| The Detroit airport has gone through
a major transformation over the last three years or so, adding a new
runway and a new terminal, parking garage, and roadways. Before, I
would have not rated it so high but a recent visit has proven that there
are opportunities to spot aircraft even without an "official"
Observation Area. If you go in the McNamara
Terminal parking garage you will find excellent views of runway 3L/21R
and the taxiways that go around the midfield terminal complex.
Most of the widebody and international jets, however, will use the
runways on the other side (4L, 4R) because it is closer to the
International Terminal. For aircraft leaving the McNamara Terminal
(shown in black on the map) it can be a long way to taxi to the end of
21R, so Northwest's international flights will also use the runways on
the west side. But from the garage you will see nearly every type
of aircraft except widebodies.
If you go along the I-94 Service Rd. (also known
as the Goddard Rd. Extension) as shown on
the map you can stop near the end of runways 22L & 22R and get a great
view of 747s, Airbuses, and DC10s landing. I would not stay for an
extended time though, to avoid being hassled by police. I
did not have any problems with security in the garage though.
Detroit is a major hub for Northwest and also sees
traffic from Europe as well as all the other airlines from America so
there is definitely a wide variety and continuous flow of traffic here.
If you want to photograph, the best time from the garage would be
starting three hours before sunset because you face east. From the
I-94 Service Rd, you could photograph in morning or evening because you
can park on either side of the centerline and face either east or west.
Most of the international flights arrive in early afternoon (from Asia)
and late afternoon (from Europe).
Click here
to see photos from the parking garage
Back to the Airport
ratings
|
