Charleston International Airport is South Carolina’s largest and busiest airport as well as it being a military base with 35+ C17’s stationed. Quite the highlight for a lot of spotters is the Boeing 787 assembly line which also produces the exclusive 787-10. Boeing South Carolina offers all kinds of traffic from all over the world that you would usually never see in North America making it a gold mine for spotters. CHS offers something for everyone, with 10 airlines serving it to this day including JetBlue and Southwest with their many special liveries. Also not very uncommon is to see foreign C17’s fly in from all over the world due to the instructors Joint Base Charleston has to offer. Including the likes of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Indian Air Force, Kuwait Air Force, Qatar Emiri Air Force, UAE Air Force etc.

Written by Devin. Last Update: July 2020

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
15/33	2.744 m (9.001 ft) Concrete
03/21	2.134 m (7.000 ft) Concrete
Terminals	Only one terminal served by Alaska, Allegiant, American, British Airways (seasonal), Delta, Frontier (seasonal), Jetblue, Silver Airways, Southwest and United.
Spotting Information
Ladder	Useful at position #3 and needed at location #4. For more details see the description.
Car/Public Transport	There is no chance to get around without a car. No spots are in walking distance from the terminal.
Restrooms	Nothing directly at the locations except spot 1.
Drinks/Food	Plenty of dining options along Highway 78 and the Tanger Outlet at spot 1.
Hotels	There a dozens of hotels around the airport but no one with a special onto the action.
Season	Not really, most interesting traffic comes from Boeing and they operate all year around except Christmas to New Years. Military action is also year round.
Security	At S Aviation Avenue expect questioning. Also the Boeing Delivery Center will kick you out if they find you taking pictures. Don’t go to no go areas, you will get kicked out and you will be questioned.
Runway Usage
General Info	All runways are used for both departures and arrivals. Mostly 15/33 however.
15/33	15/33 runs SE to NW. Winds are usually calm in the morning so they prefer to use 33 since it is a much shorter taxi to 15.
03/21	03/21 is used pretty rarely, only used frequently by Fedex in the morning. Only during very strong winds.

	Spot #1 – Tanger Outlets – 33 Approach
WHERE	There is a Tanger outlet mall at the intersection of I-526 and I-26. Follow the signs to the mall and situate yourself anywhere on the parking lot, depending on which angle you prefer. In the morning we recommend the parking lot next to the Walmart and in the afternoon next to “Sportman’s Warehouse”.
WHAT	33 Arrivals only (sample pics are go arounds!)
TIME	You can use it the whole day. Light is on the runway around noon.
MISC.	No issues here with security. Plenty of hotels, restaurants, grocery stores and restrooms are available within walking distance.
FOCAL LENGTH	Anything from 75+ will do. Arrival 789 = 120mm,  go around 78X = 200

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	Spot #2 – Boeing Delivery Center – Boeing Ramp
WHERE	The Boeing Delivery Center parking lot is accessible from South Aviation Ave (exit 16B (airport) from I-562 and only reachable by car. There is a fence but a camera easily fits through it as it is made of iron rods with sufficient space between the rods.
WHAT	Anything leaving the Boeing facility and parked aircraft like the Boeing Dreamlifters.
TIME	Sunrise to noon in the summer, sunrise to 10:30 in the winter for taxiway movements.
MISC.	This is private property so be careful and don`t stay too long. They will kick you out if they see you taking pictures. Has only ever happened to us once in nearly a dozen visits. The Tanger Outlet is 5 minutes away by car where you have access to various facilities.
FOCAL LENGTH	Anything from 18mm when 787’s taxi by to depart to 200mm for a parked Dreamlifter.

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	Spot #3 – Atlantic Aviation FBO Parking
WHERE	Continue from the airport and spot 2 northwards on the South Aviation Ave until you see the Atlantic Aviation FBO parking lot to your left. Park there and walk up to the fence to shoot there.
WHAT	33 Arrivals and departures, 21 Arrivals and departures, 03 departures, Taxiway G and A as well as some GA aircraft parked at Signature FBO nearby.
TIME	Sunrise to 10:30 in both summer and winter due to light and heat haze.
MISC.	You can bring a ladder if you want, but there is also an electrical box or the base of the lamp post you can climb on, which will clear the top of the fence. However it is possible that the FBO staff ask you to leave this place as it is still private property. Tanger Outlets is about 10-15 minutes from here. This spot is only available by car.
FOCAL LENGTH	18mm for the aircraft at Signature 737 on runway = 130mm

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	Spot #4 – South Aviation Avenue – 15 Approach
WHERE	Continue from the Atlantic Aviation FBO parking lot (spot 3) until you see a gravel parking area by the 15 threshold.
WHAT	15 arrivals and line ups, and also 33 departures, but they are already quite high in the air at that point, so we recommend spot #3 for that.
TIME	Sunrise to 10:30 in both summer and winter due to light and heat haze.
MISC.	A ladder is necessary for 15 line ups, but not required for 15 arrivals as you can catch them on short final. We don’t recommend to bring a ladder as this can quickly get the attention of security. Just stay in your car and shoot when a plane moves and you’ll be fine. Tanger Outlet is 10-15 minutes from here. This spot is only available by car.
FOCAL LENGTH	F-15 = 350m; C-17 = 180mm

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	Spot #5 – Grainger Industrial Supply – 15 approach
WHERE	There is an industrial area on the northern end of the airport. Find the Grainger Industrial Supply parking lot on Pepperdam Ave and start taking pictures from there. This spot is quite far away from the other locations and it can take up to 20 mins to get there with traffic.
WHAT	15 arrivals only.
TIME	Noon to sunset both summer and winter.
MISC.	There are several hotels and gas stations nearby. No issue with security here at all even if you are on “private property”.
FOCAL LENGTH	around 150mm for A320/737

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