Myrtle Beach Intl. Airport - Spotting Guide

Myrtle Beach International Airport (KMYR) is the second largest airport in South Carolina with a record 3.2 million passengers passing through in 2021. The airport has lots of former military history as the former Myrtle Beach General Bombing & Gunnery Range, the Myrtle Beach Army Airfield, and most notably, the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. After the Air Force Base closed in 1993, the joint civilian/military airport was turned over to the city of Myrtle Beach to become the Myrtle Beach International Airport.

MYR hosts a great amount of military and other unique traffic year-round such as F-16s from Shaw AFB, C-17s from JB Charleston, Omega Aerial Refueling’s KC-707 and KDC-10, Metrea Strategic Mobility’s KC-135s, and Boeing 787 test flights from Charleston.

Written by Jake. Last change: September 2023 (Spot 5 updated).

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
18/36	2,897 m (9,503 ft) Asphalt and Concrete
Terminals	One terminal (Terminal A) and 2 concourses (A and B) served by Avelo, American, Allegiant, Delta, Delta Connection, Southwest, Spirit, and United Express, with Porter, Sun Country, Frontier, and United operating seasonal service.

Spotting Information
Ladder	Not useful for any spots.
Car/Public Transport	A car is needed to get to most spots. Spots on the south side of the airport are within walking distance.
Drinks/Food	Plenty of options around the Market Common.
Hotels	There are many hotels and resorts along the beach.
Season	Summer months have the most traffic throughout the year due to tourists flying in. Military traffic is year-round, but more in the winter months when there is less tourist traffic.
Security	Security shouldn’t be an issue, but always be aware.
Runway Usage
18/36	Used in all directions. There is no preferred side.

	Spot #1 – Oceanfront Helicopters – 36 Arrivals, 18 Departures & Heli Traffic
WHERE	Oceanfront Helicopters is located at the southeast of the airport, off of South Kings Highway. Just get rid of the car at their parking lot. There is a sidewalk which runs along the south side of the airport which can be used for different photos as well as the parking lot next to a gas station. The helicopter tours don’t open until 9am, and there is a fence that’s closed till that time. In this case park at the gas station/Adventure Golf and spot from the sidewalk.

WHAT	Best for 36 arrivals, and helicopter tour traffic. 18 heavy departures are possible too.

TIME	Morning and afternoon, just position yourself on different sides of the sidewalk.

MISC.	There is a restroom available inside of the ticketing building of Oceanfront Helicopters.

FOCAL LENGTH	Red R44 – 230mm; Allegiant – 150mm; Southwest 737 – 175mm

	Spot #2 – Warbird Park – 36 Arrivals & 18 Departures
WHERE	Warbird Park is located Southwest of the airport and is off Farrow Parkway. It is a park and memorial of the former Myrtle Beach AFB. Once you have approach the parking lot walk through the park to the fence.

WHAT	Best for 36 arrivals. 18 heavy departures are possible too. Planes lining up on 36 can be spotted in the distance. On display is an A-7 Corsair, F-100 Super Sabre, and A-10 Thunderbolt, all of which used to serve at the Myrtle Beach AFB. There are also walking trails with signs that contain information about the former base.

TIME	From early afternoon until sunset.

MISC.	There are picnic tables to sit down and trees spending shadow.

FOCAL LENGTH	A319 – 210mm; 717 – 155mm; P-8 – 155mm; KC-135 – 180mm

	Spot #3 – Airdrome Ave – Ramps
WHERE	Drive to Airdrome Ave at the western part of the airport. Get rid off the car at the FBO and walk around the fence to photograph the different ramps or you can just park on the side of the road and hop out.

WHAT	Use any of the spots along this road for photos of parked aircraft. Just shoot through the fence.

TIME	Noon until sunset. Depends on the parking postion of the planes.

MISC.	Nothing nearby.

FOCAL LENGTH	KC-135 – 90mm; Citation – 70mm; L-39 – 175mm

	Spot #4 – Emory Road – 18 Arrivals
WHERE	You can take Fred Nash Blvd off of Highway 17 to here or Farrow Parkway coming from Market Common. Good spot for 36 departures. It is almost adjacent to the touchdown markers, though there is a fence.

WHAT	36 departures.18 arrivals will be tricky as there is a fence in the way, but there is a chance you can catch them on approach.

TIME	From early afternoon until sunset.

MISC.	There will most likely be heat haze during the summer months, so this spot may be better during winter months.

FOCAL LENGTH	CRJ – 200mm; 717 – 200mm

	Spot #5 – X-Gym – 18 Arrivals
WHERE	There is a sports gym/store located off of George Bishop Pkwy. Plenty of parking is available where you can spot from.

WHAT	Best for 18 arrivals.

TIME	From early afternoon until sunset.

MISC.	There are facilities inside if need be.

FOCAL LENGTH	Usually 100-200mm for airliners and 300mm+ for general aviation.

	Spot #6 – Medieval Times – 18 Arrivals
WHERE	North of the airport, in a parking lot in the back of Medieval Times. Get onto Fantasy Harbour Blvd and follow the signs to Medieval Times.

WHAT	Best for 18 arrivals.

TIME	From sunrise until noon.

MISC.	Nothing nearby. Medieval Times performance starts in the afternoon, so there is no conflict with the visitors.

FOCAL LENGTH	738 – 140mm; CL350 – 250mm

	Spot #7 – The Crazy Mason – 36 Departures
WHERE	Get to the “The Crazy Mason” milkshake bar at the Coastal Grand Mall, which can be reached via Highway 17. The bar itself is located on the eastern corner of the mall. Just get on there parking place and start shooting.

