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Going Spotting At Paris CDG (LFPG)

teopilot From Italy, joined Jul 2010, 528 posts, RR: 2
Posted (2 years 10 months 5 days 11 hours ago) and read 5956 times:

Hello mates!!!

I know, this kind of topic could have been treated before...

I'm leaving for Paris soon, and is my intention to spend some time spotting at charles de gaulle airport.

little foreword: I've already had my permission to take photos, so I can go with my camera without any problem and totally legally.

now...
Could you please give me some advices about good spotting points? ( I think to go there in the afternoon)
and also I might be there by car, if this could help...

and I want to know also if there are any special procedures for runways in use during the daytime, in order to go in the correct place at the correct time... you know, CDG is very big! ehehe

thank you all very much in advance!

Matteo

27 replies: All unread, showing first 25:

spencer From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2004, 1624 posts, RR: 19
Reply 1, posted (2 years 10 months 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 5938 times:

Hi Matteo.
Firstly, very good you have the permission to photograph. I have just come back (yesterday) from CDG after spending 8 days there. During those 8 days I was stopped at least 20 times! (Lost count after 20 in fact). It's not the Police that request to see the permission but the Foreign Legion, which are there securing the perimeter. I thought it was the normal army at first but after talking to a few of them it became apparent they were all from different countries, (and having talked to a Brit that explained to me they were on a 3 week rotation at the airport).
Anyway, yes, a car is needed for most runway spots. You also have the parallel taxiways which are accessible from the T3 train station, right near the Hilton and the Ibis, and adjacent to the Concorde.
Next you have the La Météo spot, which is great for T1 taxi/stand shots, and if rwy 09R is being used for departures too, as everything using that rwy will taxi past you.
A quick explanation of rwy ops. CDG has 4 parallel rwys, all E/W in direction which makes them only ideal during morning and evening. That's not to say they're impossible during the day but you understand what I mean.
The 2 inner rwys, 27L/09R and 26R/08L are used for departures. The outers, 27R/09L and 26L/08R are used for arrivals. That's true for about 95% of what I saw during my 8 day stay.
Generally AFR (especially heavies), will land on the southern rwy, ie 08L/26R. This being because it's closer to T2 (A-G). Again, when it's hectic they'll be told to land on the northern rwy; there's always exceptions to the "rule". Strangely, the AFR A380 landed on the southern and departed from the northern.
Austral, Seychelles, Madagascar, Etihad, Emirates, Vietnam normally land on the southern. Other longhaul foreign carriers use the northern. Expect SIA A380 to land on the northern and AFR and UAE A380 to land on the southern.
Departures are quite hard to shoot, as the inner rwys are further away from the spots and normally slightly lower due to their distance. Unless 27L is used in the evenings I'd give departures a miss. That's only my opinion however. 09R departures in the evening could also work but the 27s were in use most of the time I was there. In fact only 2 of the 8 days saw the 09s in use.
You have about 3 spots worth mentioning along the northern rwy. The best being by the (bridge) tunnel that comes from the airport itself. Take note however, DO NOT use this tunnel to drive from the terminal, as you can not turn off until several km away! You need to either exit the terminal area via the T2 area and turn left onto the perimeter road, or drive out via Entretien and the Fed Ex cargo area. I would recommend the latter. Turn right as you pass the FDX area, then right again at the next roundabout and onto the motorway. The next roundabout will be another right and that will take you onto yet another motorway where you'll need to exit at the first off-ramp. From there you can just about see the bridge area you need to be at. Just drive up the small incline (you'll have 09L TDZ on your right hand side). Pass over the bridge and take the next immediate right into a lay-by where you can park up!
The other spot along that rwy is further down the same road at another roundabout. In fact it's the next junction you get to. Park up on the verge just after exiting the roundabout. There's a mound there and it's near the 27R TDZ.
Days 4 and 6 are FDX heaven, saturday sees about 10 M1F arriving between 1700-1900!! Add to that the Airbuses too. Last saturday I counted 15 FDX machines in total!
The southern spots I'd recommend would be the 26L TDZ at a place called Z4, near the Concorde memorial. You're a little lower than the bridge area but it's a good spot. You get an unrestricted view of the approach, touchdown and rollout (for about 100m). Good in the early morning and late afternoon. But then you have the problem of which carrier do you want to shoot, as you have the different rwys for different carriers. ie. north and south rwy arrivals. The same goes for the TGV train tunnel spot. This is better for departures though, off 26R. It's through a fence however. All other spots I've mentioned are unrestricted/open.
I generally shot the northern morning arrivals the most as the southern rwys were slightly backlit. But it was nicely backlit so it became a problem for me too, deciding should I do north or south. Having 8 days there made it easier though!

