Aircraft Viewing Areas

[lbaspotter]

Re: Official Viewing Park?

Also another problem to add to the South side of the airfield. Is that it might not have luxury of all that free space to accommodate a new viewing area for spotters soon. Well that's if the rumors are true that Jet2 & Multiflight are looking into building a new lot bigger Hangar in the near future.

So yeah i agree that LBA should look into raising the issue with Multiflight regarding the option of having adding a raised mound around the existing facility. Or go with Aviador's idea of having a spotting area over near the delta-taxiway which would give views over looking the Apron, Terminal Building, Runways & Multiflight area's. The only problem then is the long stay car park which can be expensive and busy at times, But it dose allow 1 hour's free parking to drop off and pick up.

Another option could be to redevelop the area around the Pan/Crash Gate, As there is already a access road down there off Bayton lane. So they would only have to put some tarmac down near the spare control tower and old fire tranining area and hey presto there you have your new spotters area without having to go near either the airport terminal car parks or Multiflight and it wouldn't cost to much to do..

 

[Aviador]

Re: Official Viewing Park?

Just to clarify, you wouldn't need to park in the long stay car park to use this potential spotting location near to taxiway Delta. The road leading to the area already exists running between long stay 1 and 2 so it wouldn't take significant amounts of money to make a spotting facility there.

The road running to the bottom of the picture runs between the long stay car parks and leads up to the area which could be used by spotters if the airport were to consider this location.

The area in question is between the radar and the fire training ground in the top left of this picture.

 

[White Heather]

Re: Official Viewing Park?

For decent photography its better to have the sun behind, not in front, which is where it would be if the viewing area was to the East of the runway. I suggested the area just inside the entrance to Multiflight as its close to the runway, next to the 14 touch down point, alongside where most aircraft stop and turn after a 32 landing, close to the 32 take off point, the sun is behind, and if you want you can easily walk up to the Multiflight cafe. I had in mind that it might be a joint venture between LBA and Multiflight. As for access and egress, well yes, getting out of there on to Victoria Ave would be an issue to address, but hardly insurmountable.

 

[Aviador]

Re: Official Viewing Park?

For decent photography its better to have the sun behind, not in front, which is where it would be if the viewing area was to the East of the runway.

I agree. The area I have mentioned would need to be explored before any firm commitment but the touchdown zone would be between South Westerly and Westerly from the position I am referring to so pictures should be fine from there, perhaps somebody can confirm? It would also be possible to take landing shots on runway 14 with a good lens which would be West North Westerly not forgetting the superb view of the apron North to North Westerly.

 

[Bigman]

Re: Official Viewing Park?

Some people are having a moan about the car park charges on the Southside (not those on this forum) and yet some of these people are quite prepared to go to the viewing park at Manchester... and pay an entrance fee!! Can't see the difference myself.

If you don't drive and do not want to take photos (not all of us do), then there are some nice places to sit and watch the planes. there is Yeadon Dam for starters (when it is not closed due to poisonous algae) and then there is the Old Ball pub in Horsforth which is right under the approach to 32.

I do however frequent the Square Monkey most weekends and find it a pleasant experience. We don't know how lucky we are to have this facility. I was talking to a Georgie lad over the bank holiday Monday and he said that there is now nowhere at all now to spot at Newcastle. There are no social groups at all up there now, which I think is sad.

 

[tleeds]

Re: Official Viewing Park?

I think they are able to charge at Manchester because it is an officially recognised spotting location, that has had money spent on it purposely for spotters...

I would say Multiflight is probably the most recognised by the airport, followed by the cemetary and neither of those are "officially" supported by the airport for spotters..!

Don't forget you pay to get "up close and personal" to a lot of aircraft, not at LBA; notably Concorde, the A380, Boeing 777/767 aircraft etc..

 

[Aviador]

Re: Official Viewing Park?