WHAT	36 Departures only.

TIME	Morning to around noon in the Summer and morning to around 11am in the Winter.

MISC.	Planespotting friendly! Stop by at 7am to get yourself a coffee or 1pm to get a delicious milkshake! Otherwise there are plenty of hotels, supermarket, restaurants…

FOCAL LENGTH	Usually 100-200mm for airliners and 300mm+ for general aviation.

Myrtle Beach Intl. Airport - Spotting Guide - spotterguide.net (2024)

FAQs

What are the websites for plane spotting? ›

airliners.net.
jetphotos.ch Aviation Photos Database.
jetphotos.net.
Paine Field Blog many actual pictures from the Boeing facilities.
planepictures.net.
planespotting.be Photo database.
russianplanes.net Huge database with the focus on pictures from Russia.
zrh-spotters.ch Aviation Pictures from Zurich.

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What do plane spotters look for? ›

Planespotting is much more than simple photography of aeroplanes. Aircraft spotters are always looking for extraordinary machines, rare models as well as special paintwork and of course the perfect picture of it. Also the special conditions make planespotting such an interesting hobby.

Get More Info ›

How to get started with plane spotting? ›

In addition to the spotting locations, there are a few other things you should consider during your stay.

Which is the active runway?
Which airlines are flying to this airport?
Where is the sun, to avoid backlit photos?
Is there a fence? ...
Where can I park my car?
Can I reach the spot by public transport?

Read The Full Story ›

What is the acronym for Myrtle Beach Airport? ›

Myrtle Beach International Airport (IATA: MYR, ICAO: KMYR, FAA LID: MYR) is a county-owned public-use airport located 3 miles (5 km) southwest of the central business district of Myrtle Beach, in Horry County, South Carolina, United States.

Learn More ›

What's the best plane spotting app? ›

Flightradar24 has a rapidly growing network of 35,000 ground stations around the world to receive this data that then shows up as aircraft moving on a map in the app.

Is plane spotting illegal? ›

Broadly speaking, no. It would be difficult for any law enforcement to stop people looking at and taking an interest in aircraft flying overhead or in and out of airports. Even in countries like the United Arab Emirates, it is not against the law to spot planes.

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What does a spotter do at an airport? ›

Aircraft spotting, or planespotting, is a hobby consisting of observing and tracking aircraft, which is usually accomplished by photography or videography.

Learn More Now ›

What is the most safe spot on a plane? ›

Party in the Back

The prevailing wisdom has long been that the back of a plane is the safest spot to sit. Reporting from Popular Mechanics and Time magazine analyzed 35 years of crash data up to 2015 and found that statistically fewer people who were sitting in the back died in plane crashes.

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What is a plane spotter called? ›

I would like to add that normally a aviation enthusiast that likes to go to airport areas to see and photograph all the airplanes is called a planespotter. A more general designation is Avgeek.

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What tools do you need for plane spotting? ›

You should use a system camera (DSLRs or DSLM) and a long focal length lens for planespotting. In some cases, bridge cameras may also be useful. However, they must have a particularly good zoom capability. Cameras with an APS-C sensor are well suited for this kind of photography due to the smaller image detail.

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What is the best camera and lens for plane spotting? ›

What is the best camera gear for Plane Spotting?

Tamron 150-500mm f5-6.7 Di III VC VXD. From $1,699.95. ...
Nikon Z 180-600mm F5.6-6.3 VR Zoom. $2,999.95. ...
Canon RF 100-400mm f5.6-8 IS USM Zoom Lens. ...
Sony FE 70-200mm f4 MK 2 G OSS Zoom. ...
OM System PRO 40-150mm F4 WP Zoom for Olympus - Black. ...
Fujifilm XF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 R OIS WR.

Apr 7, 2024

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What settings are needed for plane spotting? ›

What are the best camera settings to use?

I set my shutter speed to 1/1000 sec - 1/2000 sec. (Fast shutter speed to freeze the subject)
I set my aperture to F8. (Small aperture will offer a large depth of field)
I set my ISO to auto. (adjusts automatically to fluctuations of light)

Jul 21, 2022

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Who owns Myrtle Beach Airport? ›

The Myrtle Beach International Airport is owned by Horry County and operated by the Department of Airports. Myrtle Beach International Airport is under the day-to-day management and direction of the Director of Airports who reports directly to the Horry County Administrator.

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What does Myr stand for Myrtle Beach Airport? ›

The Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) is a full-service facility that serves as a gateway to the Grand Strand.

What is the symbol for Myrtle Beach Airport? ›

MYR: Myrtle Beach International Airport - Explore 50 Nonstop Destinations.

What is the best plane finder website? ›

Take Flightradar24 with you wherever you go with the best flight tracker app for iOS and Android. The #1 app in over 150 countries, our plane tracker app lets you follow live air traffic around the world from your mobile device.

Is there a website that shows all flights? ›

Flightradar24: Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map.

Know More ›

What website is used to track private planes? ›

FlightAware. FlightAware is one of the most extensive free services for flight tracking available worldwide. This service is powered by sources including ADS-B, multilateration, and air traffic control data, and it offers a comprehensive overview of private and commercial aviation.

Rank	Website	Pages / Visit
1	flightradar24.com	14.66
2	windy.com	15.08
3	ipmetradar.com.br	2.16
4	jetphotos.com	3.47

Myrtle Beach Intl. Airport - Spotting Guide - spotterguide.net (2024)

FAQs

What are the websites for plane spotting? ›

What is the best camera and lens for plane spotting? ›