Hello, I am interested in going spotting to DCA (Reagan Nat’l), I have gone there a few times (especially to Gravelly Point) but I would like to know which other spots are best picture wise (I searched up on SpotterGuide.net but i wanted to know y’all’s opinion). Thanks for answering or just reading even if you don’t have any tips (I know some people here have went there so).
Thanks!
Yes Gravelly Point is a great spot. Also i think the Hains Point is a good spot. Also the MLK jr and Thomas Jeffersom memorial are good too
I cannot answer for logistics since I haven’t been to DCA, but as a relatively seasoned spotter I can tell you that for the summer months you’ll probably want to be focusing on getting 19 arrivals. Gravelly is good, but I think it’s better as a winter spot since you get some insane engine light. I would probably try to go for SpotterGuide Spot 4 (afternoons) or Spot 5 (mornings), where you’ll get either a bank or a sick background. You do need quite a long lens for these though, if you have just a phone just stick to Gravelly.
Don’t think he’s around anymore, haven’t had contact in a solid minute, but @Aviation108 summon
These are pretty medicore spots (actually pretty awful spots) given three things.
Onto the locations. I’ve attached sample photos of my own to give you an idea of what to expect.
Gravelly point is good for 19 Arrivals and Lineups only. For arrivals, you want to stay closer to the far SW corner of the park for a good angle. I’ve circled it in red. If you want a more side-on shot, walk to that small opening along the Mt. Vernon trail, a bit further SW of Gravelly. Also circled in red. You’ll photograph the plane right as it passes over GW Parkway between the trees, and you can then catch it from the rear 3/4 angle as it crosses the pond and over the markers.
Here’s some sample photos from both of the places circled in red. You don’t need a long lens for this, but it can be nice. Your typical 70-200 would be plenty.
For 19 line-ups at the threshold, literally head to the localizer/runway lights. Circled in red. I’d say stay closer to the localizer antenna if you can. It’s better. You will want a longer lens - 250mm is the minimum I’d recommend. Depending on aircraft and position, you may need up to 500mm. Heat haze from engine exhausts, especially if the Tower is pushing tin, can be an issue. Planes will be following each other to the runway too closely to allow exhaust fumes to dissipate. But it’s usually not that bad - I’ve only encountered it once. Sample photos below.
Heat haze heaven on a hot humid day. Once the temps cool down, you’re fine. Grab a long lens for this. It’s actually a great spot if you can escape the heat haze - for 19 arrivals, you get the US Capitol in the background. 15 Deps and Penalty Box planes sit right in front of you, and you get 15 landings too. Face the GW Parkway as a plane arrives on 15 to get a the National Monument in the background. Taxiway N action is readily available, and a long enough lens will get you some of K/J, but expect haze. You’ll love getting 38M or any late-rotating aircraft here.
CRJ Vacating
B38M 01 Rotate
19 Flare/Landing
15 Landing w/o Monument
Big boy lens only location. 500mm or longer and only for very cloudy days, cool and not humid days, or early morning to around 11:30AM. The sun will blast you with backlit nonsense any later. Catch 01 deps rotate and 19 planes round out the final bank/line up on the runway. I don’t have photos on my laptop of 19 landings, but SpotterGuide does.
For 19 line-ups/landings, go North along Ohio Dr. to the Northern “5” dot (cirlced in red) on SpotterGuide.net. For 01 rotations and climbout, go South along Ohio Dr. to the Southern “5” dot (circled in yellow) on SpotterGuide.net. Don’t mix up the two, or else you’ll hate life and wonder why you woke up for nothing.
Catch 19 arrivals performing the final bank into DCA or 01 deps banking out of DCA. Angle is much more suitable for 19 arrivals than 01 deps simply because each pilot will bank/rotate/climb differently, making it tough to “look good.” I don’t really have photos of 01 deps on my laptop because I think the angle is hard to get right (thanks human factor), but I did map out below whereabouts you should be to catch them. Red circle is for 19 arrivals, yellow circle for 01 deps. Definitely would need a big boy lens here, and for 01 deps, feel free to experiment by walking along the trail to find an angle you like.
You get 10-15 minutes of free parking once you get the ticket from the machine. Drive in, and park along the fence where the ramp for the hangars are. If you have an SUV, huzzah! Stand on the roof, grab a few shots, and skedaddle. Some Signature employees are nice and don’t mind if you take photos, some will shoo you away. Definitely don’t linger around for too long, especially since government aircraft and employees are stationed here. Drive by the economy lot first to see if anything is actually outside before you head in. Weekdays before 3PM you’ll usually find stuff sitting on the Signature ramp. Once in a hot minute, some really cool stuff arrives (Bill Gates’ G650ER, DoJ planes, etc.). Don’t use a long lens here - just use a 24-140ish.
Self-explanatory. SpotterGuide has tons of photos from this place, so I won’t bother with my own. It’ll also tell you the lens type to use and what not. Get as close to the Catboat Pizza Bar as you can to get the optimal angle in my opinion. A lens up to 300mm would do you fine, but obviously lesser focal lengths will work too. See SpotterGuide for info.
These are really the go-to places in my opinion to get the most out of your money. One place I would recommend you skip is Spot 1 on SpotterGuide. Heat haze is atrocious because United flights are plentiful these days, and their APU exhaust will ruin everything for you since they park right there. It’s also hard to access.
If your equipment (i.e. lens/focal length) is a limiting factor, stick to:
Feel free to ask questions. Been a local for almost 15 years now, so I know my ins and outs of this place.
Wow. Now i learned something. Thx lol
This is the reason why I move this community. I have a Cannon Sx620hs camera that’s pretty small but takes great pictures (I’m in the process of retrieving all of my spotting images that sat in it for the past four years and some are awesome). I don’t want to start by getting in-air shots of the planes so I think I will aim for the Gravelley Point area (and Mt.Vernon trail opening) and I think I’ll aim for some sunset actions for better light (tell me what you think @ToasterStroodie). I will definitely share the pictures and thank you so much for all the info!
One last question: do you just go with your camera (since you can easily spot arrivals) or do you have flightradar24 running on another device? What other equipments pieces do you usually bring?
I’ll only go if there’s a plane I find interesting, which will be known to me the day of or up to 24 hours prior. Look on FR24 in advance (preferably on desktop) to get an idea of what to expect. I will have FR24 on my phone running once whatever I’m after hits the final approach path, just so I know how far away it is/who it’s following. But yeah, just a phone w/FR24 and a camera.
