One of the best plane spotting locations in the world – Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) airport

May 22nd and I was back in my home town of Arlington, Texas, host to the next NFL Superbowl. Sure enough I was soon at DFW airport, home to one of the best spotting locations in world — Founder’s Plaza at the Dallas-Fort Worth International airport.

Built by the airport operators, in cooperation and with funding from all the airlines, civic bodies, and friends of the airport, the history of Founder’s Plaza is worth reading.



View DFW Founder’s Plaza in a larger map


From a spotters perspective it is pure heaven.

The plaza is a 10,000+ sq. ft. facility with many amenities.

Canopies and benches for families to sit and observe the planes arriving and departing on the western two runways.

Chilled water fountains to give you thirst relief.

Binoculars for close-up views.

And best of all — a very cooperative and understanding law enforcement who patrol the plaza but do not disturb anyone, unless they are making a fool of themselves or in to some mischief.

The plaza is built on a flattened hillock which is ABOVE the fence line for un-obstructed views and photographs. Do observe how the hillock is levelled down and a boundary is provided before the fence to prevent any unauthorised access.

The plaza even has a live feed of the DFW air traffic control tower radio transmissions so visitors can hear while they watch.

With each passing day and with each visitor, the plaza helps the airport strengthen and deepen its relations not just with the business community, but with individual community members.

The plaza is located on Texan Trail just off North Airfield Drive. It can also be accessed from Hwy 114 or Hwy 121. Refer to the map.

The Aviation Photographers of India has received a very high degree of cooperation from the operators of the Bengaluru International Airport, who have erected the first even plane spotter platform in

India. I do hope the new airport owners especially Mr. Sanjay Reddy read this article and during the next phase of expansion, consider making a similar plaza at Bangalore. It will be the pride of Indian spotting.

Pictures are copyright of Bangalore Aviation and all rights are reserved. Click on the images for large view.

About Devesh Agarwal

A electronics and automotive product management, marketing and branding expert, he was awarded a silver medal at the Lockheed Martin innovation competition 2010. He is ranked 6th on Mashable's list of aviation pros on Twitter and in addition to Bangalore Aviation, he has contributed to leading publications like Aviation Week, Conde Nast Traveller India, The Economic Times, and The Mint (a Wall Street Journal content partner). He remains a frequent flier and shares the good, the bad, and the ugly about the Indian aviation industry without fear or favour.

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