LAS Spotters ~ help!

[Olivia]

I'm moving to Las Vegas this weekend and was hoping someone could tell me where the good spotting/listening areas are around LAS.   I've been spoiled living so close to LAX, but it's time to move on.   

Thanks for the help.

[tyketto]

I'm moving to Las Vegas this weekend and was hoping someone could tell me where the good spotting/listening areas are around LAS.   I've been spoiled living so close to LAX, but it's time to move on.   

Thanks for the help.

Olivia,

You'll find LAS BETTER (yes, BETTER) than LAX. And I'm not being biased, either.

If you're familiar with the Vegas area, Head down to the Strip (Las Vegas Blvd). Go south on there until you get to Sunset Rd. Sunset is basically where the approach end of the 1s meet the approach end of the 7s. Turn left there, and follow Sunset road until you see a parking area on the left side of the road. Turn in there, Tune your car radio to 101.1FM, and listen to the tower straight from your radio. That frees up your scanner to listen to the final controller on 135.0, ground on 121.1, Delivery, or Ramp.

I basically described my 'other office', as I'm there quite a bit.

The same exists for KVGT as well, if you follow Rancho northwest until it crosses Decatur or Cheyenne. You'll see another parking area there (it's where the approach end to 7 meets the approach end of 12L/R). Pull in there, tune your radio to the same frequency, and you have VGT.

HND has the same thing, but it's such a bear to get to that airport that I haven't gone there.

What I don't understand is how the LV Metro PD and airport authority are totally for planespotting, and the LAPD is so against it at Sandpiper.

BL.

[Olivia]

Thanks for the detailed (and quick) reply BL; it's greatly appreciated.  I have to admit, LAX holds a special place in my planespotting heart, but the LAPD...not so much.    

As for LAS...I thought listening to LiveATC.net through McCarran's free wifi was a great deal, but I can listen from the comfort of my car?  Sweet!  Guess I'll be throwing my boxes into my condo and heading down for some spotting sooner than expected.  Who needs to unpack when there's a new airport to get used to.  Thanks again for the great info; if you see a red convertible PT Cruiser in the parking area, that'll probably be me...stop by and say hi! 

[tyketto]

Sure thing!

Oh.. one other thing I should mention. That parking area at LAS is perfect for when calm wind runways are in effect (19L/R and 25L/R). That is pretty much most of the time. During the winter with getting the northerly flow of winds, the 1s will become the primary runways with 25L being the offload runway, so you won't hear much/see much traffic unless you tune your scanner to the freq. for the 1s. Summer time is when it gets fun. You won't want to be out during the day then, but if you are, and temps are above 100F (37C), you may see the 7s in use. It's not often that you see an airport with a set of parallel intersecting runways and all of them active.

BL.