Hi Guys,
Sorry, normally hang out on Historics, but I am doing a return flight from Gatwick to Leeds Bradford and back for a meeting on Friday, and I may need to kill and hour or two at Leeds Bradford Friday afternoon whilst waiting for the Flybe BE356 back to Gatwick.
Never been to LBA before – is there anywhere near to the terminal where I can spend an hour taking photos etc. I.e. is it worth me sticking a camera (either my DSLR and 400mm lens, or Fuji super-zoom) in my cabin baggage?
Advice from any LBA regulars much appreciated!
Paul F
By: Paul F - 25th May 2010 at 10:28
Thanks for the tips PMN
Hi Paul,
Thanks for the info – at least your excellent maps should stop me getting lost in the badlands of the wild and wooly North 😀 Excellent photos too (as usual), not sure mine will be anything like as good.
Looks like it’s worth me throwing a camera in my bag then – though I’ll feel a bit out of place taking photos wearing a suit and tie rather than jeans and a jacket :o. Likewise, a ‘southern softie’ wandering round the tarn in suit might earn me some very strange looks too?
As regards the lens, fortunately (?) its the Canon 70 – 300mm IS, so on my 350D its effectively 105-450mm. I can see why a prime 400mm would be a little too long there! However, I may just stick with my old Fuji S5000 superzoom as its so much more “portable” on business trips, and quality is adequate. Not sure how it’d look if I turn up to a second job interview toting the full DSLR kit….
Thanks again Paul, info very much appreciated.
Paul F
By: steve rowell - 25th May 2010 at 03:45
Very nice shots there Paul..5000 posts..you’ve got to do something with your life
By: PMN - 24th May 2010 at 16:39
Hi Paul,
There are two very good spots very close to the terminal, and the runway in use dictates which is generally the best to use. The nearest spot if 32 is in use (which it predominantly is) is commonly referred to as ‘The Bench’, and is easily reached with a gentle 10 minute stroll from the terminal.
This is a good spot with excellent views of departures and OK views of arrivals. A few examples of the kind of angle you to get from here:
If you get a bit peckish and fancy food, if you continue past the bench and walk 5 minutes further down the road there are two excellent fish and chip shops at the crossroads and a pub that does food.
If 14’s in use then a slightly longer walk gets you to Yeadon Cemetery. This spot is raised slightly above the runway and offers pretty much perfect views of arrivals and departures. Here’s how to get to it:
You can see Yeadon Tarn in the lower left corner, which is a very pleasant small lake that’s worth a walk round if you get bored of planes. A few examples from the Cemetery:
Just one thing… Is your lens a 400mm zoom or prime? If it’s a prime then it will be next to useless at these two spots because you’re pretty close to the aircraft!
Hope that’s of some use, and feel free to drop me a PM if you need any further advice. 🙂
Paul
P.S. Post No.5000! How sad am I?! 😀
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May 24, 2010 at 3:37 pm