I see no reason why the Southside viewing area can't be expanded and developed further as a spotting location. As White Heather has already mentioned, there is plenty of room near the end of taxiway November (the old cross runway), but there are other areas which should be explored too, including the areas already mentioned.

As for comparing the Manchester facility with any potential facility at Leeds, obviously there's going to be no comparison but that doesn't mean Leeds Bradford airport can't or shouldn't offer a dedicated viewing facility.

On a recent visit to Manchester airports viewing area I noticed there were many people watching loved ones arrive and depart. There were families and friends with kids just going 'somewhere different' for a change. So if a new dedicated aviation viewing park is provided at the airport, it will be used by more than just spotters.

 

[tleeds]

Re: Official Viewing Park?

As for comparing the Manchester facility with any potential facility at Leeds, obviously there's going to be no comparison but that doesn't mean Leeds Bradford airport can't or shouldn't offer a dedicated viewing facility.

On a recent visit to Manchester airports viewing area I noticed there were many people watching loved ones arrive and depart. There were families and friends with kids just going 'somewhere different' for a change. So if a new dedicated aviation viewing park is provided at the airport, it will be used by more than just spotters.

I agree, there will be no comparison, I was suggesting that the reason Manchester charge is due to the fact there is, unfortunately, more to offer in terms of aircraft...

Multiflight was, and the cemetery still is, used by a massive variation. I know a lot of mates who just go up as something to, and it can be a very pleasant day out with 14 departures and the sun beating down! :rockon:

I do hope LBA are serious about such a thing, and it won't be one of these "projected ideas" that never comes to fruition. Lets hope such a place doesn't become a taxi-haven as well, as parking spaces are far and few between on the best of days..! (Nothing against them, as all of the ones I know are pleasant, they just take the damn spaces!!)

 

[whoshotjimmi]

Re: Official Viewing Park?

I happened to visit the Manchester Park on Sunday. I was pickin up from Manchester airport and decided to have a look - it was my first visit. I have to say, it was quite good. In it's favour was the good viewpoints, the static displays, the catering facilites, the gift shop and the playground for the kids who aren't as interested. For £3 an hour parking I thought it was reasonably good value - plenty of action. However, there were numerous flaws. Firstly, tours on the concorde and nimrod are a ridiculously expensive extra, the park only commits to having one other static display open on a sunday - why? Why aren't they all open all of the time? And, quite frankly, the vast majority of aircraft were the Ryanair, Jet2, Flybe, Easyjet mix you see at every other airport. You could argue that I was there at the wrong time of the day but I wasn't exactly blown away. The main action of the 3 hours I was there was the arrival of the PIA 773ER. But the biggest problem of all was that you are absolutely miles away from arriving and departing aircraft. The touchdown and takeoff zones are so far away it is almost pointless.

Which (you'll be happy to hear) brings me to LBA. Wherever you stand at LBA, you are closer to the action. And that needs to be a key consideration if LBA are to open up an official viewing point. It would have to be close to the real action and significantly close enough to get a good feeling of it all. It would have to have something to keep everyone entertained during the quieter periods and to make it appealing to more than just aviation enthusiasts. It would also have to be priced correctly. Like I said, £3 an hour up to a maximum of £12 was, in my opinion, good value. It is even better value if you turn up on foot or the bus as it is free. LBA does not have the amount or variety of MAN, nor will it have the static displays.

With regards to where, I think the best place to watch aircraft from is the footpath next to the golf course near where the taxiway inersects with the runway (except for the great big fence) so, in terms of a more encompassing viewing location, I believe Aviador's idea of between the radar and fire training would be best. Sure, the sun will be in front at times, but there would be far more action. Of course, the catering facilities are on the Multiflight side but I just do not think it would be as exciting. Plus, the sun is in the face the majority of the time at MAN and it doesn't seem to be too much of a problem. Access would be less of an issue and would probably be a smaller obstacle when it comes to planning consent - any development of a site that exits directly onto the A658 would almost certainly run into planning difficulties due to traffic management, whether it made a massive difference or not.

