stansted airport plane spotting
BAA designed Stansted with no viewing area for the aviation enthusiast, regarded by plane spotters as one of the worst airports in the UK from a spotting and certainly from a photography point of view. Unfortunately Stansted is the prime example of the lack of facilities and understanding provided by the BAA towards enthusiasts.
There is a field at the end of runway 23 where aircraft, if using that runway will pass over you. Unfortunately no ground shots can be had from here as the runway is well set back with a hill a fence and trees in the way. Although this isn't the greatest place in the world to get pictures from, it is about the best Stansted has to offer and you will not be moved on from there.
[To get there: come off the M11 at junction and pass the terminal area, heading for Molehill Green and Elsenham. Go past Molehill Green and take a turning on your left with a black sign for Hyteck Technologies. Continue to the end of the road, then park your car. Walk in to the field for approach shots of planes using runway 23.]
With the aircraft on offer, stansted is well worth a visit a couple of times a year to catch up on anything you can't get elsewhere. The regulars are KLM, Ryanair, easyJet and a number of other UK and European budget airlines. Charter Airlines also make up a large percent of movements, with Air 2000, Britannia and Airtours all regulars.
If you are lucky you might see the twice weekly Asiana Cargo and Nippon Air Cargo B747F flights, a Malev Tu-154, and Volga-Dnepr often station a large Antonov An-124 freighter to the northwest of the main runway ready to carry outsize cargo. FedEx is a regular operator of trans-Atlantic freighter services too.
