Introduction
The photo below was taken by John Spencer in March 2006 and is about as good as it gets from your average airliner window covered in grime. You are facing south, so the view is upside down compared with the maps at the end of this page.

I'm often asked where we take our photographs from at Gatwick. Hopefully this is the last time ever I have to explain it all! You will find old photos on this website taken from other vantage points - but they are no longer accessible. Please let me know if you use any other places available to the public which I can include here, or if you need further guidance. And of course, when you've taken your photos please send them to us! If you're a bit hazy as to how to get to Gatwick in the first place, MapQuest will give you full driving directions from your address. The airport has its own busy railway station and coaches and buses come from all over.

Some notes on security: the local police are completely aware of our hobby and reasonably happy to have us around, acting as unpaid observers who will report anything fishy going on. As you'd expect, they can't condone trespassing or damaging fences, trees etc, or parking where you're not allowed to park. Be open and visible and friendly and you have nothing to fear. BAA and other security guards can be more bristly, if you're on their territory, as opposed to public land. They often don't have the same negotiation skills as trained bobbies.

All photos accessible from the buttons on this page are copyright Michael Hooker unless stated otherwise. Click the little blue triangles to get back to the top of the page.

Generally speaking anything around North Terminal, the remote stands or the executive stands needed a very good telephoto lens, some very clear air and a very steady hand. So you were left with a long finger running West from the south end of the gallery (Pier 2), and the satellite (Pier 3) to the north-west of the gallery. Aircraft at the far end of the finger or using the stands on its south side were difficult to get. Next consider the sun - not seen that often, but when it's there it's in the wrong place. The gallery faced west, so generally shots of aircraft using the north side of the main finger were OK until early/mid-afternoon and aircraft around the satellite were OK for a bit longer, if you could stand the background clutter.

Until 2003, you could get anything on the runway, or taxying to/from the runway (westbound departure), by facing south-west. Even so, it was very difficult to get an uncluttered shot. You could be OK with a good lens-hood to stop flare if the sun was high but you couldn't expect a brilliant picture in those conditions. The runway holds map, the stands map and the photos you can see by clicking the buttons below should make this a lot clearer. All were taken on 6 September 2002, with a 35-200 Minolta Dimage 7 digital camera in fairly murky weather. Shots of individual aircraft were cropped from telephoto settings, but the general views are as they were taken with the lens set on about 50mm. However, see further down for what happened in 2003!

Construction work in 2003 removed any practical view of the runway, which was barely adequate as it was. The following photos, by Linda Chen, illustrate this.

And here are some more recent photos by Linda, taken 27 December 2003

In the good old sixties you could walk the length of a pier going out roughly towards the area where the satellite stand is now - you were up on the roof of the pier itself. All you needed were some decent aircraft to photograph! I must say when I was there there was never much around the piers except British United One-Elevens, then all new and shiny.

Airside
Those who work at the airport may be lucky enough to get all sorts of photo-opportunities, but for most of us "airside" means stuck inside a departure lounge or somewhere between getting off the plane and the arrivals hall. My best airside shot was taken when my plane was just starting its take-off run and we were being followed out by the Ukraine Government Tupolev 134. Fortunately I have a spare, old-fashioned, clockwork 35mm camera for when electronics aren't permitted (Olympus XA1).

Generally speaking, when in transit to or from your flight you can't hang around, but sometimes you find yourself next to a window with an aircraft sitting there. That's a bonus if your camera is handy. But I couldn't list all the possible spots even if I knew them. Please note, however, that from the security halls on there are polite "No photography" signs - they even say "please". I assume the restriction is intended to stop photography of the inside of the lounges where there may be security stuff they don't want studied, and that taking photos of aircraft through the windows, while technically banned, is a lesser offence. Doubtless it all depends on how much of a nuisance you make of yourself. I can't condone breaking the rules in any way, I admit I've done it myself - though much less so since I discovered that it's theoretically not allowed! The stands map should help you work out which bit of the airport you are looking at, if it's not obvious.

In the South Terminal the main departure lounge has a bar right upstairs which looks out over the North side of the closed spectators' terrace, but the view is becoming more restricted as more buildings are being put up. In the gate lounges down the long finger I have been warned off by a passing BA employee. After I'd taken a photo. But in the finger leading down to the non-BA domestic flights - mostly British European (FlyBE) now - I had no problem at all, staff looking on benignly - possibly even pityingly - as I cleaned the window with my handkerchief. (This is Pier 1). In North Terminal departure lounge there is an area upstairs with West-facing windows towards the Pier 5 stands where BA aircraft park. And the lounge area in the satellite (Pier 3) gives you lots of nose-on shots and views across to the north side of the main finger of South Terminal (Pier 2). The shuttle between South and North Terminals isn't much use at all. Check out the photos below, and marvel at the effects produced by tinted, wet or dirty glass.

Those who are lucky enough to travel to their gate via the new Air Bridge have excellent bird's eye views but access is unfortunately restricted to those who need to use it.

