| This is another decent airport for
plane watching and photographing. The Milwaukee Airport Authority
has built a lot on the north side, just off the end of runway 1L/19R,
located just 2 miles east of the Layton Ave. exit from I-94. It
has been here for years and is extremely popular with the locals - I
have seen the lot nearly full on a nice day. The only problem is
that this runway isn't used as often as the east-west runway (7R/25L)
and to see action on that runway you need to go on the top of the
parking garage, but you need a long lens for photos and the cost is
something like $2 per hour. There has been a rumor that they are
going to set up another observation area in
near the end of 7R (see map) and that would also be good when traffic
uses that runway. Milwaukee is the home of
Midwest Airlines and its regional affiliate Skyway so most of the
traffic will be 717s, Beech 1900 turboprops, and Dornier Jets.
Northwest Airlines has a big presence here as well with DC9s, Airbuses,
and 757s. This airport is also home to the Wisconsin Air National
Guard and they are out flying nearly every day in the big KC135s and
C130s. In addition, there is a lot of business jet traffic here.
Traffic is fairly constant throughout the day and in the late
afternoons it is not uncommon to see three or four
planes lined up for departure right in front of you at the observation
area. Definitely a great place for plane lovers and I highly
recommend a visit here. This airport was named in honor of
General William "Billy" Mitchell, one of the most famous Generals in the
U.S. Army during World War I. He is often considered the "father"
of the modern air force and was a Wisconsin native. Also, the B-25
bomber was named after him, and there is a B-25 on display at the
entrance to this airport.
Click here to see
a photos from the Observation Area
Click here to see photos from the
parking garage
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