King County Intl. Airport or better known as Boeing Field, hosts one of the three major Boeing facilities in the Seattle Metropolitan Area, besides Paine Field Airport (Everett)and Renton Municipal Airport. The airport areal is pretty tiny, compared to the huge factory in Everett and is located north of Seattle Tacoma Intl. Airport.
There isn’t an assembly line at BFI, but final preparations of Boeing 737 aircraft after the first test flight are made here. Furthermore the airport has a paint hangar and flight test facilities, so aircraft besides from the 737 are regular visitors. Most of Boeing’s test flights out of BFI are on weekdays, but occasionally flights will fly on weekends.
The only schedule passenger service is operated by Kenmore Air to some smaller towns in the region. UPS and Ameriflight uses King County instead of Tacoma for their cargo operations to the city of Seattle. Furthermore some smaller regional cargo airlines are common visitors here. And last but not least there are a lot of General Aviation activities at BFI, from the big Gulfstream to the small Cessna 172.
And last but not least, there is the huge Museum of Flight at the airport, with its massive exhibition!
Written by Julian Mittnacht, Rohan and Michael Steffen (Spot 4). Last Update: May 2022
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations |  |
| Weather | |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 14L/32R | 3.050 m (10.007 ft) Aspahlt |
| 14R/32L | 1.131 m (3.709 ft) Asphalt |
| Terminals | There is one small terminal for the Kenmore Air flights. |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not needed and not recommend to use! |
| Car/Public Transport | Car is recommend but if you stay at spots 1-2 only, there is a bus running from Downtown Seattle 3rd Ave & Union St to the Museum. |
| Drinks/Food/Restrooms | There are restrooms and a café inside the museum. |
| Hotels | There aren’t hotels in this area. |
| Season | Better weather during summer months and longer days. North/South directions is also perfect during this period. |
| Security | Spotters are well known here and no problems with security reported. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 14L/32R | Due to its length the major runway and almost all flights are taking place here in both directions. |
| 14R/32L | Only used by small GA aircraft |
 | Spot #1 – Museum of Flight “Parking Lot” |
|---|---|
| WHERE | If coming by car, follow the signs to the King County International Airport from I-5 and then go towards the Museum of Flight (9404 E Marginal Way S, Seattle, WA 98108). Park at the main lot and walk towards the southernmost corner of the museum building, without entering it. The position is slightly elevated and you can photograph the arrivals easily over the fence. For ground photo you have to go down to fence and shot through the mesh. |
| WHAT | The spot allows pictures of 31L approaches and ground movements if you go down to the fence for aircraft taxiing to 32L, 32L departures. |
| TIME | Best from Mid Afternoon to Sunset. When the museum close its doors at 1700, this is a good alternative. |
| MISC. | There are restrooms at the entrance of the museum. Some benches are outside to sit down. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Heavies (Notably Boeing 777-9): 50-200mm Narrowbodies (Notably Boeing 737 MAX): 70-300mm Bizjets: 100-500mm |
 | Spot #2 – Museum of Flight “Tower Exhibit” |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This spot is located inside the Museum of Flight at King County International Airport. Walk into the museum (you will need tickets!) and go to the ATC tower exhibit, and position yourself facing the runways. |
| WHAT | This spot is similar to spot 1 and best for 32L arrivals, but provides elevation and doesn’t require shooting through fence. Aircraft taxiing to 32L, 32L departures, some heavy 14R Arrivals and 14R departures are visible here. Planes departing on 14R provide a nice backdrop of the Seattle city and the Space Needle, and Mount Rainier is visible for 32L Arrivals. And last but not least, you can visit the exhibition with planes like the Boeing 741, 707, 727 and even a Concorde! |
| TIME | Best from Mid Afternoon to Sunset. However the museum closes daily at 17:00 so you will have to go outside to spot 1. |
| MISC. | Tickets needed to access this spot! Tickets $17 for Children and $25 for Adults. The museum is open from 10:00-17:00 Monday through Sunday. Check the offical website! Restrooms, Cafes, and many exhibits all located in the museum. No problems with security, but do be mindful of other guests. Since the location is located in a museum, you will have to be shooting through glass. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Heavies (Notably Boeing 777-9): 50-200mm Narrowbodies (Notably Boeing 737 MAX): 70-300mm Bizjets: 100-500mm General Aviation: 200-500mmReference Images: Alaska MAX = 100mm, UPS 767-300 = 135mm, Private Global Express = 100mm, NetJets Aviation Global 5000 = 290mm, Saab 2000 = 270mm, King Air = 350mm. |
 | Spot #3 – Crash Gate – 14R arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This is a good location when there are southern ops. From the museum drive northwards on E Marginal Way, pass the boeing plant and turn right at the gas station into Ellis Ave S. Then take the second right and turn into a dead end road which leads you to the final position, next to a crash gate and some warehouses. |
| WHAT | 14R arrivals only. |
| TIME | Best from Mid Afternoon to Sunset. |
| MISC. | Absolutely nothing nearby. Stay in the car, keep a low profile and don’t block the entrance of the crash gate. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | B38M = 120mm |
 | Spot #4 – Terminal Observation Area – Ramp, Taxiway, Runway movements |
|---|---|
| WHERE | The tiny King County Airport Terminal has a small observation area right next to it. There is a metal fence there, but lenses can be poked trough its bars. The terminal has a small parking lot right next to the observation area. |
| WHAT | Corporate jets can be seen here up close, as well as the occasional Cessna Caravan movement being handled at the terminal. There are also a few freighters passing there. Boeing movements on the main runway can be seen and photographed too, but sometimes larger business jets are parked right in front of you, making photography a difficult thing to do. |
| TIME | Best from sunrise until noon. |
| MISC. | As this is an official place to stand and look at planes, we encountered no problems here. A café and restrooms are inside the terminal. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Caravan=140mm; 779=190mm; B38M=210mm |
