Manchester spotting

Antonov22 · Post by **Antonov22** » 13 Dec 2005, 12:26

My dad and me are planning a trip of 2 days to Manchester.
My question is: Where is the best spot to stand?
Which Wide-bodies are coming to Man?
Thanks in Advance

rgds,
Peter

Russian Planes Are The Best.

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 13 Dec 2005, 12:47

If you like something which is akin to a theme park, full of badly behaved schoolkids and people who pick kids up and block your view when you are just about to video an aircraft taking off, then the Aviation Viewing Park is for you. But be warned, although the views are good, people there are not always serious spotters, they are there just for the outing and don't give a sh*t about spoiling your enjoyment of watching the planes. And is is a place where schoolkids visit, and British schoolkids are rarely well behaved.

There is a viewing arae on level 13 of the car park. This is OK if you like your view spoiled by wire mesh all around the viewing area ( a nightmare for people taking photos or video).

Then there is the upstairs cafe area in T1, the views here are very good of passing heavies and parked smaller aircraft. Also you get a superb view of Jet2 corner.

Wide bodies - 767 of Zoom, 744 of SQ, 777 of EK, PIA, sometimes CO, 767 of BA and AA, 744 of CX and MH, 747 of VS, Dragonair Cargo 747, China Cargo 747, Air Atlanta Cargo 747, A330 of TCX, MYT, MON, US. 767 of DL.

Antonov22 · Post by **Antonov22** » 13 Dec 2005, 13:03

Thanks for the info.

rgds,
Peter

Russian Planes Are The Best

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 30 Dec 2005, 19:48

And I forgot in my earlier post - if you are very lucky, the ultimate wide body in MAN is a Boeing 747SP of Syrian which comes in some mornings but is often replaced by an A320. I bagged this beauty back in June and it was the highlight of my trip.

And here is the full list of photos I took in MAN that day: https://www.aviation24.be/postt11655.html

ILS25L · Post by **ILS25L** » 30 Dec 2005, 20:05

Goodevening,
Everybody talks about those 2 vantage points at Manchester airport but I remeber my visit to MAN for the Champions League final in 2004 and instead of photographing into the sun for a big part of the day, we went to the opposite side (entrance near The Moat House) of the airport and where not as packed as the Viewing Park-spectators.
Later that day we went to the other side of the airport but preferred staying on the carpark or inside the terminal.
Greetz, Karl

LN-KGL · Post by **LN-KGL** » 08 Jan 2006, 20:45

I've made aviation photography guide for Manchester International Airport, and you will find it here:
http://www.plane-spotter.com/Airports/UK/MAN/index.htm
At this page there is also links to a number trip reports to MAN the last couple years.

There is also a one page spotter guide to be printed out and take with you to the airport. It contains radio frequencies, a brief description of the spots and a map showing where you find the spots. It is here:
http://www.plane-spotter.com/Airports/U ... de_MAN.pdf

And Comet, I also bagged the Syrian 747SP - on 5 September 2004

E-R-I-C · Post by **E-R-I-C** » 08 Jan 2006, 21:27

Hey,

I go 28, 29, 30 July with Jet2 from AMS.

Check this site for good info.

http://www.ringwayreports.co.uk/ringway.htm

Eric

Antonov22 · Post by **Antonov22** » 10 Jan 2006, 16:45

E-R-I-C wrote:Hey,

I go 28, 29, 30 July with Jet2 from AMS.

Check this site for good info.

http://www.ringwayreports.co.uk/ringway.htm

Eric

Eric, thanks for the good site. Maybe we will see eachother( I think that it's a little chance )

rgds,
Peter

___________
Russian Planes Are The Best

Philh · Post by **Philh** » 21 Jan 2006, 01:52

Hi

Just saw this thread whilst browsing so thought I would join the group and hopefully offer some help!

I live in Leeds, only 45 mins from Manchester so visit quite a lot.

One of the things you need to b$e aware of is the runways change from the North to the South runway at approx 12pm and 3pm, as you will suddenly find yourself without only half the action of the previous hours!

If you follow the map from the above posted link

http://www.plane-spotter.com/Airports/UK/MAN/index.htm

then you should start at point G or H if arriving before 12pm as this is the runway in use for departures until this time. If after 12pm head to point E as you will have all aircraft directly in front of you ready for departure as well as all landing, which makes for some good tyre smoke shots from the back.

At 3pm head to back to either point G or H as all aircraft now depart from here again . Point G is good for stationery, ready to depart aircraft, H is good for capturing the actual point of take off. There are NO facilities at any of these points so take your own picnic!

If you just want aircraft arriving overhead then just stay at point E all day!

Point D you will need a big zoom to get any decent landing shots although overhead will work fine.

Point A is viewing park, with burgers, toilets, shop, some static (including a Trident and Concorde)

J and I take some walking to as you have to go under a tunnel under the runway somewhere near point G and his is only good for directly overhead departing aircraft between 12pm and 3pm.

My personal favourite is E, but take some waterproof footwear that can get muddy!

Feel free to email me if you want to see some example of pics from the locations above or if you want any more info, as I know it can be tricky finding the best areas at a new airport!

Sorry for the length of my first post!

Regards

Phil[/img]

LN-KGL · Post by **LN-KGL** » 22 Jan 2006, 01:37

The MAN spotter guide was updated two days ago - Approach frequency was changed on 19 January to 135.000
http://www.nats.co.uk/operational/pibs/pib1.shtml

Philh, I agree with you that the Moss Lane spot (E) is perfect for arriving aircraft on 24R - a lot better than the back garden of the Airport Hotel (D). At Moss Lane you have the sun coming in from behind most of the day, but search for high ground east of the gate abeam the Airport Hotel.

My favorite spot is still spot H (Woodend Lane) since you can get belly shots of aircraft taking off with the tower in the background - like this:

I've used my beloved 100-400mm lens for almost all photos taken at MAN since September 2004 except for those at Moss Lane. With my Canon 10D I am to close to the arriving aircraft and had to use the smaller 28-135mm. At my next visit in May I don't need to bother with the 1.6x anymore since my new 5D has a full size CMOS

Philh · Post by **Philh** » 22 Jan 2006, 14:16

Only thing I find I dont like about point H is a lot of shots tend to be backlit in the summer due to the positioning of the sun, but yes, it is a great spot if the weather is good.

As regards point E you are right, you have to go onto the mound, which means climbing over a gate.

For those that dont know how to find point E, just go down Moss Lane, park just before where the road goes into an 'S' bend, climb over the sty, follow the field round and you will see the gate ahead of you. Climb over this and you are right at the runway end, but for the larger aircraft you will need a lens of 75mm or less as you really are that close!

You will get security or police coming to check on you but they disappear fairly quickly once they see the cameras.

Philh · Post by **Philh** » 22 Jan 2006, 14:17

By the way Kurt, great site of yours. First time I have seen it but I will be using it in future!