It's been a while since visiting Founder's Plaza at DFW International Airport. The delay between visits would be more about the massive construction project called the DFW Connector than anything else. About half my visits are on the LBJ expressway and half are on the surface roads. Oddly enough, while the construction has been going on with the LBJ Expressway Project and the DFW Connector Construction, the expressways have been the road of choice. Actually, it kills two birds with one stone. Not only can one see two massive multi-billion dollar roadway projects going on at the same time, they occur end to end with about a five mile section in the middle where the President George Bush Turnpike crosses LBJ 635 coming up from I-30 before it bifurcates into state highway 121 that is know known as the Sam Rayburn Turnpike.
The Founder's Plaza is at the end of Texan Trail at Air Field West. Texas Trail crosses 121 and 114 (Carpenter Freeway) in Grapevine. But, from International Parkway, that runs right down the middle of the massive DFW property, Air Field east and west is like a beltway. From 183 on the south to 121 on the north,the Southern Entrance or the Northern Entrance to the airport is so named.
There are several more facts about DFW to deal with. DFW has a total of seven (7) runways. As far a big airports go, that's a lot! Five (5) of those runways ( 17L,17C,17R,18L,18R) run more-or less north and south. The next two are diagonal to the five parallel runways ( one on each side) and are cross-wind runways 13L and 13R. A few miles to the southeast on the same degree headings lies 13L and 13 R at Love Field. Thank goodness that the Regional Air Traffic Control Center handles all the incoming and outgoing flights from all the airports in Air Traffic Control (ATC). TRACON or terminal radar control all fits together in the control and safety issues before handing off to Ft. Worth Center, the high altitude control center that gets air traffic safely across this country. There are also, three (3) active control towers at DFW. No other airport has three active towers operating at the same time.
Eighteen (18) left and right runways and 13 right cross-wind runway lands in Tarrant County, Texas while Seventeen (17) left, center, right and crosswind 13 left land in Dallas Country, Texas. And the drawing board eighth runway will also land in Tarrant Country.Some passenger planes land on 18L and R and a lot of terminal traffic takes off on 18 L. The Heavies mostly land on the 18s but the smaller craft take off on the left 18s because it is close to the terminals and the International terminal.
It's much more than just watching planes land and take off. Learnng what's going on when you hear a plane overhead can tell you a lot about what's going on in the regions traffic routes and airports. Yes, even weather can be fortold by watching the high altitude flights as well as the low altitude flights.
[updated on 09/12/13 to correct bifocal blunders!]
The Founder's Plaza is at the end of Texan Trail at Air Field West. Texas Trail crosses 121 and 114 (Carpenter Freeway) in Grapevine. But, from International Parkway, that runs right down the middle of the massive DFW property, Air Field east and west is like a beltway. From 183 on the south to 121 on the north,the Southern Entrance or the Northern Entrance to the airport is so named.
There are several more facts about DFW to deal with. DFW has a total of seven (7) runways. As far a big airports go, that's a lot! Five (5) of those runways ( 17L,17C,17R,18L,18R) run more-or less north and south. The next two are diagonal to the five parallel runways ( one on each side) and are cross-wind runways 13L and 13R. A few miles to the southeast on the same degree headings lies 13L and 13 R at Love Field. Thank goodness that the Regional Air Traffic Control Center handles all the incoming and outgoing flights from all the airports in Air Traffic Control (ATC). TRACON or terminal radar control all fits together in the control and safety issues before handing off to Ft. Worth Center, the high altitude control center that gets air traffic safely across this country. There are also, three (3) active control towers at DFW. No other airport has three active towers operating at the same time.
Eighteen (18) left and right runways and 13 right cross-wind runway lands in Tarrant County, Texas while Seventeen (17) left, center, right and crosswind 13 left land in Dallas Country, Texas. And the drawing board eighth runway will also land in Tarrant Country.Some passenger planes land on 18L and R and a lot of terminal traffic takes off on 18 L. The Heavies mostly land on the 18s but the smaller craft take off on the left 18s because it is close to the terminals and the International terminal.
It's much more than just watching planes land and take off. Learnng what's going on when you hear a plane overhead can tell you a lot about what's going on in the regions traffic routes and airports. Yes, even weather can be fortold by watching the high altitude flights as well as the low altitude flights.
[updated on 09/12/13 to correct bifocal blunders!]
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| Quantas Airlines International Flight Arriving Runway 18L |
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| Founder's Plaza with city flags from Ft. Worth and Dallas, plus the Texas State Flag and the US Flag. |
