King County International Airport: Difference between revisions

From SpottersWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
(The Midfield Air Park no longer exists and has security warnings now so I went ahead and removed it from the list of Spotting Locations and relocated it to the Locations to Avoid section. I also added the most popular spotting location at present time (Aug 2021) which is the side of the road along Airport Way S.)
 
(9 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown)
Line 9: Line 9:
mapurl=http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=BFI&ie=UTF8&ll=47.53001,-122.30195&spn=0.053143,0.099993&t=h&om=1|
mapurl=http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=BFI&ie=UTF8&ll=47.53001,-122.30195&spn=0.053143,0.099993&t=h&om=1|
mapsource=Google Maps|
mapsource=Google Maps|
atctower=120.8|
atctower=120.6|
atcground=|
atcground=|
atcclearance=|
atcclearance=|
Line 26: Line 26:
==Other Spotting Locations==
==Other Spotting Locations==


===Museum of Flight Parking Lot===
===King County Elections Office===


This is a great place to spot airplanes arriving on runway 31L.  
Located at [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=E+Marginal+Way+S+and+S+90th+St,+Seattle,+WA&sll=47.522638,-122.299295&sspn=0.002402,0.005021&ie=UTF8&ll=47.522653,-122.299579&spn=0.002402,0.005021&t=h&z=18 East Marginal Way and South 90th Street ] , this is a fantastic location to take pictures of planes from. You will need a decent sized step ladder as the area is fenced. Light is best in the afternoon and a 200mm lens as well as a wide angle lens will do just fine.


===East Marginal Way and South 86th Street===
===Airport Way South===


This is another parking lot that offers a great view of the runway 31L/13R. If you take pictures, bring a step ladder or a truck that you can stand on to see over the fence.
Located along the side of the road on Airport Way S, one will find a [https://goo.gl/maps/CsbDqUSFtfR1kz4T7 short section with a sizable shoulder]. You can park in the shoulder and use a step ladder to peer over the fence for insane views of runway 32L/14R. This is probably the best spot to take pictures from and is frequently visited by other spotters. The airport is aware of this location being used for aviation photography so it's unlikely one would encounter any issues utilizing this location.  


==Locations to Avoid==
==Locations to Avoid==


===Midfield Air Park===


As of August 2021, this observation area no longer exists. Any mention of it has also been removed from the city website. It seems to have been converted into a construction zone of some sort and is now populated by lots of 'No Parking' signs. This was historically a very popular location and was located at the intersection of East Marginal Way and South 86th Pl.


==Regular Traffic==
==Regular Traffic==


Only two passenger airlines serve Boeing Field: Kenmore Air and Helijet. Cargo Airlines such as DHL, UPS, Airborne Express, Global, ATI, and Ameriflight operate daily cargo flights to the airfield. Military planes such as E-3's, C-17's, P-3's, and F/A-18's are commonly seen making fuel stops or getting upgraded electronics.  The Boeing Company's new 737NG's are painted, tested, and delivered from this field, and multiple NG's are seen throughout the day.
General aviation dominates the airport, but Boeing test flights are the highlight. New 737's are seen doing test flights prior to delivery at all times of the day and week. In the late afternoon, Airborne Express, ATI, DHL, and UPS cargo heavies arrive and depart. Kenmore Air Cessna Caravans can be seen departing anytime of the day taking passengers to the San Juan Islands. This airport is where most business jets come to and accounts for more than half of jet traffic to the airport.


==Facilities and Transportation==
==Facilities and Transportation==
Line 46: Line 48:
==Related Links==
==Related Links==


[http://www.plane-spotter.com/Airports/USA/BFI/SpotterGuide_BFI.pdf/ Plane-Spotter.com's BFI Spotter Guide]
[http://www.plane-spotter.com/Airports/USA/BFI/SpotterGuide_BFI.pdf Plane-Spotter.com's BFI Spotter Guide]


[http://flickr.com/groups/kbfi/ Boeing Field Aviation Photography Group]
[http://flickr.com/groups/kbfi Boeing Field Aviation Photography Group]


[http://sps.factspot.com/index.php/ Seattle PlaneSpotters Forum]
[http://sps.factspot.com/index.php Seattle PlaneSpotters Forum]

Latest revision as of 19:27, 11 August 2021

Continent: North America Country: United States Region: Washington
King County International Airport (Boeing Field)
Location Seattle, Washington
IATA code BFI
ICAO code KBFI
Airport type Public
Website http://www.metrokc.gov/airport/
Overview map Google Maps
Communications
Tower 120.6
Ground
Clearance
Approach
ATIS

King County International Airport is commonly referred to as Boeing Field.

Official Spotting Locations

There is no "official" spotting location for Boeing Field, however the Museum of Flight parking lot is the most commonly used.

Other Spotting Locations

King County Elections Office

Located at East Marginal Way and South 90th Street , this is a fantastic location to take pictures of planes from. You will need a decent sized step ladder as the area is fenced. Light is best in the afternoon and a 200mm lens as well as a wide angle lens will do just fine.

Airport Way South

Located along the side of the road on Airport Way S, one will find a short section with a sizable shoulder. You can park in the shoulder and use a step ladder to peer over the fence for insane views of runway 32L/14R. This is probably the best spot to take pictures from and is frequently visited by other spotters. The airport is aware of this location being used for aviation photography so it's unlikely one would encounter any issues utilizing this location.

Locations to Avoid

Midfield Air Park

As of August 2021, this observation area no longer exists. Any mention of it has also been removed from the city website. It seems to have been converted into a construction zone of some sort and is now populated by lots of 'No Parking' signs. This was historically a very popular location and was located at the intersection of East Marginal Way and South 86th Pl.

Regular Traffic

General aviation dominates the airport, but Boeing test flights are the highlight. New 737's are seen doing test flights prior to delivery at all times of the day and week. In the late afternoon, Airborne Express, ATI, DHL, and UPS cargo heavies arrive and depart. Kenmore Air Cessna Caravans can be seen departing anytime of the day taking passengers to the San Juan Islands. This airport is where most business jets come to and accounts for more than half of jet traffic to the airport.

Facilities and Transportation

Related Links

Plane-Spotter.com's BFI Spotter Guide

Boeing Field Aviation Photography Group

Seattle PlaneSpotters Forum