 

[White Heather]

Re: Official Viewing Park?

whoshotjimmi, the parking charge at the Manchester viewing area is not £3 an hour, its £3 an hour or part thereof. I was there 90 minutes recently and the charge was £6. Go one minute over 2 hours and its £12, which is rediculous given that their are extra charges for Concorde and Nimrod. At the time the only aircraft open for viewing was the BAe146 (or RJ70).

As for the location of a viewing park, I am sure LBA will appraise all the options and will do whatever is cheapest. I am also sure they will charge to recover their outlay and to make a profit - which at least should allay Tomleeds' fears regarding taxi drivers nicking all the parking spaces.

With regard to the position of the sun, I can assure you that once the sun gets lower in the sky it makes photography extremely difficult as the side of aircraft being photographed tends to be in shadow (so liveries don't show up too well) and if the sun is bright you just end up with a silouette. There are many who do take photos so the location of the viewing area would be important.

There is no way the airport will start installing toilet facilities, or refreshment facilities in my view, so placing the viewing area near the end of taxiway November at least puts such facilties within easy reach. We also need to bear in mind the possibility of the future construction of a parallel taxiway which will be pretty close to the area suggested by Aviador - possibly too close for the airport's liking?

Ultimately anything is better than nothing though and I suspect it will be some years yet before anything materialises. I strongly suspect that something like this would be tagged on to some other major work rather than done as a stand-alone project, as that would reduce costs considerably.

 

[Aviador]

Re: Official Viewing Park?

Are we talking about that yellow thing that we've hardly seen all year.

I know this might sound silly but the sun only rises in the East and sets in the West in very general terms. On the 21st December, the sun will rise 055° east of due south and set 055° west of due south. On the 21st March/21st September, the sun will rise 091° east of due south and set 091° west of due south. On the 21st June, the sun will rise 129° east of due south and set 129° west of due south. The idea that any part of the airfield is out of bounds so far as photography goes is wrong because it changes hour by hour, month by month.

In the position I mentioned between the radar and fire training ground it would offer the chance to take photos from various angles. The direction of the 32 touchdown zone is between South Westerly and Westerly. The direction of the Delta taxiway ranges between North North Westerly and South South Westerly. The direction of the apron would range from North Westerly to North North Easterly. The direction of the 14 touchdown zone would be North Westerly. Multiflight would be Westerly. So as you can see there would be a good selection of directions available to photographers.

As for toilet and cafe facilities, it wouldn't be any feet of engineering to use a waste storage tank if a full sewage system is too costly. A cafe combined with a museum or visitor centre (on any scale) would help draw in people during the quieter times. A children's play area would help entertain the little ones and keep the spotter widows happy.

 

[White Heather]

Re: Official Viewing Park?

There is no answer to that Aviador!

I still think that the area you suggest might be a little too close to the area where a parallel taxiway runs, which could be a problem. On the other hand, as per my previous point, if the taxiway is not an obstacle, it would be very easy to build the viewing area where you suggest at the same time as the taxiway is built - whenever that might be.

I must admit that where you suggest would offer a whole new perspective of the airport, although speaking as someone who only ever seems to see aircraft silhouettes from where I live (with noticeably better viewing of aircraft from the Horsforth side of the 32 approach) I remain unconvinced with regard to sun position, although I do admit that having the sun in the lens is less of a problem than it used to be given how rarely we see it. I guess that it would offer an opportunity to experiment with camera filters - that could result in some quite interesting photos!

Anyway, I am not going to get excited at the thought of a viewing area. I might do when they start building one!

 

[masere]

Re: Official Viewing Park?

My suggestion would be for the council to completely cut the bushes and weeds at the cemetery, and add some benches, or concrete blocks such as the one near the tunnel, and some litter bins. They could also move the front cemetery wall and gates back a few feet, tarmac over the new bigger space, and paint some parking spaces, like what's been done at Surprise View car park.

