Plane spotting at KCI?

[SWFan]

Just curious if anyone has found good places at or near KCI for plane spotting/photographing.  I'm a little concerned about areas where it is allowed vs areas that are going to get you a visit from security/police.

[Sportster]

Best spot I kow of is just north of the airport on I-29. I believe just past the Mexico City exit, on the service road to the north of the interstate.
The wind has to be from the north for this place to work. Two runways to watch here. ( 19-L & 19-R) They're a little over 500 feet up at that point. Excellent spot to sit.
If there's a beter choice, I'd say its 19-R. The touch-down point is closer to the highway.
Runway 27 is the east/west runway. If the wind is out of the west, sit at about 107th & Ambassador Drive, just down from the Hilton.

Sportster
...have fun countin rivets!!

[SWFan]

Thanks for the suggestions. I was also thinking about driving the road that goes north-south from 152 up through Tiffany Springs Park.  My office used to be a 1/4 mile southeast of 27 so there were days you'd get good shots of the planes coming in. Of course I was at work and couldn't sit around taking photos.

I think I know the area to the north you're referring to. Once we get some nicer weather I'll be sure to check it out.

[KCPowercat]

hampton and 104th street....bumps up the the kci border to the south...planes land going north a lot of the time...I used to go up there for lunch sometimes when I worked up there, cool place.

[staubio]

hampton and 104th street....bumps up the the kci border to the south...planes land going north a lot of the time...I used to go up there for lunch sometimes when I worked up there, cool place.

Seconded. This is also a very peaceful road. It was part of my old airport bike ride loop.

You don't get as close to the apron of the airport as you'd like for really good plane spotting but it is as close as you're going to get at KCI.

[supastudio]

I'm looking forward to seeing these photos.  I would like to take some photos too, but I'm the guy who gets "randomly searched" at airport security so I'm sure they don't want to see me near any runways!

[GRID]

There is quite a few places at KCI to take photos and get close.  But with three spread out runways and pretty light traffic, it can be tough to catch the planes at the right time.

They don't use the east west runway much, but there is a great place south of the American Airlines hanger to view them.

But the frontage road along 29 near Mexico City Ave and104th are good safe places.

I like to just sit in the U-turn thing between the inbound and outbound cookingham drives, but it's not as easy to do that now.

If you are seen taking photos anywhere on KCI grounds, you will get absolutely swarmed by airport police.  I have had permission to take photos up there and have really stirred up airport police.  You don't want that .

On a side note, it was always fun to watch planes take off and land in StLouis, especially when it was a hub and before they built the new runway and tunnel.  You could sit in that parking lot west of Lindbergh and one plane after another would fly right over your car, every few minutes all day long and if you were lucky, you would get a 747 international flight.  Now it’s about the same as KCI.

Brings back memories.

[Tosspot]

If you are seen taking photos anywhere on KCI grounds, you will get absolutely swarmed by airport police.  I have had permission to take photos up there and have really stirred up airport police.  You don't want that .

That makes sense since we as photographers are nothing more than criminals looking to reign terror down on the innocent through our photographs. The paranoid nanny police state is sickening.

Are you talking about being on KCI property - or just very near it and still getting harassed by their security lackeys?

[Highlander]

There is quite a few places at KCI to take photos and get close.  But with three spread out runways and pretty light traffic, it can be tough to catch the planes at the right time.

Without international flights, what's the biggest jets that fly into KCI?  Seems like most of the time, the pics would be of 737's (isn't that all SouthWest even flies) and MD-80s.  I guess some of the air freight companies may bring in an occasional 747 or larger Airbus model but the variety of passenger jets coming into KCI would seem to be pretty bland. 

 

[SWFan]

Without international flights, what's the biggest jets that fly into KCI?  Seems like most of the time, the pics would be of 737's (isn't that all SouthWest even flies) and MD-80s.   I guess some of the air freight companies may bring in an occasional 747 or larger Airbus model but the variety of passenger jets coming into KCI would seem to be pretty bland. 

 

For commercial airlines the biggest you'll see on any regular basis are Boeing 767's which is a "heavy" and rated for overseas flights.  Otherwise, yeah, most will be Southwest Airlines' 737's and AA MD-8x's.  Every so often you'll see a FedEx DC-10 or MD-11 and I have seen at least one 747-100 or 200 cargo plane up there.

[DanCa]

Without international flights, what's the biggest jets that fly into KCI?  Seems like most of the time, the pics would be of 737's (isn't that all SouthWest even flies) and MD-80s.   I guess some of the air freight companies may bring in an occasional 747 or larger Airbus model but the variety of passenger jets coming into KCI would seem to be pretty bland. 

 

United flys 757s between KCI and DIA.  Not a huge plane, but distinguishably bigger than a 737, and more spacious inside.

[im2kull]

Bump bumpity bump bump bump! Heading out for some plane spotting today! Hopefully I can catch something at this airport!

[im2kull]

Had one of the most ridiculous experiences I've ever had while plane spotting today. This airport is absolutely unbelievable. Airport PD comes out within minutes of me standing outside the fence (I made sure I hadn't passed anything marked as "Off limits"...in fact both signs saying off limits were on the fence...) off hampton rd, then they harass me and continue to shout that they'll arrest and charge me with trespassing until I pulled my car onto the street and continue sitting in the middle of the road taking pictures from there for the next 2 hours..with the Airport PD sitting inside the fence watching the whole time. I was super nice when they first came out, gave them both my ID's and even have a chat about the relevance of plane spotters in relation to airport security...and they treat me like that. Nice. Classy. No wonder nobody spots at this airport. They even gave me a KCI business card with a phone number to call and file a complaint with. Most, scratch that...EVERY airport I have ever spotted at has welcome me, and a large majority even have public areas set up just for plane spotting. Those airports realize that spotters only help them out, and are 180* opposite of KCI. Sad to say that.

[StL_Dan]

There is quite a few places at KCI to take photos and get close.  But with three spread out runways and pretty light traffic, it can be tough to catch the planes at the right time.

They don't use the east west runway much, but there is a great place south of the American Airlines hanger to view them.

But the frontage road along 29 near Mexico City Ave and104th are good safe places.

I like to just sit in the U-turn thing between the inbound and outbound cookingham drives, but it's not as easy to do that now.

If you are seen taking photos anywhere on KCI grounds, you will get absolutely swarmed by airport police.  I have had permission to take photos up there and have really stirred up airport police.  You don't want that .

On a side note, it was always fun to watch planes take off and land in StLouis, especially when it was a hub and before they built the new runway and tunnel.  You could sit in that parking lot west of Lindbergh and one plane after another would fly right over your car, every few minutes all day long and if you were lucky, you would get a 747 international flight.  Now it’s about the same as KCI.

Brings back memories.

My dad and I used to ride our bikes up to the observation lot at Lindbergh and Fee Fee Rd back in the day. Great spot to watch planes, especially landing from the west. I remember how awesomely terrifying it was when those massive DC-10s and L1011's would roar overhead. They couldn't be more than a couple hundred feet above us.