Photo Gallery: Planespotting at LAX Airport, Los Angeles (2026 update)

Apr 7, 2024
2 min read

Los Angeles International Airport is one of those great places for planespotting, having several vantage points around the very large property. I'm not going to review all the best spots, but the most popular is called simply "Airplane Landing View Point, LAX". A small park, located at the northeast corner of the airport and in the path of runway 24R, is where I took the photo just below. Also, some people appreciate that this spot is right next to an In-N-Out Burger location. I happened to visit during an aviation meetup.

commercial airliner jet on final approach at LAX, flying over the Airplane Landing View Point - photo copyright by KilmerMedia, all rights reserved

Another interesting viewpoint is The Proud Bird restaurant, located near the southeast corner of the airport, on Aviation Blvd. It has an outdoor mini-museum, featuring both retired aircraft and mockups, which time and the Southern California sun have been unkind to. Here are two (among twelve) aircraft on display:

two aircraft on display at The Proud Bird restaurant, located across from Los Angeles International Airport LAX - photo copyright by KilmerMedia, all rights reserved

During one memorable visit here, I chatted for a while with the only person I've ever met from the U.S. Space Force. He was a pretty serious fellow but liked talking about his job, in circles, cautiously not revealing what any of the work entails. I asked if he's ever watched the Steve Carell show "Space Force". His reply: "No, would you watch a show about your job?" Heck yeah, I would! Like "Space Force", I generally find TV shows about making TV shows to be pretty funny. Anyway, I filled up on BBQ, and took photos from just outside the restaurant (including these two below) during a chilly evening, while waiting for my beer buzz to wear off:

Air Canada commercial jet up close, just before landing at LAX

Korean Air Cargo jet on landing final approach at Los Angeles International Airport LAX - photo copyright by KilmerMedia, all rights reserved

Here are more jet pics, from various locations around the huge airport:

Southwest jet on final approach at LAX, Los Angeles - photo copyright by KilmerMedia, all rights reserved

Lufthansa 747 taking off at LAX, Los Angeles during the day - photo copyright by KilmerMedia, all rights reserved

Spirit jets at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) during the day - photo copyright by KilmerMedia, all rights reserved

United jet taking off during the day from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) - photo copyright by KilmerMedia, all rights reserved

FedEx jet taxiing at night at LAX - photo copyright by KilmerMedia, all rights reserved

One neat thing about this airport is that you never know what you'll see. Sometimes, there are unusual livery designs on the planes, advertising movies and sports teams or commemorating special events.

Military aircraft don't fly into LAX all that often, considering there are several bases in Southern California, but they sometimes do. In summer 2023, a planespotter near the airport told me a C-17 would be landing soon. That was odd, then we discovered it was there as transportation support for the Vice President. We didn't know the Air Force Two jet was at the opposite end of the airport. Soon, a motorcade drove by in front of us and, shortly, we saw AF2 take off.

And now, the LAX footage reel:

"Photo Gallery: Planespotting at LAX Airport, Los Angeles"

(published in 2024, updated in 2026) by Justin J. Kilmer

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