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Norway Spotting Tips: Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim, Tromso, Hammerfest Introduction During my research for a travel trough Norway I found out, that apart from Oslo, almost no information about spotting is available on the net. Nevertheless, I wanted to do some spotting, so I just packed my hiking boots and made some explorations around the airports. So here's an overview of the spotting points I used. Please be aware, that mostly it's only 1 or 2 per airport, as I only had half a day per airport. So there might be other good (or even better) points around. But to start with, these below aren't too bad ;) General Norway is an extremely beautiful country, offering breathtaking scenery and cute historical towns. As a result of the size of the country, the ruggid terrain and the sparse population, flying is a widespread means of travel. This means that there's a myriad of airports, most of which see less than 5 daily scheduled flights with small prop aircraft. There are, however, some regional hubs, were the regional planes meet the mid-sized aircraft of flag carrier SAS/Braathens. That's where you get some more action. These are the places I'm going to talk about. Norway is extremely safe, so it is no problem to walk around the airports on your own. People are very friendly (not that communicative, maybe), so you shouldn't be bothered. Airband receivers are allowed to use and are widely used by aviation enthusiasts, without problems. Caution: Weekends are terribly slow in Norwegian aviation (and public transport). Flights may be reduced by more than 50%. So if you can, go spotting on weekdays All Charts of all Norwegian airports can be found here, for free: here. Select "AIS Publications" on the left, click on "Norway AIP" and select one. You'll then be presented with a map to select your airport. Flightstats.com is a good option to check traffic. Avinor, the Norwegian airport company also has real-time flight information for all their airports. Most (larger) airports are served by an airport bus (flybussen), originating from the city centre. Most of them also stop by larger hotels. Traffic: SAS/Braathens and Norwegian are covering the routes between larger cities, mostly with 737 of all generations Smaller cities are served by regional carriers, the biggest of which (by far) is Wideroe, operating Dash8-100, -300 and -400. Apart from Oslo, there are no scheduled intercontinental flights using heavy equipment During summer months, some charter aircraft can be seen at the bigger airports The weather can be quite changing and you can be glad if it remains dry. You'll have to learn to live with clouds and overcast skies As you might see from above, Norway isn't love at first sight for spotters. Traffic is a bit repetitive, weather is unreliable and not really charming. So doing a spotting-only trip to Norway might not be the best option. But if you're travelling through this great country anyway (highly recommended! See my photos here) make sure to stop at one or two airports on your way! Stavanger Sola (SVG/ENZV) The airport is located south of the city, features two runways and has 3,3 million passengers annualy. Traffic: It sees the usual mix of SAS and Norwegian with the odd Wideroe in between. International flights include a KLM 737 and a Lufthansa CRJ. In Summer '07 there were also flights by City Star Airlines from Iceland and Atlantic Airways from the Faroe Islands. Runways: Rwy18/36 is the main runway, the other one is mainly used for helicopters departing to offshore oil-rigs. Spotting Points: I found two spots on the western side of Rwy18, at the northern end. It's about a 20min walk from the terminal. The one along the elevated main-road is best for photos of aircraft on final. The other spot, down at the fence, can be used to take close-ups of aircraft taxiing by for departure. They are best for the second half of the day. For a landing 737 you need about 300mm, for taxiing aircraft, less than 100mm is enough. Frequencies: TWR: 118.35, ATIS: 126.0 Bigger Map: Here Click blue baloons for more infos and photo examples Bergen Flesland (BGO/ENBR) The airport is located south of the city, has one runway and sees 4,6 mio passengers per year. It serves the culture and tourism city of Bergen, so there might be an unexpected charter. Traffic: It sees the usual mix of SAS and Norwegian with the odd Wideroe in between. In addition, I saw a Danish Air Transport ATR and a Mytravel A320 in Summer '07. Weather: Be informed that Bergen is Norway's wettest city (240 days of rain per year)! Spotting Points: There seem to be spots on the western side of the airport, opposite the terminal. However, without a car, this is not really recommended, as it would take at least an hour to get there on foot. So, the only option is the roof of the car-park right behind the terminal. The view isn't that bad. You can see all movements and