A bit of Airplane photography at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport – Train vs Plane!
In this … comparison. Yes. Let’s call it a comparison.
- Train vs Plane? What the blazes is this?
- Off to St Pancras on the Early Train (Virgin Trains Birmingham to London Euston), St Pancras Departures Lounge
- Eurostar train 9114 London St Pancras to Amsterdam Centraal
- A walk around Amsterdam
- Setting the timer off: Off to Amsterdam Schiphol
- A light bit of spotting at Amsterdam Schiphol
- British Airways Terraces Amsterdam Schiphol
- BA441 Amsterdam Schiphol to London Heathrow
- Into London, stopping the stopwatch and Chilterns home
- Who wins?
The Amsterdam Schiphol Panorama Deck
Cost: Free
I headed out to the observation deck, and scanned around. And there’s a lot of blue.
Blue.
And as well as a lot of blue, a lot of visitors.
And more blue too.
There’s also a Fokker 100 on the deck. Because that’s the best plane you can stick on a viewing deck.
KLM CityHopper Fokker 100. Which one of you jokers parked it there? The parking tickets are getting rather expensive…
Whilst it was a lovely day for a Royal Wedding and a Football match in the UK… conditions at Schiphol were a lot more… grey.
Never mind, it’s time to make the most of things. I swapped the lens on my camera from the 24-105 to my favourite aviation lens – the Canon 100-400 f4 to f5.6 L series.
I’ve written about it countless times on this blog… and nothing has changed in my eyes about it other than it’s a heavy beast of a lens that can help you develop good arm and shoulder muscles.
I watched a few planes land before clicking in all seriousness – least of all, I was trying to work out were planes were landing, and where they were taking off.
Alas – where they were taking off was the Polderbaan. That would represent fun for later. For now, let’s have some plane pictures.
British Airways Airbus A319.
Aliatalia Airbus A320.
TUI Fly Netherlands Boeing 737-800 with split-wing scimitars
EasyJet Airbus A320 landing.
There was also some wildlife flying around.
Are you aware that the Bird is the word?
Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737-800 with more conventional winglets
Of course it wouldn’t be Schiphol Airport without some KLM blue.
KLM Boeing 737-800
KLM CityHopper E-175
Aeroflot Airbus A321 with Sharklets.
Austrian Airlines Airbus A320… with a Immartsat GX dome.
With Schiphol being an entry/exit point for Amsterdam, it’s unsurprising the amount of cargo traffic that passes by.
Air Bridge Cargo Boeing 747-8F
Cargolux Boeing 747-8F with a KLM Cargo Boeing 747-400F.
There’s also a mix of traffic – not just traditional carriers, but holiday traffic too.
Small Planet Airlines Airbus A321
Corendon Boeing 737-800
EasyJet Airbus A320 in the latest version of the Easyjet livery.
I still prefer the blue and yellow – Lufthansa Airbus A319 with a GX Dome.
KLM Boeing 737-800
Whilst it was late in the afternoon, the evening bank of long haul traffic was on its way in as I readed to depart.
WOW Air Airbus A321
AeroMexico Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Turkish Airlines Airbus A330
There was also short-haul traffic too.
Flybe Bombardier Q400 in ex Brussels Airlines colours.
And unexpected traffic above too
Netherlands Coastguard Dornier 228
Just as I was about to head off, Flighradar pinged an interesting long haul arrival. I hung around – and was rewarded with a KLM Boeing 777-300ER coming in to land.
With time marching on, I decided to enjoy the lounge for a while before heading back to London.
Overall: For a free facility, that is open to all – and without much security – Amsterdam Schiphol Airport ticks many boxes in the aviation geek’s boxes. There’s great clear views, and a variety of traffic, with not too many obstructions if you’re using the right lens.
If you have time between flights, or want to spend a day out watching planes take off and land (without leaving the airport), this is an excellent choice.
Next: Time to check in and head to the lounge
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