Spence.

EOS1D4, 7D, 30D, 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 70-200/2.8 L IS2 USM, 17-40 f4 L USM, 24-105 f4 L IS USM, 85 f1.8 USM

spencer From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2004, 1624 posts, RR: 19
Reply 2, posted (2 years 10 months 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 5937 times:

A couple of quick edits, (read downsize only!)

Tahiti Nui A340, 26L TDZ, the Z4 spot on the southern runway. Early morning shot.

SIA A380, 09L TDZ, the bridge/tunnel spot on the northern runway. Early morning.

Spence.

EOS1D4, 7D, 30D, 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 70-200/2.8 L IS2 USM, 17-40 f4 L USM, 24-105 f4 L IS USM, 85 f1.8 USM

pilotalltheway From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2008, 247 posts, RR: 0
Reply 3, posted (2 years 10 months 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 5924 times:

I need some help.

I'm off to CDG on the 14th of August. I will not be making off to the spots, but as I'll be staying at the CDG Hilton, I may pop outside for a few shots. I have a scanned image of my passport. How long will it take to get my pass? What do I say to the person? Who do I email? How long did YOURS take to come to you?

Many thanks,

-Alfie

Dude - where's my plane?

spencer From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2004, 1624 posts, RR: 19
Reply 4, posted (2 years 10 months 5 days 4 hours ago) and read 5915 times:

Alfie, my pass took 3 weeks to arrive. From what I've heard that's very fast. 2 of my friends are still waiting on theirs and it's been over 10 weeks for them!

I applied direct to the police station, which is a) free and b) lasts a lifetime. Applying via Kerozen costs 10 Euros I believe and is only good for a year.

The address is: xavier.huby@seine-saint-denis.pref.gouv.fr

I personally think it's too short notice to get your pass, but give it a go anyway, like I said it's free and only costs you an e-mail at the end of the day! Just mention what you need it for (photography) and that you're not intending to profit from any photographs, ie you're doing it purely for private purposes.

The Hilton is a really good hotel to be at considering the 2 minute walk it takes to get to the parallel taxiways or the Concorde spot, also by the parallels. From the Concorde spot you're a bit lower down and will need to either shoot through the fence or have some steps. You can even take a 15 minute walk and get an overview of T2F from the T2 hill spot near Parking Px I believe it's called.

There's a pretty good map as well provided by Kerozen, worth looking at for additional spots.

http://www.kerozen.org/Airports/Cdg/Plan_CDG_moyen_bis.jpg

Spence.

EOS1D4, 7D, 30D, 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 70-200/2.8 L IS2 USM, 17-40 f4 L USM, 24-105 f4 L IS USM, 85 f1.8 USM

spencer From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2004, 1624 posts, RR: 19
Reply 5, posted (2 years 10 months 5 days 4 hours ago) and read 5913 times:

I just have to add, for ground/stand/taxi shots, the La Météo spot is amazing! From here you can either shoot above the fence (on steps, or if you're tall enough just over the top from the small mound), or go up one flite of stairs on the disused Météo building. Parking the car there is no problem either. Unfortunately it's not shown on the Kerozen map. You will need to head for the Zone Technique (spelling?) and make your way towards the crash gate up the top of the road on the right just before the road bends around (to the left).
Spence.

EOS1D4, 7D, 30D, 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 70-200/2.8 L IS2 USM, 17-40 f4 L USM, 24-105 f4 L IS USM, 85 f1.8 USM

pilotalltheway From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2008, 247 posts, RR: 0
Reply 6, posted (2 years 10 months 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 5862 times:

Spence.

What did you say exactly? Was it in English? Did you send an image?

Thanks

-Alfie

Dude - where's my plane?

spencer From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2004, 1624 posts, RR: 19
Reply 7, posted (2 years 10 months 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 5843 times:

Sorry Alfie but you lost me mate. Image? English?
Spence.

