| This airport is probably one of the
best that I have seen for spotting and photography. Vancouver is
only about a two hour drive north from Seattle across the Canadian
border and there is always a wide variety of traffic.
The
map shown above is somewhat incomplete as far as spot #1. The road
that runs along the north side actually curves around the end of runway
26R to intersect with the main terminal road. From this spot you
can watch and photograph aircraft landing to the west on 26R. If
you continue along this road, following parallel to runway 8L/26R you'll
come to the other end (spot #2) which is simply a dirt pull-off which is
great for watching aircraft if they are landing to the east (8R).
Most departures use the south runways, and
there is a small park just off Russ Baker Way which sits opposite the
end of this runway. My memory doesn't recall the exact directions,
but you can't miss it. If planes are departing to the east they'll
fly right over this park. Some people say
that the view is incredible from a room at the Fairmont Hotel which is
inside the terminal loop, and there are a couple other smaller spots to
view such as next to the AVIS parking lot. I did notice even in my
short time in Vancouver that these spotting areas I've shown on the map
get crowded with planespotters. Part of what
makes Vancouver such a great airport is its traffic. Though the
largest airline is Air Canada and its regional affiliates, you will see
aircraft from both Europe (British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Condor, etc)
and Asia (Cathay-Pacific, China, Japan Airlines, Singapore, Korean Air,
etc) and these will be the "heavy jets" such as Boeing 747, 777 and
Airbus A340. The typical U.S. airlines also have a presence here
with flights from American, Continental, United, and Delta. There
is also an airline called WestJet which is to Canada what Southwest is
to America. The variety here is amazing. Though
it may not be in the USA, Vancouver deserves a 5-jet rating on my scale
and if you are visiting Seattle you should make the trip north of the
border. Restaurants in Canada will even take your American money!
Just be sure and bring your passport to get back in!
Click here to see photos from spot #2 in the map above
Click here to see photos from the park opposite the south runway
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