SFO - KSFO

[EIDW Spotter]

All,

I am off on vacation to SFO via EWR from DUB flying all the way with Continential Airlines. I was wondering if anyone had information on the following?

What is the spoting like @ EWR as I will be flying in to and departing from Terminal C

What is the spoting like in SFO, can you take photos from inside the terminal? Is there any dedicated spotting areas?

MTIA

Mick

[av8boy]

Terminal 2 would have been the vantage-point of choice for spotting, but alas, I don't think you're going to get in there... closed for renovation (although I haven't tried to get in there lately, so I could be wrong). Next best gates in the airport would probably be 20 to 36 in Terminal 1. You should be able to see the approach ends of the both the 28s (arrivals, generally, plus larger departures) and the 1s (departures), as well as the intersections midfield (although Terminal 2 may well block your view of part of the intersection of 1L with the 28s).

Bad news is that, unless you're coming or going through Terminal 1, you're probably not going to be able to get through security and out to the end of the concourse. This is to say, you'll need a ticket on a flight being served by Terminal 1 if you want to go out there. I believe Continental is served by Terminal 1, but I can't say for sure that your flight is going to be at one of those gates. If you somehow end up coming or going through the International Terminal, you're going to be sadly dissapointed with the view of the runways.

I've never had a problem taking photos from the terminals. This isn't to say that you won't be wrestled into submission the first time you bring out your camera. I'm only saying that I've spent a lot of time in this airport and I've never seen anyone have a problem taking pictures out the windows. Still, you'll want to have your hat in your hand (if you know what I mean) and adopt your best, humble, "I just love airplanes and I know a lot about them" routine. It might not be a bad idea to head this issue off either... once you get in the area from which you'd like to take pictures, look for a San Francisco PD officer making security rounds (not the people at the checkpoint, but rather, a cop actually around the gates). Introduce yourself and explain what you'd like to do. Offer to produce ID. Make eye contact. Exhibit your camera. When you take your camera out of your bag, do it slowly enough so that the officer can get a quick look inside the bag... you've got nothing to hide. Ask for suggestions. Make it clear that you don't want to alarm anyone--law enforcement, staff, or other passengers. See, you want to make clear that you're trying to strike a balance: although you know that people taking pictures of the airfield can cause some angst among everyone in the terminal, you also recognize that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to capture some SFO scenes. I think you get my drift here. Finally, if you're departing out of SFO, you might want to make one stop before you head for your gate. The SFPD office is at the end of the Terminal 1 baggage claim area on the lower level (if you're standing with your back to the street, the SFPD office is all the way to your left). You may want to stop in there and give your little talk about taking photos before you get out to the gates. If they say, "no problem," get the name of the person you talked to and be on your way. You'll want to name names when an officer in the gate area asks you what you're doing. Just keep in mind that the SFPD are generally friendly folk. The ones working the curb are dealing with idiots, and so aren't very talkative, but once you get inside you should have a pretty good experience.

I don't think you're going to find any dedicated "observation" areas at SFO. If you're staying inside the terminal, you're pretty much stuck with what I've described. However, if you're going to be out and about, I have a couple of other suggestions. There's a new hotel south of the airport right on the Bay. I don't recall the name, offhand, but I think it is right between El Torito and Benihana's on Bayshore. No, it's not the Marriott... it' s another half-mile or so south of that. There's a great place to sit or stand and free parking. At that spot, you're just about even with the approach lights for the 28s, and a little less than a mile off the left side of the centerline for the left. Not as close as you'd like, but not bad either. You can see the departures off all the runways from there as well, and you can stay there as long as you like. Also, from that spot, you'll see stuff going in to Oakland across the Bay (although OAK is a dozen or so miles away, so it isn't THAT impressive), and higher aircraft inbound to SFO headed southeast over the 28 finals. It really is a beautiful spot (but keep in mind you're still going to be almost a mile off the left wing of the inbounds as they get to the lights).

Another suggestion would be to find a parking structure you like on the airport and go to the top.

Finally, for the noise-lover, there's long-term parking at the departure end of the 28s. There are not a lot of departures off the 28s, but the ones that DO use those runways are usually pretty heavy long-haul types. So, if you have a hankering for a 74 working hard to climb on its way to Europe, for instance, that lot is hard to beat. I've been getting in my car there when a departure set off a whole lot of car alarms in the lot! If you want to get to the lot, there's a free bus. However, I'd use some caution, as people might think you're there to steal cars...

Lastly (not really spotting though), you may want to check out the museum in the airport. It's an 11,500 square foot facility modeled on the Passenger Waiting Room of the 1937 San Francisco Airport Administration Building. It's free and open to the public. Ask official-looking people for directions once you get into the airport. There's also an aviation library, but you need an appointment to get in there.

Dave

[HAMMY]

Try this site for SFO info.last updated a while ago but the info on the park at Millbrae is still correct.


http://www.fly.to/gga

[Xfr8dog]

If you're arriving at SFO from EWR you will be in Terminal 1. CO uses gates something like 32-36.

From there you'll have a view of the runways as well as planes taxiing into the east side of the international terminal.

[EIDW Spotter]

All,

Thanks for the information regarding SFO