Airport Spotting Blog

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.

Jaunted’s latest Plane Spotting blog post comes from St. Lucia - one of the most scenic islands in the Caribbean.

One of the best places to watch the action at St. Lucia is from the St. Jude’s highway running into Vieux Fort and passing the western end of the runway.

Alternatively, at the eastern end of the runway the beach offers a breathtakingly close view of aircraft departing over your head. Of course, this is a great place the enjoy the sun, sea and sand whilst on the island!

Read the full blog post here.

Fancy a trip away to pursue some spotting with like minded enthusiasts in 2010? Aeroprints, one of the longest established aviation spotting tour firms in the UK, have released their 2010 brochure, listing all of the tours you’re able to book on, along with details of which aircraft/flights involved in each trip, and the day-by-day opportunities for spotting.

I’ve personally used Aeroprints for a tour a few years ago and highly recommend them.

You can download the brochure here

As the new airport at San Bernardino, CA nears its official opening, the locals are asking whether it will ever actually attract and airlines.

The San Bernardino International Airport is opening on the site of the former Norton Air Force Base, which closed in 1994. A new terminal has been built, and is already fitted with check-in kiosks, arrivals and departures screens, escalators, offices, and an automated voice which warns passengers not to leave baggage unattended. Coupled with 3000 new jobs being created in the surrounding areas recently, on paper the outlook seems rosy. But in these times of airlines cutting back routes or closing down, and recession hitting hard, does this part of California need another airport?

You can read the full story here.

If the airline does start to attract operators, you can be sure we’ll cover the opportunities for enthusiasts. If you’re a local, why not tell us what the new airport is like by leaving a comment?

Manchester Airport’s Aviation Viewing Park now has multiple entry tickets available for those who visit regularly and want to save a bit of money on the entrance fee. The TAS Manchester site has full details.

The tickets come in batches of 25, 50 and 100. These are priced £25, £50 and £100 respectively. I’m sure you can work out that means entrance is therefore reduced to £1 per visit. You can buy tickets from the entrance kiosk, but if you present your TAS membership at the Aviation Shop on site, you’ll get 10% off the ticket cost.

There’s no mention whether the tickets are for pedestrians only, or include car entrance. Perhaps someone could comment if they know.