An interesting article has just appeared on Cincinnati.com‘s website entitled Why CVG lost half of all flight.

As the title suggests, it covers the steady plummet of flights ans passenger numbers at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport since 2003. In the 10 years prior, the airport enjoyed massive success in what, some would say, was an unlikely place ringed by other successful airports.

The success was all down to Delta and their feeder Comair, who introduced the Regional Jet. Between them they kept out low-cost carriers by lowering fares, and then raising them (once the threat was gone) to some of the highest in the country.

Today it is a shadow of its former self. Have a read of the article here:

Why CVG lost half of all flights.

Brett Snyder at the excellent The Cranky Flier blog has posted this observation on the new terminal construction at Sacramento Airport in California.

It makes an interesting read and has some nice pictures of the plans for the building, the work that’s been carried out so far, and the existing (outdated) terminal buildings.

Click the link below to read the full article:

Sacramento’s Big Build Will Create a Monstrously Expensive New Terminal.

Charleston Airport, in South Carolina, is about to see it’s most important change as Boeing opens its new 787 production line on the site.

Dubbed Boeing South Carolina, the site will take the strain from the Seattle production line, manufacturing the new state-of-the-art aircraft simultaneously. This has proved a necessary step due to the popularity of the aircraft, and the backlog that has built up as the programme has slipped. At the time of writing, Charleston was about to begin constructing its first production models of the 787 as the test models complete the certification process elsewhere.

Charleston is also an important and busy Air Force Base, which is home to the 437th Airlift Wing and their C-17 aircraft. The 315th Airlift Wing is also based here, and also uses these aircraft.

The base takes up most of the airfield site, with a large apron running north to south alongside the associated buildings and hangars. There is a small airpark with a number of preserved aircraft related to the base.

On the south side of the airfield, alongside the new Boeing plant, is the passenger terminal and its two piers. It is served by AirTran, American Eagle, Continental, Delta, United Express and US Airways

This map shows the two main locations for spotting at Charleston Airport. They are:

1. Terminal Car Parks
The car parks outside the passenger terminal each have views over some gates, and the cargo ramp. It is not advised to loiter here for too long, but a quick check from each car park will allow you to log most passenger aircraft and some of the military ramp.

2. Airpark
The small collection of preserved aircraft, known as the Charleston AFB Airpark, is situated alongside runway 15 and has views of aircraft using this runway. The collection is worth seeing.

Frequencies
Ground            121.9
Tower            126.0
Approach (151-330)    120.7
Approach (331-150)    135.8
Approach        119.3
Clearance Delivery    127.325
ATIS            124.75

For more information on Charleston, and nearly 70 other US airports, Airport Spotting Guides USA is an excellent resource book packed full of information.

It closed following the 9/11 attacks in 2001, but this weekend LAX’s old control tower observation deck, in the building often known as the Theme Building, will reopen!

We don’t know yet whether the views will be as good as they previously were, but this is a major positive step for anyone wishing to watch aircraft at Los Angeles International.

At the moment, the opening hours will be limited to Saturdays and Sundays from 8am to 5pm.

There will be an official opening ceremony for the refurbished building on 21 June 2010.

When spotting in the USA, it is generally a good idea to let the authorities know that you are there and what your intentions are. In most cases, if you speak to the right person, you’ll be thanked for the information and given permission to carry on.

Here are some contact details for various airports:

Washington Dulles – contact Ops on (703) 572-2730 and you’ll be fine from the car park.
Washington National – contact dispatch on (202) 610-7515

For spotting information on nearly 70 US airports, check out our new book – Airport Spotting Guides USA

Spotters visiting the airports in Southern California (SoCal to the locals) now have a new web resource to help in their planning, which has been set up by Mark Ollier.

Mark moved to the area and has been inundated with requests for information from fellow enthusiasts, so has decided to set up this site to cover all of the information you’ll need when spotting at the various airports. To start with, he has covered Burbank,Van Nuys,Los Angeles and Long Beach but states “I will add more airports over the coming weeks.”

He adds: “On the site you will find spotting locations and daily movements for those airports. I will be adding SBS reports and a gallery. I have a forum which you need to sign up to access but on here I will keep everone updated with airport news, airline schedules, new build C-17′s and Gulfstream’s out of Long Beach, and the latest information on the storage areas of Mojave and Victorville.”

This site has fantastic potential as a lot of decent airports are situated close together and regularly make it onto the travel itineraries of spotters visiting the area.

The site can be found at http://www.socalspotters.net/

If you’re heading to Cleveland, Ohio, there are two main airports that are worth checking out. The first, naturally, is Cleveland Hopkins International – the main airport, and a major hub for Continental Airlines. It also has services by other major US airlines, plus FedEx and UPS. Air Canada also provide links across the border.

Spotting is best from the 100th Bomb Group Restaurant. Situated just to the north of runways 24L/R, it has a large car park. It is located off Brookpark Rd. Excellent views can be had of aircraft arriving on these runways, or use runway 10/28. Remember to buy something at the restaurant if you intend spending any time here.

The other Cleveland airport is Burke Lakefront Airport. This handles biz and general aviation movements. It is situated on Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland. You can spot from Voinovich Bicentennial Park close to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

A great website for all things to do with aviation in Cleveland is OPShots. They have movements lists, photography tips, and information on places to spot and what the local security is like at the moment.

The Best Plane Spotting Happens Just Outside Of DC’s Restricted Airspace || Jaunted

Jaunted has posted a nice piece about spotting at Washington Reagan National Airport in the USA. The Gravelly Point Park passes the end of the runway giving some spectacular views of departing aircraft at close range.

The park is popular with cyclists and walkers, and shouldn’t draw too much attention if you want to watch the movements – as that’s what most people are doing anyway!

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Following complaints from aircraft owners over the taking and subsequent use of photographs of their stored airliners at Mojave Airport, photography by spotters on their airside tours are now firmly banned.

The airport has run tours on request for many years, giving spotters the chance to ride out to the lines of stored airliners at the desert airfield in California. This offers the chance to catch up with many older types stored here either permanently or temporarily. It can be difficult to log registrations from the perimeter road, so this tour is a major bonus.

Being able to step out of the van and take photographs at close quarters was also welcomed by spotters, but owners are apparently sick of seeing their aircraft in YouTube videos and social networking sites. It is not clear whether this is a result of malicious use, or simply enthusiasts sharing photos and videos.

The airport now encourages spotters to leave behind video and photo cameras before getting in the van to take a tour.

If after this news you are still interested in taking a tour at Mojave, you can do so by reporting to the Control Tower and asking at reception. In most cases the driver (Javier) can accommodate you for a spontaneous tour immediately.

Plane-Spotting In San Diego Could Become A Literal Kiss-And-Fly || Jaunted

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