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This is another decent airport for plane watching and photographing. The Milwaukee Airport Authority has built an observation lot on the north side, just off the end of runway 1L/19R, located just 2 miles east of the Layton Ave. exit from I-94. It has been here for years and is extremely popular with the locals – I have seen the lot nearly full on a nice day. The only problem is that this runway isn’t used as often as the east-west runway (7R/25L) and to see action on that runway you need to go on the top of the parking garage, but you need a long lens for photos and the cost is something like $2 per hour. The sun angle for photographing from the garage is not the best because you’ll be facing southeast but the observation lot is perfect in the afternoon any time of the year.
The dominant airlines here are AirTran and Southwest, along with Delta and several regional airlines. This airport is also home to the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 128th Aerial Refueling Squadron and they are out flying most days in the big KC135s. There is also a lot of business jet traffic here.
Traffic is fairly constant throughout the day and in the late afternoons it is not uncommon to see three or four planes lined up for departure right in front of you at the observation area. Definitely a great place for plane lovers and I highly recommend a visit here. This airport was named in honor of General William “Billy” Mitchell, one of the most famous Generals in the U.S. Army during World War I. He is often considered the father of the modern air force and was a Wisconsin native. The B-25 bomber was named after him and there is a B-25 on display at the entrance to this airport.
Click for photos from the parking garage
Click for photos from the Layton Ave. observation lot