And it’s free, too, except for parking

Today I went to the Little Rock National Airport/Adams Field to pick up somebody’s car. I cheerfully volunteered for this assignment, being an airplane enthusiast, and of course I hung around to watch a few takeoffs and landings. I’m not sure if all airplane enthusiasts are this weird.

 

Is there anything more beautiful than an airplane flying down from the sky, gliding over the runway with precision, then gently touching down? I think not!

 

There is a not-widely-known area of the Little Rock Airport designed for the purpose of watching the circus-like spectacle that is the modern airport. You can find it by heading toward the security check point (where a lot of people—who, it seems, can’t read—like to wait for their arriving friends) and then turn right up a flight of stairs.

 

I went there today and watched what I could. The view of the runways is not terrific, and after watching a few landings and some of the activity at the gates, I decided to explore the new long-term parking deck for the first time. I discovered that this is an even better place to watch the planes. There is a much wider view of the west runway (4L/22R), where you can see almost all of the action. And best of all, the parking deck has a complete view of the east runway (4R/22L)! The east runway is not used right now, because they are expanding it, but it should be fun to watch after it reopens.

 

The only two downsides are the deadly summer heat and the mildly uncomfortable winter cool that we experience here in Arkansas. But that’s the price you pay for being a weirdo. Not much really.