Aviation Photojournal March-April 2015 | Page 47

Lax STATS

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It's no surprise then that LAX is an aviation photographer's dream come true. Not only is it located in a region where the weather is more than happy to cooperate on most days, LAX also hosts some perfect spots for viewing the wide variety of traffic that flows in and out of the airport on a daily basis.

It's almost a given that on any given day, you will see the latest and greatest that commercial aviation has to offer...from the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to the massive Airbus A380.

When LA's smog (also referred to as the more benign 'marine layer'), clears around midday, there are several locations around the airport that offer spectacular viewing opportunities of LAX's operations. One spot, known as Imperial Hill, offers a panoramic view of the entire airport. In a unique layout, LAX has 4 runways that run parallel to each other, both running roughly east-west. From the elevated vantage point of Imperial Hill which is located at the midpoint of the south side of the airport, one can see the length of runways 25 right and left. This spot is never hard to find, there are always photographers and onlookers milling around taking in the sights.

A second popular viewing area is directly across from another LA icon, In N' Out Burger. While most visitors are deciding whether to get their fries 'animal style' or not, one can almost always find a small crowd in the park across from the famous burger restaurant enjoying being directly under the approach for runways 24 left and right. Many of the 'heavy' arrivals arrive on these runways and the sights and sounds are unparalleled. Of course, come lunchtime, the proximity to In N' Out certainly doesn't hurt.

70,622,212

Passengers in 2014

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3rd

Busiest airport in the world

by aircraft movements

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156

Domestic and international destinations served

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2,000,000

Tons of cargo handled in 2014

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