Photo-tip: use a rubber lens-hood when taking photos through glass. You can jam it against the window and block out many reflections even if the lens itself is not perfectly parallel to the glass. It's also useful for absorbing any shocks when you drop your camera or bump into things with your lens, and preventing scratches from chain-link fences. Cheapest and best camera accessory there is. Jessops own brand will do just fine, when it perishes buy another.

Lowfield Heath
From the Spectators' Gallery, looking out to the south-west, You could see a church spire. It appears in a lot of photos on this website! That's Lowfield Heath, by the A23. For directions see the Mapquest and PhotoSpots maps. There is a crash gate half-way along runway 26L/08R with a restricted view of the runway, and it faces north. The snag is the parallel fences, which are photo-proof - at this point the perimeter road is between the crash gate and the runway, and it's not accessible to the public. You will need a very tall ladder (and some good balancing skills) or you will have to wait for take-offs which (rarely) get high enough by the time they reach that point. I have no examples to show here - I hate ladders! Parking is limited but possible here down side roads in the industrial estate, especially at the weekend. At the east end of the industrial estate it is possible to take photos of take-offs, though much depends on the type of aircraft and how high it has got at this point. It is very exposed here, however, between an Air 2000 office (now First Choice, I expect) and a parcel depot, so you're unlikely to stay long. If you particularly want take-off shots, the grass along the south side of the A23 where it runs parallel to the runway is much more comfortable, though you will need a good lens and will have to put up with foreground clutter. See the end of the next section for take-offs from runway 26.

West
There are a couple of spots at the west end of the runway which are ideal if the aircraft are landing from the west. To get there it's a very long walk, a reasonable bike-ride or a quick drive from the terminal area. The best parking area is 10 minutes walk away and marked "Layby" on the map. Airport security and the police WILL move you on if you ignore the many signs and park along the verge near the runway end as most casual viewers do. And it will serve you right. They patrol frequently. See the Mapquest and PhotoSpots maps for directions.

The spot marked "crash gate" is what it says. There are enough gaps in and around the gate to accommodate several lenses, but please be prepared to share. I'm told security don't like ladders in front of the gates, which is reasonable - if you're high enough to see over the gate and the barbed wire, you could be high enough to jump over it. The gate is just north of the runway and allows shots of aircraft coming down the taxiway, crossing over and turning on to the runway, right in front of you. You are facing East and the sun is only likely to be a problem in the early morning. This is the best off-airport spot for exhibition-quality photos of aircraft with their wheels on the ground. The aircraft often stop and wait for a lander giving you a full side-view and plenty of time to get your shot right, though as the taxiway is noticeably uphill I often rotate the image right a tiny bit to make up for it. You may be lucky and be treated to the sight and sound of an aircraft getting stuck in the "dip". I remember once a fully-loaded Northwest DC-10 had to have a tug come out to rescue it. In the early evening low sun picks out all the detail here making for some splendid pictures. The snag is that aircraft landing are to your South, which isn't so good. You can either spend your time rushing back and forth across the road at the end of the runway (be careful of traffic, coming round the bend) or plump for either inbounds or outbounds. As most landers will be coming out again an hour or two later it's no great loss to stick to the crash gate, but bear in mind that the smaller aircraft will often take off from half-way down the runway, for which a 400mm lens and some clear air is needed, while others may not be leaving until after dark. One snag with this spot when it has been raining is the squelchy muddy puddles. Don't wear your best trainers.

The second spot is just the grass verge on the South side of the runway. The aircraft approach over an open field and you photograph them as they cross the road, though there are some awkward trees. It's hard to see what's going on on the runway from here unless a bit of the perimeter hedge has conveniently died. Many photographers cross the hedge into the field and when something good is expected you can expect to see a whole line of them strung out. Fortunately the farmer doesn't seem to mind, even when crops are growing this area is pretty bare, but please, please do not damage anything. Quad bikes and football will result in a ban and since technically this is trespass on private property the law will not be on our side.

A few of the ladder brigade secrete themselves in the hedge by the runway threshhold or balance on rocks and things to take photos of aircraft lining up through the barbed wire at the top of the security fence. Fine if you're that way inclined. But it's safer to keep yourself in full view of passing security patrols in these troubled times. Be aware that misguided members of the public have reported suspicious-looking characters pointing bazookas at aircraft and the police were obliged to check it out.

There used to be a third spot (marked "mound" on the photospots map), but it's now gone. The owner of the field created a large mound behind his hedge, from which you could see over the airport hedge to the runway where the aircraft line up to take off. With a long lens you could even get reasonable photos of aircraft taxying down to the holds. You could also photograph the aircraft landing across the road, so it was the best of both worlds. The farmer has now removed it, not because he didn't like photographers or because BAA security asked him to, but because it was only a temporary compost heap with a lime cap anyway. Why do I give the details if it's not there? Because otherwise you might wander around forever looking for the spot where all those great photos were taken! In mid 2005 it's possible that another mound is under construction in the same place, but as yet it is unprotected "fertiliser" and I wouldn't recommend it.

