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January 12, 2025Madison Dane County Regional Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on March 11, 2025
Madison Dane County Regional Airport (MSN/KMSN) is the main airport of the Wisconsin state capital city Madison, the second biggest city after Milwaukee. All three main US carriers serve the city from their hubs with narrowbody aircrafts, mainly linking Madison with nearby big cities in the Midwest like Chicago and Minneapolis. The airport is also served by Frontier Airlines with service to Denver and by Breeze, flying the A220 to Tampa. Some additional seasonal services are also offered by Sun Country Airlines. The airport also sees minor freight operations, primarily by FedEx on a daily/twice daily A300 and multiple C208 flights, as well as by Air Cargo Carriers using a Short SD3-60. The airport presents a single terminal with 16 gates, with the recent addition of the south terminal expansion that added 3 additional gates. In 2023, it saw over two million passenger movements, distributed across 13.000 flights.
Madison airport also hosts the 115th fighter wing of the Wisconsin Air National Guard. Since 2023, the unit is equipped with F-35A “WI” aircrafts that replaced the aging F-16C/D. Until the unit reaches operational capabilities, F-16s from Duluth are deployed to enforce QRA. Additionally, the 77th Aviation Brigade of the Wisconsin Army National Guard is also based here, with multiple UH-60M Blackhawk helicopters.
The airport was built in 1939 after three years of constructions and over ten since when the city purchased the land, which used to be a cabbage patch. As World War II raged on in 1942, the airport was activated as a US Army Air Corps airfield for technical, radio and control training purposes. As the war drew to an end, the AAC was deactivated and in 1948 the Wisconsin ANG was established. The ’50s saw the arrival of the first commercial aircrafts with DC-3s from North Central Airlines serving the city, upgraded in 1965 with the first jet passenger flights on Northwest Orient Airlines’ Boeing 727s. The 115th Fighter Wing continued operations until the present day, flying on F-89s, F-102s, O-2s, OA-37s and the iconic A-10 Warthog and F-16 Viper. In 2006 the airport saw a major redevlopment and expansion, commemorating the 50 years of jet service.
Written by Tommaso Dal Maso and Brett Johnson (@ord.spotting). Last Update: Summer 2024
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations |  |
| Weather | |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 03/21 | 2,194 m (7,200 ft) – Concrete |
| 14/32 | 1,782 m (5,846 ft) – Concrete |
| 18/36 | 2,745 m (9,006 ft) – Concrete |
| Terminals | |
| T1 | There is One terminal handling all operations. |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not needed and not recommended!! |
| Car/Public Transport | A car is preferred to reach the spots, with public transport only being present to the main Terminal (Spot 1). This is the bus from Downtown D2 running every 30 minutes. Other locations can be reached on foot, however a sidewalk is not present and it is a long walk. |
| Drinks/Food | Spot 1 is near the Terminal, where before TSA an Ancora Coffe & Tea can be found. However there is nothing near the other indicated spots, but there are several restaurants present to the West and to the East of the airport, such as McDonald’s and Chick-Fil-A or more “slow food” options. |
| Hotels | There are multiple hotel options to the East of the airport, spanning different range of price from the cheaper Motel 6 and Econo Lodge to the prestigious DoubleTree by Hilton and Staybridge Suites. More options are available in the nearby downtown. |
| Season | Summer season is preferrable with addtitional seasonal traffic and overall better weather conditions. |
| Security | Spotting is normally no issue at MSN, but as the airfield is used by both civilian and military aircraft it is important to stick to the general rules for miliatry airfields: Always try to keep a low profile (stow your camera at all times e.g.) and be aware of law enforcement. Police and USAF security forces may be uneasy of photographers around the base and it is very possible you will be asked to leave. In addition, always keep an ID with you in case you are getting checked: stay friendly, simply explain what you do here and cooperate…
Mostly if you just say you are watching planes (and try to not have your camera next to you), they will leave you alone and tell you not to make any pictures. But sometimes they do also run license plate checks, wanna see the pictures on your SD or they will even make you delete shots, so plan on either having throwaway shots or download shots to another device while spotting to be safe. Stay away from the fence as long as possible to avoid attention and such trouble! |
| Runway Usage | |
