kann123air From United States of America, joined Jun 2009, 333 posts, RR: 0 Posted (1 year 1 month 3 days 4 hours ago) and read 2035 times:
Hey guys, I just booked a ticket on AA which included a stopover in MIA. Originally I was only supposed to have a 2 hour layover, but some change made it four hours. Do you think this is enough to go outside to the holes or the El Dorado spot? I'm not sure if getting out of the secure area is worth it for only a few hours......but then again, if I'm guaranteed some quality shots, I'll do it. I'm going in August, if that makes a difference.
darreno1 From United States of America, joined Jun 2010, 214 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (1 year 1 month 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 2024 times:
At that time of the year you are likely to run into 2 issues: Major heat haze and poor lighting because of the position of the Sun. So early morning and late evening are the best times to venture out to MIA then. That's not to say you can't get some decent shots otherwise. It's just that it will be more challenging.
Personally I prefer the El Dorado spot because the planes are closer which helps with the heat haze and it's a more comfortable spot to shoot from. At The Holes they are further away and because the runway is not quite level in some areas, the wheels are often covered half way which can destroy an otherwise perfect shot. Again just my opinion, there are others who will disagree and I have seen some great pics from there. I guess it won't hurt for you to check it out anyway.
The 2 spots above are particularly good for westerly landings. If they are coming in from the east, then you will probably need to drive along Le Jeune Road (borders MIA to the east) and find a spot to sit in one of the side streets. Or maybe, visit the famous 94th Aero Squadron restaurant that runs along The Perimeter road. They have a huge parking lot that you can sit in.
Easterly landings are not my favorite although I have gotten some great shots along Le Jeune Road. You can sit at El Dorado and catch them flying over, but they are usually very high unless they are heavy. I've never visited The Holes for easterly landings so can't comment. However, I'd imagine it's a similar situation. Just my 2 cents and good luck!
braniffthebest From United States of America, joined Jun 2010, 26 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (1 year 1 month 2 days 7 hours ago) and read 1930 times:
I think 4 hours is enough to get some spotting done, just remember that you are going to have to go through security and all that fun again, also it depends on what time you go, if you want to see the big European heavies then 1:30-3:30 is when you want to be there, remember like darreno1 said it gets really hot, but there is a tree which provides some shade.
Dang it, I'm leaving at 1:45......oh well! On my return trip, though, I'm stopping from 12:00 to 2:45. Maybe I can get some shots from the terminal? Two hours is probably not enough time to get out of the secure area and back.
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