There are only 2 airports that I know of with an observation deck to allow people to watch planes landing and departing – Haneda Airport in Tokyo and Taoyuan Airport in Taipei.

Right before my trip in Taipei came to an end, I got to spend some time on the observation deck with my long lens. I found I quite enjoy watching and photographing planes landing and departing because every plane is different. I think that’s dependent on the driver. I also love photographing planes in motion because it makes the photograph that much more interesting, like this photo, is the plane landing or leaving?

I don’t know about you but this was the first time I’ve ever boarded a flight like this.

My mom and I had just gotten off of long flight from Taipei to Seattle and this Alaska flight to Salt Lake City was what separated me from home. During our 3-hour layover in Seattle, it was raining cats and dogs. I was watching the sky go from a heavy downpour to a mist and then a downpour again. I knew it will not affect the boarding of our flight because I thought we would be boarding our flight the usual way – by walking through the tube.

We got our tickets scanned and we walked through the door that led to the plane, except the moment I stepped across the threshold, I felt this chill. We were no longer inside. “Oh my goodness,” I heard my mom exclaim, “it’s like we’re boarding a bus.”

The plane that was taking us home was a jet that seats about 70 people. There was no First Class, all the seats were the same and surprisingly comfortable. I was ready to go home.

CFFC