EOS1D4, 7D, 30D, 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 70-200/2.8 L IS2 USM, 17-40 f4 L USM, 24-105 f4 L IS USM, 85 f1.8 USM

pilotalltheway From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2008, 247 posts, RR: 0
Reply 8, posted (2 years 10 months 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 5837 times:

Oh, sorry for my bad explanation. I was talking about the photography pass.

-Alfie

Dude - where's my plane?

spencer From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2004, 1624 posts, RR: 19
Reply 9, posted (2 years 10 months 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 5826 times:

Alf, I wrote in English and just explained I was going to take photos for private purposes only. Didn't send any images.
Spence.

EOS1D4, 7D, 30D, 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 70-200/2.8 L IS2 USM, 17-40 f4 L USM, 24-105 f4 L IS USM, 85 f1.8 USM

pilotalltheway From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2008, 247 posts, RR: 0
Reply 10, posted (2 years 10 months 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 5810 times:

Oh ok Spence I'll do that.

I'll tell him when I'm off too, might hurry 'im up!

-Alfie

Dude - where's my plane?

teopilot From Italy, joined Jul 2010, 528 posts, RR: 2
Reply 11, posted (2 years 10 months 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 5808 times:

thank you so much Spence!!!

now, I'm really confused about that... I think there are too many places where you can take good shots...

in my opinion, on of the easiest point to be reached is the concorde memorial ( here we have parallel taxiways of course).
My intention is to stop here: I'll write down the coordinates, taken from google maps. (49.01004308284912, 2.553918957710266)

Then, I read about the La meteo spotting point... of course, I'm very tall (1.95 meters...): so, I think I could superate the fence!

...
but the question is... How may I get there from the spotting point whose I told you about before?
... because I don't have understand where it is located

Quoting spencer (Reply 1):
The southern spots I'd recommend would be the 26L TDZ at a place called Z4, near the Concorde memorial. You're a little lower than the bridge area but it's a good spot. You get an unrestricted view of the approach, touchdown and rollout (for about 100m).

May you help me to locate in on the map please?
and... what do you mean with TDZ?

...ok... for the moment that's all!!!
thank you so much in advance!!!
Matteo

spencer From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2004, 1624 posts, RR: 19
Reply 12, posted (2 years 10 months 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 5797 times:

Matteo, the Concorde memorial should not be confused with the displayed Concorde! The latter is by the parallels and the memorial is just a place near the Z4 spot near the 26L touchdown zone (TDZ).
Spence.

EOS1D4, 7D, 30D, 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 70-200/2.8 L IS2 USM, 17-40 f4 L USM, 24-105 f4 L IS USM, 85 f1.8 USM

teopilot From Italy, joined Jul 2010, 528 posts, RR: 2
Reply 13, posted (2 years 10 months 3 days 7 hours ago) and read 5783 times:

Quoting spencer (Reply 12):

Quoting spencer (Reply 12):
Matteo, the Concorde memorial should not be confused with the displayed Concorde! The latter is by the parallels and the memorial is just a place near the Z4 spot near the 26L touchdown zone (TDZ).
Spence.

oooh, thanks, and sorry for the mistake...
anyway I meant the displayed concorde

( which is definitely nearby the parallels and easy to be reached also by metro

)
then, is the concorde memorial the number 14 on the map you linked above?

spencer From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2004, 1624 posts, RR: 19
Reply 14, posted (2 years 10 months 3 days 3 hours ago) and read 5760 times:

Concorde memorial is no.14, correct.
Spence.

EOS1D4, 7D, 30D, 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 70-200/2.8 L IS2 USM, 17-40 f4 L USM, 24-105 f4 L IS USM, 85 f1.8 USM

teopilot From Italy, joined Jul 2010, 528 posts, RR: 2
Reply 15, posted (2 years 10 months 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 5749 times:

Quoting spencer (Reply 14):
Concorde memorial is no.14, correct.
Spence.

ok, thank you very much...
is it possible to get to "la meteo spot" on foot?

spencer From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2004, 1624 posts, RR: 19
Reply 16, posted (2 years 10 months 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 5723 times:

Depends where you are coming from. It's possible from T1, shouldn't take more than 25 minutes. I can only imagine it's the same way as I drove from T1, which could be slightly hazardous along the main road towards the zone technique. I'll pinpoint it on a map tomorrow for you.
Spence.

