The Blog
Spotting guides, equipment reviews, and the details that make aviation richer — from the fence line and beyond.
The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 is one of the most underrated tools for plane spotting and aviation photography. Here's how I set mine up to capture 4K footage at the airport.
Flightradar24 is the single most useful tool in any plane spotter's pocket. Here is how I use it to find rare aircraft, predict the active runway, and never miss a good arrival.
Why is it Runway 27 and not Runway 9? What do L, C, and R mean, and why do runway numbers occasionally change? A plain English guide to the numbers painted on the pavement.
Spotting does not stop when the sun goes down. With the right settings and a little patience, night is when aircraft photography gets dramatic. Here is how I shoot after dark.
A good pair of binoculars lets you read a registration from across the field and identify a smudge on the horizon. Here is what to look for and my picks at every budget for 2026.
Everyone knows O'Hare, but Midway is the spotting field I keep coming back to. It is tight, busy, and gloriously easy to reach by train. Here is how to make a day of it.
That wall of letters and numbers pilots read before every flight is not as cryptic as it looks. Learn to decode a METAR and a TAF, and you will know which runway to expect before you leave home.
Why does one route get a tiny regional jet while another gets a widebody? The aircraft an airline assigns to a route is a careful balance of demand, distance, cost, and airport limits. Here is how it works.
Two companies build most of the airliners you will ever see, and once you know a handful of tells you can name the manufacturer from a mile away. Here is my field guide to Boeing versus Airbus.
Plane spotting has a few unwritten rules that keep the hobby welcome at airports. Follow these and you will have better days at the fence and help keep our spots open for everyone who comes after.
After a lot of trial and error, my spotting bag has settled into a kit that covers almost any day at the airport. Here is everything I carry and why each piece earns its place.
Before O'Hare and Midway, my home field is Lewis University Airport in Romeoville. It is a friendly general aviation field that is perfect for learning the hobby. Here is how to spot at KLOT.
As a Junior Aviation Management student at Lewis University, I get to combine my love of aviation with a career-focused education — all within 30 minutes of two of the busiest airports in the country.
From live flight tracking to ATC radio frequencies, these are the must-have apps that every plane spotter should have on their phone before heading to the airport.
Great aviation photography isn't about having the most expensive gear — it's about understanding light, timing, and composition. Here are 10 tips I use every time I shoot.
Plane spotting is one of the fastest-growing aviation hobbies in the world. Here's everything you need to know to get started — from what it is to where to go and what to bring.
From the 2,300+ daily flights at O'Hare to the dedicated viewing areas at MSP, here are the five best Midwest airports every plane spotter needs to visit.
You don't need a professional cinema rig to capture stunning 4K aviation footage. Here are the exact camera settings I use on my iPhone, Android devices, and DJI Osmo Pocket 3 for plane spotting.
Chicago is one of the best cities in the country for plane spotting. With two major airports and some of the busiest airspace in the world, here's where to go and what to bring.
Welcome to The Airplane Girl — your source for 4K drone footage, plane spotting, and aviation news from airports around the world.