Orlando International Airport is thinking about creating a dedicated planespotting park — and they’re asking the public what it should look like. From viewing platforms to food trucks, here’s what they’re considering.
Planespotting is a hobby for many aviation enthusiasts and, recognizing this, multiple airports around the world have areas for planespotters to be able to watch and often take photos of planes taxiing, taking off and landing. Not surprisingly, there are plenty of websites to support this hobby.
Last summer I participated in a guided behind-the-scenes tour of Orlando International Airport (MCO). We got to see and learn about multiple aspects of how MCO runs, and go to several places on airport property that typical travelers would never be able to visit. (If you’d like a play-by-play, you can read about it in this post.) We were also allowed to go out on the tarmac and do some planespotting and that, by far, seemed to be the pièce de résistance for the vast majority of the participants.
Since 2023, MCO has had some dedicated areas for plane spotting (they’re essentially on the top decks of their three parking garages), but they’re now looking at expanding the program. From MCO:
In our discussion with MCO’s social media team, they said the potential new plane spotting area is:
…a larger initiative in which we are exploring the creation of a dedicated “park” space where enthusiasts, along with their families and friends, can enjoy aircraft viewing.
MCO is reaching out to the community to better understand what they would like to see in such a location. They’ve set up a survey that anyone can answer to learn what would be most important to those who would use the planespotting area.
In addition to general demographic information, they ask which features or amenities respondents would like to see included in an aircraft observation area. Choices include
- Viewing platforms or overlooks
- Shaded seating areas
- Area where children could play
- Educational displays about aviation
- Food trucks or concessions
- Restrooms
- Picnic area
- Parking
- Walking paths or viewing trails
They also ask what would make the space more meaningful or enjoyable to respondents, any further ideas they have, and what name they would give this “park” area.
If you’d like to add your input, this is the page where MCO has set up their survey.
Our take: a planespotting park could be perfect for MCO
Although I love traveling, I admit that I’m not much of a planespotting geek. I know how to tell the difference between an Airbus and a Boeing and that’s pretty much where my talents end.
That being said, MCO is the 7th busiest airport in the country and a whole lot of families fly in and out of it, thanks to the theme parks in Central Florida. Should MCO follow through with the idea, it could become a unique attraction for aviation fans — and possibly even families looking for something different to do between theme park visits. With viewing platforms, shaded seating, and maybe even educational displays, a dedicated aircraft observation park could turn a niche hobby into something a lot more accessible for casual visitors too.
If MCO built a planespotting park, would you visit it?
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