| General Info | The main runway (18/36) is always used by scheduled passenger fights. The secondary runway is used for general aviation and lighter aircrafts when the wind is not favourable. 18/36 is used most of the time, 03/21 is for light movements or during strong weather conditions. |
 |
Spot #1 – Multi-Storey Parking – All 18/36 & 03/21 Movements |
|---|---|
| WHERE | The spot is located on top of the Multistorey parking adjacent to the terminal. From the Terminal, cross the street and take the elevator up to the last floor. There walk West (Away from runway) to go up even higher in the parking that is slightly offset to the back. |
| WHAT | All movements on runways 18/36 and 03/21. 18 Takeoffs especially fighters might still be too low to be visible. |
| TIME | From later noon/early afternoon till sunset. |
| MISC. | Snacks and drinks can be found inside the terminal building at Ancora Coffe & Tea. Parking security might come to see what you are doing but they are generally friendly, as long as you don’t stand too close to other cars. Heat haze is an big issue during summer! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-400mm 150-300mm for most civilian / F-16: 400mm |
 |
Spot #2 – Railroad – RWY 18 Arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | The spot is located along County Highway C V on the North-West of the airport – feel free positioning yourself along here depending on your favourite angle. From the Terminals, take Packers Ave North. You can leave your on the side of Messerschmidt Road (as close as possible to the intersection) and then walk. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 18. |
| TIME | From later noon/early afternoon till sunset. |
| MISC. | There is nothing nearby. Stay far off from the railroad and as much as possible from the road. Police might come to investigate what you are doing and possibly make you leave, especially if you disturb drivers on the busy road. Therefore, keep your camera away until necessary so you don’t attract attention from the drivers. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm F35: 220mm / KC135: 300mm (you can walk up/down the road for a better angle) |
 |
Spot #3 – Hill – RWY 18 & 21 Arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | From the same parking used for spot #2, keep walking on Messerschmidt Road until you have a clear side view of the runway from the hill. Do not bring your car down the road or police will be called on you! |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runways 18 and 21. |
| TIME | From sunrise till late morning/early noon. |
| MISC. | There is nothing nearby. Stay off from the property and make sure you leave your car at the parking location signaled on the map. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 150-400mm F35: 400mm |
 |
Spot #4 – Cell Phone Lot – RWY 18 Departures |
|---|---|
| WHERE | From the Terminal, drive South towards downtown until you see the cell phone parking on the left/west. Enter, drive with your car towards the fence and simply stay in your car: the lot it is free of use if you remain in the car. |
| WHAT | Departures on runway 18. |
| TIME | From later noon/early afternoon till sunset. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby at all. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 150-400mm F35: 350mm |
 |
Spot #5 – Swanson – RWY 18 Departures / 36 Arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | From the Terminal drive South along International Lane and then turn left into Anderson Street. Take a left on Swanson Street and leave your car well out of the way by the roadside somewhere. |
| WHAT | Low departures on runway 18 (fighter jets) and arriving traffic on runway 36. |
| TIME | From later noon/early afternoon till sunset. |
| MISC. | There is nothing nearby. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Unfortunately we do not have photos from this location yet. |
Unluckily we cannot provide any pictures yet.
 |
Spot #6 – College – RWY 18 Departures / RWY 36 Arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | From spot #5 continue along Anderson Street and later take a left on Pearson Street. You can park in the parking lot that is present there and simply position yourself around here. |
| WHAT | Low departures on runway 18 (fighter jets) and arriving traffic on runway 36. |
| TIME | From sunrise till late morning/early noon. |
| MISC. | There is nothing nearby. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 250-500mm F35: 400mm-500mm |
 |
Spot #7 – VFW Post – RWY 18 Arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | From spot #2 continue along County Highway C V until you reach the preserved jets. Then simply position yourself around here in the parking depending on your favourite angle. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 18, especially larger aircrafts. |
| TIME | From sunrise till late morning/early noon. |
| MISC. | There is nothing nearby. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 250-500mm B757: 350mm |
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