take photos of the most. The view onto the runway is obstructed by the terminal. But you can see aircraft lifting off early, as well as aircraft taxiing to/from their parking positions on the northern/southern side of the terminal. For runway traffic, 400mm is required. For apron movements, 200mm is enough. Frequencies: TWR: 119.90, ATIS: 125.25 Bigger Map: Here Click blue baloons for more infos and photo examples. Blue areas show unobstructed view. Trondheim Vaernes (TRD/ENVA) Trondheim's Vaernes airport is situated northeast of the city and has 3,2 million passengers anually. There is an airport bus from the city, and also trains from the city heading north stop at the airport. This is probably your best bet apart from Oslo. Easy access, great spots, okay traffic! Traffic: SAS and Norwegian galore, and lots of Wideroe in between. KLM Fokker 70 is the only scheduled flight from abroad. Occasional charters, e.g. Mytravel, can be seen, too. Caution: The tarmac is to be extended to the west. This could affect the airport's best spotting point, the one mentioned below. In Summer 2007 it was still usable. Spotting Points: Probably the best point is just west of the airport train station, west of the terminal. It's a 3min walk from the station to an aerea where you'll find a mound constructed of loose stones. From there you have a good view over the fence. This means, most aircraft taxi right in front of you when using the main taxiway to/from the apron. Runway traffic is great for shots as well, you're right at the liftoff-point for 27. If 09's in use, you might get touchdowns with 400mm. For a side-on shot of a 737 on the runway, 120mm is okay. Taxiway movements require a lot less. The sun (if it is shining ;)) is in your back most of the time! Frequencies: TWR: 119.40, ATIS: 127.55 Bigger Map: Here Click blue baloons for more infos and photo examples. Tromsų Langnes (TOS/ENTC) Tromso airport is Norway's biggest airport north of the polar circle. It serves the university city of Tromso with its well-known Arctic Cathedral. It has 1,6 Mio passengers per year. Traffic: Here's the place where all the Wideroe dashs from Norway's ruggid north meet the jet aircraft from the south. This means: Loads of SAS and Norwegian, lots of Wideroes. There are some small air taxi companies, too. But the absolute highlight is an Antonov-24 of Aeroflot North, doing a 3-weekly connection to Murmansk. Spotting Points: I was only looking for a morning-spot, so I took the eastern side. There might be good spots around the terminal on the western side, too. I stumbled upon a great spot, but I'm not sure how long it will last. From the city, you can take busses 28, 40 or 42. (40/42 go on to the airport terminal) You go off when reaching the south-eastern end of the airport. (see bus-map (PDF)). The street's called Ringveien, and there's a small bus terminal serving the "Farmen" and "Jekta" shopping centres near-by. From there, you walk north along Ringveien following the blue line on my map. The Spotting point is great. It is used by some building companies to load off soil. The truck drivers didn't mind my presence at all. The spot lies about 20m higher than the runway, giving you a great view down. You can take photos of all runway movements (100mm for a 737 side-on) and can get some great rotation shots! Best for morning, works until about 3pm in summer. There might be other spots with a similar view further along Ringveien. Frequencies: TWR: 118.30 Bigger Map: Here Click blue baloons for more infos and photo examples. Hammerfest(HFT/ENHF) If you like going to extremes, this might be your place! The world's northernmost city also has an airport (located on an exposed plateau) which serves as Wideroe's far-north mini-hub. The cute airport has an 800m-runway and about 16 flights a day. Traffic: Not much to say here. Wideroe Dash 8-100 is the only thing you get. Maybe a King Air of Lufttransport if you're lucky. That's it. Opt for the early morning (7 o clock), there are up to 3 aircraft on the tarmac. After that it's about 1 flight/hour. Weather conditions: Caution, weather can be terrible up there! The airport is very exposed, so it's always very windy, and even during summer it can be very cold. A windbreaker is a must. During my stay of 4 hours, blue sky and heavy rain alternated 6 times. Go to the terminal between flights ;) Public transport: There's a bus meeting all flights, operating from the city centre. You can also walk, it's a nice 1hr/3,5km walk from the city along the sea. Spotting Points: Only the north-eastern side of the airport is suitable for spotting. Because it is elevated, you have a great view of the runway and the airport. There's pretty much nothing around the airport, so you can walk around and choose your favourite spot. See blue balloons on the map for inspirations. 200mm and more are fine. Frequencies: AFIS: 118.40 Bigger Map: Here Click the 3 blue baloons for more infos and photo examples.