CometTotally disagree with some points there Comet, while I have never been to BHX, MAN looks far better. Whats horrid about the walk from the cargo centre to the AVP? I really dont get that at all…. Ive done it twice now and found it fine. The car park might have wire fences but you cant expect them to just have it open at the top can you ? The cafe is also excellent, as is the pub. I really cant see what makes BHX better than MAN, the Aviation experience might be good but you are a long way from the action and their looks to be several buildings in the way. The outside spot looks very good, but BHX isnt as busy traffic wise as MAN anyway.
For women on their own the walk to the AVP is bad, we followed the signs and ended up walking along a very overgrown path, not really ideal 😡 And the terrace at BHX is great, having done both MAN and BHX this year, I know which I prefer.
CometThanks for comments. 😀
I had orange juice as well as the water, no tropical juice this time, just when I would have liked some. And I missed the beer because I had some earlier (Primus on the Grand Place) and I had been on a beer shopping trip to get my favourite types which I cannot get at home.
Brussels is a great place – it has all the associations with things I like – great eating, good beer, some beautiful buildings to photograph. And I always loved flying on Sabena (though VLM are great too 😀 ) Good to see SNBA continuing the SN tradition 😀
CometThanks for the comments.
I am very sorry about the video, it’s bloody Tripod again 😡 😡 I don’t know why they give you the option of putting video on your site then they remove your site when people try and download the video to watch it 😡 😡 😡
I will try and get the video problem sorted somehow.
CometComet, I would like to correct you on some of that. The top of the car park has a few big holes in the fence so you can take photos. At the viewing park the bus stops inside the viewing park. There is also an inside viewing area at T3 where you can also have something to eat or drink. Also there is an airport beer garden where you can stay inside or go out and have a drink. The viewing park allows brilliant photos to be taken as many people have shown on here, sounds to me Comet that you havnt been to MAN for a while.
I went to MAN in June for a day spotting, and we asked about buses to the viewing park. We were told that we would have to get off at the cargo centre and walk to the park. Not good because it is such a horrid walk. As for holes in the fence of the car park, that is no good if you are videoing an aircraft leaving for departure because you need to move to follow the plane, and not just stick to one spot. I had that problem following a 737 once, I had to keep adjusting focus to blur out those damned wire mesh bits
😡 I find the best place at MAN is the cafe area, that is where I spotted before our flight in September.
BHX has the great Aviation Experience, that is better than anything at MAN, and the enthusiast shop at BHX is a proper shop and not just a wooden shack. You don’t need a car to spot at BHX like you do at some airports.
My vote would go to BHX every time, for UK places, and BRU for the continent.
CometComet, I would like to correct you on some of that. The top of the car park has a few big holes in the fence so you can take photos. At the viewing park the bus stops inside the viewing park. There is also an inside viewing area at T3 where you can also have something to eat or drink. Also there is an airport beer garden where you can stay inside or go out and have a drink. The viewing park allows brilliant photos to be taken as many people have shown on here, sounds to me Comet that you havnt been to MAN for a while.
I went to MAN in June for a day spotting, and we asked about buses to the viewing park. We were told that we would have to get off at the cargo centre and walk to the park. Not good because it is such a horrid walk. As for holes in the fence of the car park, that is no good if you are videoing an aircraft leaving for departure because you need to move to follow the plane, and not just stick to one spot. I had that problem following a 737 once, I had to keep adjusting focus to blur out those damned wire mesh bits
😡 I find the best place at MAN is the cafe area, that is where I spotted before our flight in September.
BHX has the great Aviation Experience, that is better than anything at MAN, and the enthusiast shop at BHX is a proper shop and not just a wooden shack. You don’t need a car to spot at BHX like you do at some airports.
My vote would go to BHX every time, for UK places, and BRU for the continent.
CometBHX is far, far, far better than MAN. The “facilities” at MAN include the top of the car park, surrounded by wire mesh which obstructs photography, or that outdoor viewing park which you can only reach if you have a car (the bus stops near the cargo centre then you have a horrid walk to the viewing park). If MAN wants to be seen as good to spotters they should get off their bums anbd provide a bus to the viewing park which runs daily, and they should provide an indoor viewing area. BHX, on the other hand, has the superb Aviation Experience. Better than anything at MAN I’m afraid. I would rather fly from BHX any day than MAN.
BRU is good for viewing in the Kortenberg area, but police can be “iffy”, though they will just move you to a different place and let you continue spotting.
