Lately in our series of stories on the best places to plane spot, we've focused on warm weather destinations, but some of us won't be taking tropical trips this winter and maybe still want to check out a little aviation action on our home turf. So we turn to Washington DC's Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA), located in Arlington, Virginia, but still within sight of the Capitol and the Washington Monument.
DCA is a plane spotters dream; it has a park with scenic views to the city, over the water, and onto the airport right at the end of the runway. This is Gravelly Point Park, and those biking the paths or picnicking on the grass are usually all here for the same reason: a little outdoors activity on a nice day, with the additional benefit of watching the mostly domestic flights zoom a few hundred feet above them and then make a left turn to avoid restricted airspace over DC.
According to the Washington Post, there's plenty of action to be seen from Gravelly Point:
Takeoffs are louder, while landings create a false sense of drama -- the plane is coming in too low! -- that won't be lost on kids. It's a fun diversion, but parents may not want to stay too long. During airplane rush hours (corresponding roughly with the automotive equivalent, plus Sunday afternoons), as many as 30 planes an hour land or take off - one every two minutes. At slower times, the action is every eight or nine minutes.
You can reach Gravelly Point easily, since it's just off the George Washington Parkway north of the airport.
Do you know of any great plane spotting locations—at any airport? Let us know in an email or leave us a note in the comments!