Very many of the landing shots on this site were taken at the end of 08R, particularly those from the starboard side though as the background is nothing but sky you wouldn't really be able to tell. What about 08L, you may ask? Well, it's only a glorified taxiway to be used as a runway in emergencies and when the main runway is being worked on, often after dark. I have yet to see it in action when I've been at this photospot.

Finally, what about take-off shots from runway 26? Well, only the fully-loaded older "heavies" will be low enough to get a partial side-on photo from the end of the runway, though people with very long lenses can get interesting shots of banking aircraft if they make an early turn. Bear in mind that once off the ground aircraft do tend to drift away from the centreline so can't be relied on to be where you want them to be. A fairly reasonable compromise is a small area on the south side of the road between the lay-by and the end of the runway, opposite the entrance to the "BCP" car park. There is a constant stream of cars and coaches going in and out, but they don't block the view if you position yourself just right - I have only missed one shot here due to a lorry which decided to pass extra close to me to get by a coach which was waiting to enter the car park. From this spot you will be treated to a variety of take-off angles, ranging from only just off the ground to almost right over the top. A Boeing 777 fills the frame at around 200mm (film)/135mm (digital). Changing a lens here is not recommended owing to the amount of dust kicked up by the traffic. Photo tip: if you know your lenses well enough by touch, change them in a film removal bag - this is a lightproof bag with sealed armholes for taking films out of cameras in total darkness, especially useful when the film can't be rewound for some reason. Digital camera owners in particular will regret any tiny dust particles that get past the mirror and on to the sensor. But make sure your bag doesn't have any lint specks in it to start with.

East

For aircraft landing from the East on runway 26L, many will have heard me talk about the bridge over the M23 motorway at Shipley Bridge. I'm quite fond of the spot for personal reasons and will send details if anyone wants them. But it has to be said that it's not as good for photography as simply standing on the perimeter road at the East end of the runway, on the South side, so that's the one I recommend here. This is marked "photo spot" on the PhotoSpots map. To get there from the terminal area, go to the far end of the South Terminal arrivals hall past the area where incoming passengers emerge and meeters and greeters are waving bits of cardboard in the air. There is some seating there and to the left of the seating an emergency exit. This used to be the way to the spectators' terrace. Go down via the lifts or stairs to the ground floor. When you emerge onto the road, inside the tunnel where the road passes through the terminal building, turn south (it should be right unless you've got seriously lost) and walk for 10 minutes. That's it. You can't miss it, just stop when you're comfortable with the angle of the aircraft landing over your head. The Nos 100, 200 and 300 local buses - and possibly others - stop along this perimeter road, by the entrance/exit to the terminal, which is very convenient. They also take a wonderfully zig-zag route through the cargo area on their way to Horley, but you can't see much on the way apart from what's on North Terminal and it's not photographable. There are other exits to the road from South Terminal, usually marked "Emergency Exit" but the one I mention is easiest to describe and find. On your way back to the Terminal you'll see one in the south facing wall, just before the tunnel (which is now barrier-controlled for vehicles, by the way).

Those coming by car who have money to burn can park at South Terminal. Otherwise parking is as shown on the map - beware the area has been developed a bit and the map isn't entirely up-to-date. Head down a side road west from the first roundabout you come to after leaving the A23 and you should find somewhere to park with no risk of being clamped. It is also probably possible to "borrow" a parking space somewhere in one of the industrial estate units for a short session. The perimeter road is hard to see on maps because it runs parallel to the A23, in fact there is only a hedge between them. But it's a separate and clearly-marked exit from the roundabout on the A23 dual carriageway. You can't park along there, and there's a security barrier when you get to the terminal. Of course, a bicycle can just be propped up against the fence. It helps to have an airband radio because aircraft tend to appear over the hedge suddenly when you least expect them - you can't see them coming from a long way off like at the West end. From here it is just possible to log aircraft at the far end of the runway when taking off, with a bit of cooperation from the men who pile up baggage containers with fork-lift trucks all day on the other side of the fence. Sometimes the view is clear, sometimes it's not. Binoculars needed for that.

Two photos below compare the angles you get from the perimeter road and from Shipley Bridge (for which a longer lens is needed anyway).

Somehow, I almost forgot the number 1 short-term car park at South Terminal, which overlooks the eastern threshhold of 26. I used to go up there a lot when there was easy access to the roof level, but this seems mostly out of bounds these days. Parking there is of course very expensive, but if you're just making a quick visit (or someone else is paying) it's not out of the question. I never had problems with security there when I used it but be advised that others have been warned off. It's not so long since one spotter reported to our Original Gatwick Spotters mailing list that when sitting in his car which he was paying to park while waiting for someone arriving on an inbound flight he was threatened with physical violence by an individual apology for a "guard" who has hopefully now learned the error of his ways (but will never know who his father was). Photography from the upper floors is reasonable with a 200-300mm lens, but you are facing south so if the sun is out you'll have problems. The photo of the Dan Air Comet used as our logo was taken from here, and the contrast is so poor that I can't make a decent display photo out of it.

Maps

Current weather and forecast

Michael Hooker, Horley, 21 October 2005. Page last modified 22 April 2006.