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

Shanghai’s Hongqiao airport opened its new official spectator facility on 16 March 2010 on top of the new Terminal 2 building. Interestingly, this is the first official spotting location to be opened at any Chinese airport, and many hope this will pave the way for other airports to have such facilities incorporated – especially when new terminals and upgrades are built.

Terminal 2 is home to all domestic flights at the airport (apart from Spring Airlines), with international flights remaining at the older Terminal 1.

The new open-air spotting facility is on the 4th floor of the building with great views over the apron and runway beyond. It is 60 metres long and has a security check on entry.

To reach the facility, escalators from the check-in area will whisk you up in no time.

If you have any photos from this new facility, or experience from using it, please comment below.

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 have posted another great report of where to spot – this time a beach alongside Sydney’s Kingsford Smith airport is the perfect location for watching the action, as heavies literally roll by your beach towel!

Take a Dip at This Beach Down Under for the Best Plane Spotting || Jaunted

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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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Breaking news this afternoon surrounds Coventry Airport and its apparent closure with immediate effect.

The airport, in the West Midlands of the UK, has been struggling for a number of months, and has been without passenger services since 2008 when ThomsonFly closed their base. The airport has a well-known reputation for cargo movements, as well as healthy biz jet and light aircraft movements. It is also the base for Air Atlantique and Atlantic Airlines.

What the future holds for the aircraft currently based at the airport is unknown. It has been anticipated that Air Atlantique would move its operations to Kemble in Gloucestershire recently, so this may transpire soon. At the moment, no aircraft are flying apart from the local air ambulance.

It is believed the owners of the airport have now run out of money. What the future holds for the site is unclear.

Please comment with more information if you have it.

If you have any inclination to visit Machu Picchu – one of the greatest archaeological sites in the world, and certainly the biggest tourist draw in Peru – you are almost guaranteed to pass through Cusco Airport.

Cusco was once the capital city of the Inca empire, of which Machu Picchu once belonged. The city is situated close to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, and is a taxi/bus journey, plus a train journey from the ruined city.

This shot is taken from the departure lounge.

The airport at Cusco is well set up to handle the amount of tourists it receives every year, but due to the demanding terrain and the fact that it is situated in a built up area, operations are limited to mainly mornings. Night flying is not permitted.Therefore, most flights operate until early afternoon and then the airport falls silent until the next morning.

Airlines using Cusco are LAN Peru (Airbus A319s), Star Peru (BAe 146 and Boeing 737-200), Los Andes (DHC-6 Twin Otter), Aerocondor (Fokker F-27 and F50), Aerosur (Boeing 737-200).

Spotting from within the terminal is only possible once you go through to the departure lounge, which is situated in the pier. Even then, it is quite limited as jetbridges get in the way.

Around the airport, you can follow the road running parallel to the runway to get some good shots of aircraft on the runway and parked at the terminal. Some of the best photographs are possible along this road – which heads to Pisac – as it passes the end of the runway.

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.

It’s nearly time for that annual event in Switzerland which sees spotters flocking to see an abundance of biz jets in one place, and some of them quite rare! The Davos conference is held in January, with most dignitaries flying into Zurich Airport. This year the dates covered are Tuesday 26 January to Sunday 31 January.

Most aircraft arrive on the first day (Tuesday), often positioning to Basle or Geneva to park up for the week, before returning to Zurich to pick up their passengers on the Sunday and returning home.

Buchair offer a number of ramp tours at Zurich during the event, giving you the opportunity to get up close and personal with the biz jets (and other airliners) in attendance. You can find the schedule and booking details at: http://www.buchairnet.ch/de/tour/2010_schedule.pdf

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.