Story and photos by Scott Jankowski
The calendar indicated it was June 11th, 2023, but the weather on this day made it feel more like an October or November day. It was a raw and windy day with a strong Northeast wind, temps in the 50’s, and intermittent rain showers, but that did not stop our decision to spot down at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. O’Hare was in East flow due to the wind direction with arrivals primarily on Runways 10 Center and 10 Right due to the low visibilities. As a result of the lower visibility at times, quite a few of the arrivals on Runway 10 Right used Taxiway Zulu to reach the terminal. This taxiway runs directly in front of the primary spot we use on this side of the field.
Once the visibility improved, we made the decision to move to a new spotting location that is directly between Runways 10 Left and 9 Right and is directly above the Central Deicing Pad. This new location provides a different vantage point than our usual location with much better views of aircraft back taxiing to the terminal on Taxiway Papa that will turn at either the Delta Delta or the Charlie Charlie intersection. This vantage point also provides a much closer view of departing aircraft that would need the full length of Runway 10 Left. This location also gives you a close-up view of taxing or towed aircraft that use Taxiway Zulu to reach the hanger area or Northeast Cargo. On days with much better weather and visibility City of Chicago Skyline will provide a fantastic backdrop for photos.
Despite the weather conditions it turned out to be a great day of spotting with plenty of special color schemes and airlines I have not photographed prior to this day. Those included the Denver Air Connection EMB-145, Icelandair Cargo 767-300F, and the Atlas Air 747-8F with the Kuehne & Nagel titles. You should not give up a potential day of spotting due to the weather conditions as they will sometimes give you opportunities that you normally do not get in good weather. Until next time, “Blue Skies To All!”
