If you could somehow find a way to park near that fence, when they are using 29, it'd probably even be more intense than Planeview...

Then again, they don't use 29 much at EWR, and that spot is not accessible by public transportation and you will probably get hassled if you stopped there....

Like Matt said, Planeview is probably your best bet on most days...

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Originally Posted by USAF Pilot 07

Ehh, don't know if they'll be coming in on 4 today... Very windy out there....

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yep, i guess runway 4 @ lga was not in use today. planeview was quiet, no action at all.

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Originally Posted by USAF Pilot 07

Then again, they don't use 29 much at EWR

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is there a way to find out without actually driving out there whether some specific runway is in use? i live in brooklyn so it's a hassle to get out there, with the tolls and all.

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Originally Posted by promo718

is there a way to find out without actually driving out there whether some specific runway is in use? i live in brooklyn so it's a hassle to get out there, with the tolls and all.

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Call ATIS:
JFK - 718-995-8188
LGA - 718-478-6118

You will hear the same ATIS that is broadcast for flight information, includes winds, cloud cover, and departing and arriving runway usage.