CometBHX is far, far, far better than MAN. The “facilities” at MAN include the top of the car park, surrounded by wire mesh which obstructs photography, or that outdoor viewing park which you can only reach if you have a car (the bus stops near the cargo centre then you have a horrid walk to the viewing park). If MAN wants to be seen as good to spotters they should get off their bums anbd provide a bus to the viewing park which runs daily, and they should provide an indoor viewing area. BHX, on the other hand, has the superb Aviation Experience. Better than anything at MAN I’m afraid. I would rather fly from BHX any day than MAN.
BRU is good for viewing in the Kortenberg area, but police can be “iffy”, though they will just move you to a different place and let you continue spotting.
Comet1. Touch down in Brussels
2. United Boeing 767.
3. United 767.
4. JAT, Turkish Airlines and bmi at the terminal in Brussels
CometThanks for comments and great to get the ID on the CRJ, that’s my first Eurowings aircraft.
The photos were taken from Aviation Experience, but as I said, conditions were so bad that I had to switch my camera to night mode, and I could not get the shots I wanted. I did not have my camera in “liveview” (with the screen used as a viewfinder) because I needed to conserve battery power to make a video with it the day after (BHX shops did not stock the correct batteries for my camera so I was unable to top up). The digital zoom of my camera, which is quite strong, will only work in liveview, and as my camera is a replacement for one which broke down, I did not want to do something which the manual says you should not use too much. It is a very new camera and I am still learning with it. I know what you can get from the Aviation Experience, I was there in March with better weather and a camera I had more experience with.
We were lucky with our Virgin train, it left York on time, we managed to get seats and it was not too late arriving at BHX. I have read real horror storiews about Virgin Trains though 🙁
CometThanks for comments and great to get the ID on the CRJ, that’s my first Eurowings aircraft.
The photos were taken from Aviation Experience, but as I said, conditions were so bad that I had to switch my camera to night mode, and I could not get the shots I wanted. I did not have my camera in “liveview” (with the screen used as a viewfinder) because I needed to conserve battery power to make a video with it the day after (BHX shops did not stock the correct batteries for my camera so I was unable to top up). The digital zoom of my camera, which is quite strong, will only work in liveview, and as my camera is a replacement for one which broke down, I did not want to do something which the manual says you should not use too much. It is a very new camera and I am still learning with it. I know what you can get from the Aviation Experience, I was there in March with better weather and a camera I had more experience with.
We were lucky with our Virgin train, it left York on time, we managed to get seats and it was not too late arriving at BHX. I have read real horror storiews about Virgin Trains though 🙁
Comet1. Regional jets around the Eurohub.
2. Regional jets.
3. Smaller aircraft.
4. The highlight of the day, as always. Here I had switched to night mode on my camera because the light was so bad.
5. Thomas Cook and MyTravel.
6. Thomson 757 approaches.
7. Unknown CRJ.
Comet1. Regional jets around the Eurohub.
2. Regional jets.
3. Smaller aircraft.
4. The highlight of the day, as always. Here I had switched to night mode on my camera because the light was so bad.
5. Thomas Cook and MyTravel.
6. Thomson 757 approaches.
7. Unknown CRJ.
Comet1. Emirates Boeing 777. Believed to be A6-EML.
2. And again.
3. Emirates getting ready to leave.
4. Emirates 777 taxies away.
5. An ERJ145 with a World Tail passes by.
6. Back view of First Choice 757.
7. First Choice taxying.
8. KLM Fokker jet.
9. KLM Fokker arrives at terminal.
10. MyTravel being towed.
Comet1. Emirates Boeing 777. Believed to be A6-EML.
2. And again.
3. Emirates getting ready to leave.
4. Emirates 777 taxies away.
5. An ERJ145 with a World Tail passes by.
6. Back view of First Choice 757.
7. First Choice taxying.
8. KLM Fokker jet.
9. KLM Fokker arrives at terminal.
10. MyTravel being towed.
CometTo do Brussels easily in one day by a Belgian airline, you need to set off early in the morning and be able to return in the evening. The first flight from MAN with SNBA lands in BRU nearly 1pm, which is no good. I think NCL and BRS have similar times. LCY has a great range of times to BRU and ANR with VLM. With SNBA from BHX I can leave at 08:50 and be in BRU before 11am. That is impossible from MAN. BHX has the best range of services by a Belgian airline, with the exception of LCY. And BHX has that nice Aviation Experience, MAN has nothing to compare with that because MAN’s facilities for spotters are all outside, so it is a fair weather place. The only thing lacking at BHX is somewhere to get something good to eat. I am not braving the all day breakfast in the Village Grill again.
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