A friend and I used to this when in university after a day of studying. The airport was quite close to school and we would go out, sit by the window, have a "fancy" coffee and just watch the planes. We would watch and wonder at the effortlessness of their movement and wonder where they were going.

Thanks for the memory.

When I was young my father would often take us on a Sunday drive and one of his favorite places was the Pittsburgh airport. There was a huge observation deck with coin operated viewers - afterwards we'd stop at Isaly's for an ice cream cone. It's still fascinating to watch.

I still remember the time I was flying into O'hare and there was a plane on a parallel runway. I was watching as we came down together at exactly the same time and the same speed and we even touched the ground at exactly the same time... a perfect pas de deux by giant machinery.

When they had $99 fares to anywhere in the US, $30 to Las Vegas, my co-workers son...would just spend his time off flying....not even over nighting....just flying and hanging out in airports.

The new office space they have set up for many of the people who work in the library building they are going to be remodeling is just past the airport. This Monday I went in for a meeting, and took the back roads that go just past the airport. As I was approaching and passing the airport there was an AWACS plane doing touch-and-go landings. Its a funny looking thing that looks like an old-time prop plane that is carrying a flying saucer.

We also used to go to the airport just to watch the planes coming and going. There was an observation deck. Sometimes we were meeting relatives who were arriving and we watched the plane land and they would come down the stairs out on the tarmac, wearing suits, gloves, hats.and high heels. We’d all wave at each other. It is all rather amazing. Thank you, Orville and Wilbur.

When I lived in San Diego, I liked to sit in Balboa park just outside the Fleet Science museum and watch as the jets came in low right over head and down to the airport by the water.

Love this! I had a co-worker who traveled with me quite frequently to DC. i didn’t know that he grew up in Georgetown until one evening we decided to go over there to try a restaurant and we drove around a few streets. He said he and his buddy would ride their bikes down to Washington National and stand by the fence and watch planes land and take off. Imagine what fun for a kid! This would have been in the 70’s roughly.

My dad was into airplanes his whole life. Every time we had to pick up anyone from an airport, he'd get us there at least an hour ahead of arrival time so we could enjoy the airport's observation deck. Good times.

DH loves watching planes. He and a buddy used to bike to the airport to watch planes (that knowledge of the backroads came in handy years later when we were driving to the airport only to learn of a hazmat issue near an overpass, shutting down both the highway and the overpass, but DH knew an alternative route). One result of the 9/11 attacks was the closing of observation areas near airports. I’ve promised him a room near the balcony at the retirement home under the approach path, and already gave him a pair of stabilizing binoculars, best gift ever.

I watched this one come in this afternoon, at Wiley Post Airport in Oklahoma City, while I was riding my bike.

I love airplanes so much that I worked at Boeing. I just retired after 38 years. Of course Boeing is much more than airplanes - I always worked on the commercial side.

If you're ever in the Seattle area you must visit the Boeing Everett factory. The name of the city where it's located is actually called Mukilteo, but we just refer to it as Everett. The factory is about 25 miles north of Seattle.

The factory is a working assembly plant. The wide-body aircraft are built here - the 747, 767, 777, and 787. The 787 is also known as the Dreamliner.

Photography isn't allowed in the factory so you can't bring in a camera. Electronics like cell phones aren't allowed either. Nor a bag or purse. Security is tight.

I never get tired of seeing airplanes up close. This factory is the largest building in the world by volume. The factory is as large as Disneyland with 12 acres left over for parking. 30,000 people work there, complete with its own fire department, security team, daycare, and fitness center. People ride trikes to get from one area to another, or drive golf carts.

Boeing Factory

I have an app called Flightradar24 that shows where the planes overhead are going, speed, type of plane, etc. sometimes I check out passing planes when I walk the dog. Once when DH was coming home to Orlando there was some bad weather his plane circled over the ocean and landed in Jax? I asked him what they were doing-low on fuel. I actually saw his plane pass the house an hour later!

sephia, congratulations on a long and successful career and double congrats on reaching a much deserved and earned retirement. All the best.

One question - you say you worked on the "commercial side". Are you saying commercial meaning business matters as opposed to technical or manufacturing or is the meaning commercial and not what?

We did a tour of the Boeing Everett Factory years ago with the kids. I remember the ginormity and expansiveness of the building.

Unfortunately, I can watch planes from my back yard. Fortunately, I am not under the flight path but close enough to it that I can identify the airlines of the planes - not close enough to wave at the passengers. I'm far enough away that the sound is not that loud, but if I go a mile and a half south, then it is really loud.

I only see planes that are arriving at LAX - the ones that are departing fly over the ocean first and then turn to the direction they want to go. The neighborhood where I live was built for workers for Hughes Aircraft, which ceased operations in 1997. When I lived in Houston, I lived just a couple of blocks from where Howard Hughes lived as a teenager on Yoakum Blvd.

Lisa, that app is so cool! I’ve tracked a couple planes flying over me. Every day there are helicopters going by, high enough not to be a bother, but I wonder what they’re doing.just found out one is a medical helicopter.

If there is a helicopter flying over me, regardless of the time of the year, i know it;s the local search and rescue looking for a lost hiker/skier in the backcountry. The skier may have skied out of bounds on purpose.

I think they are still flying, but for a real heart stopper, be nearby when a military C5 goes over! There may be a larger cargo plane now, but this one always got me.