This gives enough space whether you're in a car or not, and surely could be done for no more than a few thousand pound.

If I win the lottery I'll gladly pay for it all myself!

 

[Bigman]

Re: Official Viewing Park?

I am surprised that no-one has mooted the idea of utilising the field on Warren House Lane, between Victoria Avenue and the drainage beds. There is already an access gate off Warren House Lane, and part of the field could be banked up level with the runway. This would give a good view across to the Multiflight apron as well as brilliant take off and landing views and photo opportunities. So, good for access and ample space for parking. I am sure that they could get a little cafe-shack type thing going and some portaloos plumbed in. I reckon that a bus stop there is well overdue in any case given the offices over the road.

 

[Aviador]

Re: Official Viewing Park?

I'd probably go along with Lbaspotter's choice down near the pan but in reality this is probably going to be the least likely place the airport would consider because of access problems there. Warren House Lane would be my third choice so far as a plausible location go. It's too low and raised ground would only make it level with the runway at best. An expanded Multiflight option would be my second choice. Your view of the main runway touchdown zone is restricted so you can't see aircraft landing on runway 32 unless they relocate the fence. The area between the fire ground and radar is my first choice. This location would offer panoramic views of the airfield. It would require minimal work to gravel a road from existing roads within the airport boundary. The area is just outside the area reserved for a future parallel taxiway and it would be outside any ILS critical areas. Perhaps the airport might come up with another idea none of us have thought of yet who knows? On another note, if the airport decides to fast track plans for a parallel taxiway, they could use the same access route to build it.

 

[Seasider]

Re: Official Viewing Park?

Aren't we getting a little carried away, the airport said that they would consider a viewing area. Having said that, it has been interesting reading peoples ideas. I go along with aviador as I always used to go the corner near the old 01/19 runway (Wellies on feet) before they put the big fence up.

 

[Aviador]

Re: Official Viewing Park?

It's just a bit of fun seasider, plus there's no harm in planting a few seeds for thought....? ? ?

 

[Aviador]

Re: Airport West Development

Hawthorne Farm opens tomorrow (Monday). I'm pretty sure this place will become the new aircraft spotters haunt. The pub has 4 hours free parking and views towards the main runway.

 

[Aviador]

Re: Airport West Development

Hawthorne Farm Pub

Location: Warren House Lane
Parking: FREE for up to 4 hours for people using facilities
Disabled access: YES
Views of aircraft: YES
Post code for Sat Nav: LS19 7FT

I visited Hawthorne Farm today to test the new facility out and to see what the views of Leeds Bradford airport are like. Although it doesn't provide the greatest view of the airport and airfield, being able to sit outside overlooking the airfield watching the aircraft with a pint in your hand makes up for that.

To be honest the view from inside the Multiflight cafe isn't any better and at least you don't have to pay for parking at Hawthorne Farm.

Overall it's not a bad place and the food and beverage prices are reasonable too.

View media item 3446
Here's one photo I took using my mobile phone. Obviously with a DSLR camera you could achieve much better.

Today the runway in use was 32. You can see aircraft approaching the airfield but they disappear behind the terminal before they touchdown. The aircraft come back into sight as they cross the tunnel flyover. They remain visible throughout the backtrack and turning using the holding loop. This location will offer good views of aircraft landing on runway 14 with much of the approach visible, the only downside is you cannot see the runway pavement. Some interesting photos will be achievable such as aircraft passing over the flyover and on the approach.

 

[Aviador]

Not wanting to distract too much from the overall content of the airports latest masterplan I'm posting this here.

Previous discussions in this thread have indicated the airport is considering building some kind of aircraft viewing area. As there isn't any mention of such viewing facility in the airports updated masterplan, have we to assume the airport has decided against having one?