LAX Spotting Legal Issues

[a1]

Can someone tell is it still legal to go spotting right along the approach path of the aircraft? I hear that it isn't allowed anymore. :-/

[expat]

Can someone tell is it still legal to go spotting right along the approach path of the aircraft? I hear that it isn't allowed anymore. :-/

Well if the aircraft happens to fly over private land that surrounds the airport, providing you have permission (written form is always good) to be their, I can't see a problem. If it was not legal to be their then you would need a "strip" of restricted land 5 miles long and half a mile wide at both ends of every airport in your country, not really practical. As for LAX, if memory serves, you approach over houses, so does that mean that no one is allowed to take a camera in their gardens? Again not really practical.

Matt

[Fozzer]

I suppose if someone points a really expensive, long range, super-dooper, zoom camera at a passenger aircraft, it may look like a missile launcher to a Pilot, or a very worried, paranoid, security "person"... ...!

LOL... ...!

Paul...(Pssst....I've got an Exocet missile stored in the lens of my Pentax 35mm Camera!)*.... ...!

...LOL... ...!

* Edit:......Maybe?... ...!

[dcunning30]

That's correct, for about 90% of the time, aircraft arrive from inland and take off over Santa Monica Bay.

[flyboy 28]

Spotting, as it were, is not illegal. The police like to make you think it is. In reality it is not. The only real spot to spot the arrivals head-on at LAX is at the small park surrounded by West 92nd St., Lincoln, and Sepulveda Blvd. Although spotters frequent that area, it's still a good idea to have one of your parents with you in case a cop comes and tries to give you trouble. Just remember, it's not illegal.

Actually, you'd be better off going to the parking garage across from the In-n-Out and paying the four bucks to get shots from on top. Spotting head-on doesn't typically provide for the best shots.

[Fozzer]

Try this, Alex....

This one is for LAX...>>>>

http://www.lawa.org/lax/flightTracks.cfm

Click on "Airport Monitor 2"

There are quite a few of these airport radar activity monitors around......Google for them......!

Paul...  8-)...!

[dcunning30]

I stand corrected, flyboy stated Sepulveda at the northern runways.  My memory failed me in that regard.  

[legoalex2000]

its a bit of a drive, but there is a road that leads right up to rwy 8/26 at Albuquerque Sunport. the road before the runway, which leads to the 747 testbed and eclipse aviation states there is no parking along the roads (probably because Sunport has designated viewpoints). but there is a small dirt road right up to the Lead in lights (presumably to perform maintenance on said lights). i go tehre, set up my tripod and start shootin!

i'll take a picture of it sometime.

ramos

[Mushroom_Farmer]

its a bit of a drive, but there is a road that leads right up to rwy 8/26 at Albuquerque Sunport. the road before the runway, which leads to the 747 testbed and eclipse aviation states there is no parking along the roads (probably because Sunport has designated viewpoints). but there is a small dirt road right up to the Lead in lights (presumably to perform maintenance on said lights). i go tehre, set up my tripod and start shootin!

i'll take a picture of it sometime.

ramos

Yup, been there many times. The road from Manzano to the hot pads is another good spot.
At one time (20 years ago) the area north and west of the airport was a big unofficial off-road park, complete with many different tracks and a hill climb. There was also a dirt road there that could be used as a short-cut to a nearby drag strip. That area was also used for target shooting.

[legoalex2000]

its a bit of a drive, but there is a road that leads right up to rwy 8/26 at Albuquerque Sunport. the road before the runway, which leads to the 747 testbed and eclipse aviation states there is no parking along the roads (probably because Sunport has designated viewpoints). but there is a small dirt road right up to the Lead in lights (presumably to perform maintenance on said lights). i go tehre, set up my tripod and start shootin!

i'll take a picture of it sometime.

ramos

Yup, been there many times. The road from Manzano to the hot pads is another good spot.
At one time (20 years ago) the area north and west of the airport was a big unofficial off-road park, complete with many different tracks and a hill climb. There was also a dirt road there that could be used as a short-cut to a nearby drag strip. That area was also used for target shooting.

that drag strip just re-opened this year!! lol
im actually gonna visit the hangar where the V-22 Osprey's are kept sometime this week. gotta fix a couple of printers they got.

Ramos