Guide to London Stansted Airport
All of this sounds great, however London Stansted is limited with the amount of areas to view from and are not as close to the runway as many airports due to the size of the airport. As London Stansted is owned by BAA this is a situation that is very unlikely to change, however BAA is being forced to sell the airport. London Stansted is still however an exceptionally good airport to view aircraft, considering its size. There are several spots that aircraft can clearly be seen, photographed or videoed.
Unfortunately there are a few bumbs and slopes in the terrain meaning the runway cannot be seen from a few areas, however aircraft navigation on the aprons, taxiways and on the runway can be seen clearly from nearly all areas. Despite the fact that there are a few of ways London Stansted could be improved for plane spotters, it's probably the best airport to spot at in the London area and the Southeast of England. This is because the airport is located in a fairly rural location and airport staff don't seem to have any problems with plane spotters, as long as there is no suspcious behavior and emergency gates are kept clear.
It's definitely worth visiting London Stansted a few times a year to view the exciting aircraft it operates. Do not let the slight disadvantages like the distance from the runway or the slightly uneven terrain put you off visiting the airport, it's not a huge problem at all!
There is also a Plane Watch Scheme run for regular spotters by Essex Police. Information for which can be found here
Radio Frequencies
Stansted Director: 126.950
Tower: 123.800
Ground: 121.725
Clearance Delivery: 121.950
ATIS: 127.175
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London Stansted Airport Weather
All times on the weather descriptions are local
Observed at 00:00 - (8 days 14 hrs ago)
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Dew Point: °C
Runway in Use: Unable to determine, wind is clam
Movements
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Spot A - Green Street
You can get some excellent shots of aircraft arriving on runway 22 and some reasonable ones of runway 04 departures. Unfortunately barely any ground shots can be had from here as the runway is fairly set back with a very slight hill and the perimeter fence in the way. Despite this, aircraft can still be seen on the some taxiways, on the runway, touching down and taking off. This location is quite far from any major road so you can get some excellent video footage which is not ruined by road/motoway noise and giving this spot a calm and peaceful atmosphere.
There is plenty of space to park your car at the end of the road and there are no car parking charges or restrictions. You can stay here as long as you like as the airport staff don't have any problems with you being there unless you don't keep the emergency gate clear, so you're extremely unlikely to be told to move away.
Sat Nav Co-ordinates
(Some locations may not be next to a road but the sat nav should get you pretty close using these co-ordinates)
Latitude: N51° 54' 1" (N51° 54.017')
Longitude: E0° 15' 26" (E0° 15.429')
Photos
Spot B - Belmer Road
You can get some reasonable ground shots and some excellent arrival and departure shots from here. In a few places this spot is elevated enough so you can see over the perimeter fence with no problems. It may be beneficial though to take a small step ladder just to raise you that extra 3 feet or so to allow you to see over the fence in all areas. The fence is not a problem for just viewing the aircraft, it just makes photography more difficult to gain at a higher standard, it's also possible though to fit a camera lens through the gaps in the fence. This location is also not too close to any major road meaning you can get some fantastic video footage which is not ruined by road/motorway noise and giving this spot a calm and peaceful atmosphere.
This spot has plenty of car parking, at the side of Belmer Road, and there are no car parking charges or restrictions. The airport staff have no issues with you being there, so you can stay as long as you like with no problems at all.
This is probably the best spot that London Stansted has to offer and it's likely you'll be very satisfied here. Although not a tourist/visitor attraction, many people take fold up deck chairs and blankets to sit on as well as flasks of hot drinks or a picnic to this area as you can get an excellent day out here.
Sat Nav Co-ordinates
(Some locations may not be next to a road but the sat nav should get you pretty close using these co-ordinates)
Latitude: N51° 53' 33" (N51° 53.546')
Longitude: E0° 14' 25" (E0° 14.414')
Photos
Spot C - Long Border Road
You can get some excellent shots of aircraft arriving on runway 04 and some fairly good ones of runway 22 departures. Ground shots can also be had from here although aircraft are not very close and do not often taxi beyond taxiway K. This area is elevated and is not at all obstructed by trees or the perimetre fence, making ground shots much easier to get. This spot is not too far off some major roads including the A120 and so video footage can very occasionally be disturbed by road/motorway noise.
This area is very restricted to where you can park your car, the best two options are to park at the Hilton hotel or Long stay car park. This of course means car parking requires a charge but isn't restricted. You can stay here as long as you like as airport staff don't have any problems with you being there, so you're extremely unlikely to be told to move away.
Sat Nav Co-ordinates
(Some locations may not be next to a road but the sat nav should get you pretty close using these co-ordinates)
Latitude: N51° 52' 28" (N51° 52.461')
Longitude: E0° 12' 55" (E0° 12.916')
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Monday 14th January, 2019 at 13:14 GMT
Friday 13th April, 2018 at 16:42 GMT
Friday 15th July, 2016 at 20:37 GMT
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Thursday 13th August, 2015 at 19:44 GMT
Saturday 12th July, 2014 at 08:22 GMT
Thanks
Friday 30th May, 2014 at 13:34 GMT
Monday 4th November, 2013 at 19:41 GMT
Thanks
Tuesday 24th September, 2013 at 10:51 GMT
Sunday 25th August, 2013 at 16:07 GMT
Friday 26th April, 2013 at 16:01 GMT
Wednesday 17th April, 2013 at 09:12 GMT
Monday 25th March, 2013 at 19:26 GMT
is infact a Slovak plane which I often see parked at Bratislava airport,Slovakia, also OM is the Slovak call letters.
Kind Regards
Frank.
frankg7izw@ntlworld.com
Sunday 2nd September, 2012 at 19:23 GMT
The 'green rocket-like' plane parked on the North side of the runway is a plane that is used by the airport fire brigade to practice on. I am a ramp agent at Stansted and regularly see them practicing extinguishing fires.
Daniel
Wednesday 13th June, 2012 at 09:18 GMT
Monday 16th April, 2012 at 18:30 GMT
Friday 24th February, 2012 at 10:05 GMT
Thursday 23rd February, 2012 at 15:44 GMT
Friday 2nd September, 2011 at 14:24 GMT
Thursday 25th August, 2011 at 07:56 GMT
If you want to stay close to the terminal, you leave the terminal in the south direction (to the control tower). Next to the terminal is a small pedestrian bridge (to the police station) and between the bridge and the terminal you can spot some aircraft.