Through the Lens: John F. Kennedy International Airport
For an aviation photographer and/or enthusiast, observing commercial aircraft can be very rewarding. The accessibility to public airports, combined with the variety of aircraft types and liveries, can make commercial aviation enjoyable for everyone.
In our quest to provide coverage of all forms of aviation, we begin 2016 with a look at commercial aviation at one of the busiest international airports in the world.
We continue our “Through the Lens” series with a look at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York…
Words and Photos by Steven Valinski
What was once a golf course situated within the marshlands of Long Island, is now the location of the largest of New York City’s airports.
Construction of what began as New York International Airport, more commonly referred to as Idlewild Airport, started in 1942, with the first commercial flights beginning in 1948. A month after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the airport was renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
Today, JFK handles more international traffic than any other airport in North America. Serving more than 26 million passengers a year, JFK ranks 5th in the U.S. in terms of overall passenger traffic. This combination of volume and international traffic makes JFK one of the best airports in the U.S. to observe aircraft.
There are good locations for observation and photography all around JFK, and the variety and volume of aircraft is enough to keep one busy the entire day. The key to a successful day at JFK is often determined by how cooperative the weather will be. Flexibility with scheduling should help overcome any potential poor weather days.
For photography, a good DSLR with a zoom range of 80-400mm covers most shooting locations. The following photos were taken on a single day at JFK using a Nikon D7200 with a Nikon 70-300mm zoom lens.
Here we look at JFK…..”Through the Lens”….
Korean Air – Airbus A380
AeroMexico – Boeing 787 Dreamliner
Air Berlin – Airbus A330
Egyptair – Boeing 777
LAN – Boeing 787 Dreamliner
Singapore Airlines – Airbus A380
TAM – Boeing 767 “One World”
Finnair – Airbus A330
British Airways – Boeing 747
KLM – Boeing 777
Swiss – Airbus A330
Asiana – Airbus A380
Alitalia – Airbus A330
Saudi Arabian Airlines – Boeing 777
Etihad Jet Airways – Boeing 777
Air France – Airbus A380
Click on an image below to view the remainder of the gallery:
Emirates - Airbus A380
Korean Air Cargo - Boeing 747
Aer Lingus - Airbus A330
Lufthansa - Boeing 747
Aeroflot - Airbus A330
Air Berlin - Airbus A330
Air China - Boeing 747
Air France - Boeing 777
All Nippon Airways - Boeing 777
American Airlines - Boeing 737 "One World"
Brussels Airlines - Airbus A330
Caribbean Airlines - Boeing 737
China Eastern Airlines - Boeing 777
JAL - Boeing 777
JetBlue - Embraer 190
Lufthansa - Airbus A330
Swiss - Airbus A330
Turkish Airlines - Airbus A330
Virgin Atlantic - Airbus A340
Cathay Pacific - Boeing 777