EOS1D4, 7D, 30D, 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 70-200/2.8 L IS2 USM, 17-40 f4 L USM, 24-105 f4 L IS USM, 85 f1.8 USM

spencer From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2004, 1624 posts, RR: 19
Reply 17, posted (2 years 10 months 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 5692 times:

La Méteó spot - CDG.

This is the way I drove, from T1, maybe there's a quicker way walking?
Spence.

EOS1D4, 7D, 30D, 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 70-200/2.8 L IS2 USM, 17-40 f4 L USM, 24-105 f4 L IS USM, 85 f1.8 USM

pilotalltheway From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2008, 247 posts, RR: 0
Reply 18, posted (2 years 10 months 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 5691 times:

I've written to Xavier. He says it shall take approximately 10 days so I should get it in time hopefully! I had to send an image of my passport, strange you didn't have to do that Spence?

Have fun Matteo!

-Alfie

Dude - where's my plane?

spencer From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2004, 1624 posts, RR: 19
Reply 19, posted (2 years 10 months 2 days 5 hours ago) and read 5689 times:

Alfie, I did. It completely slipped my mind though mate. My bad.
Spence.

EOS1D4, 7D, 30D, 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 70-200/2.8 L IS2 USM, 17-40 f4 L USM, 24-105 f4 L IS USM, 85 f1.8 USM

teopilot From Italy, joined Jul 2010, 528 posts, RR: 2
Reply 20, posted (2 years 10 months 2 days 5 hours ago) and read 5684 times:

perfect, thank you so much Spence! I really appreciated your effort!

... I've had a look on google earth... and it seems a bad way to go on foot...
I think I'll get there by car, also because it's quite easier, I suppose.

@ Alfie:
I confirm you what Xavier have told you: the letter took about 10 days to come here in northen Italy. In my case, there were 10 days by the sending day, which was 2 days after my request via email. All is handled via post.
But I want to advise you: when you get it, take care to control all the data written: the first letter they sent to me was completely wrong.

teopilot From Italy, joined Jul 2010, 528 posts, RR: 2
Reply 21, posted (2 years 9 months 2 weeks 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 5496 times:

Hello mates!!!

I'm back, after my trip in France, where I had the opportunity to have a spotting afternoon at CDG...
well...
All was well, and I''ve been really surprised at the sight of the large and various amount of traffic seen there;
I was at memorial Concorde first, then I moved onto the mound along the same way, where there was the opportunity to see also departing traffic. I spent about 2 hours and a half there, and I'm really satisfied...
I was there by a rented car, and I had to get it back within the 5 p.m. ... so, really sad about that, I moved to T1, and then I went to Concorde display nearby the parallel taxiways, where I made again some good shots, and enjoyed the view of the Concorde...

unfortunately, I haven't been to la meteo due to the reason expressed above, but I'm not here to complain about that

so... if anybody want to have some help, I'd help him in limits of my possibilities

MAtteo

Nibog From Ireland, joined Apr 2009, 310 posts, RR: 0
Reply 22, posted (2 years 9 months 2 weeks 2 days 23 hours ago) and read 5352 times:

Hi Guys,

I have just come across this thread and I am travelling to CDG shortly,is it a must to have a pass for photography at CDG,I was not aware of any need to have a pass before you arrive.
Thanks foe your help,
Nibog

spencer From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2004, 1624 posts, RR: 19
Reply 23, posted (2 years 9 months 2 weeks 2 days 23 hours ago) and read 5350 times:

Unless you feel happy paying €400 for not having one...?
Spence.

EOS1D4, 7D, 30D, 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 70-200/2.8 L IS2 USM, 17-40 f4 L USM, 24-105 f4 L IS USM, 85 f1.8 USM

Nibog From Ireland, joined Apr 2009, 310 posts, RR: 0
Reply 24, posted (2 years 9 months 2 weeks 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 5343 times:

Quoting spencer (Reply 23):
Unless you feel happy paying €400 for not having one...?

Thank you Spence,but that kind of money is better in my pocket than someone else's thank you!!!!!!! What about inside the terminal itself??

Nibog

25 pilotalltheway: Guys, I got my pass. Took 11 days to come. Can't wait to go on the AF A380 tomorrow. I'll be staying at the CDG Hilton, looks good. Anybody been there

teopilot: What a luck!!! If I remember correctly, Hilton Hotel is nearby the Concord static display, at the parallel taxiways... I have been there for about an

27 pilotalltheway: Haha, awesome! Am off now to the Tube, bye!

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