Santa Ana, United States of America
Live METAR wind (calm), predicted landing/departure runways (landing 02L+02R, departure 20R+20L), hourly sun-angle backlight map, and top photo spots for John Wayne Orange County International Airport.
As of Mon 26 Oct, 10:00 local, D-ATIS confirms landing 02L+02R, departure 20R+20L. The METAR wind is calm. 02L is the long-runway pick because the wind is calm or variable. Closed runways: none listed. Updated Mon 26 Oct, 10:44.
| End | True hdg | Length | Headwind | Crosswind | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02L | 28° | 5,700 ft | +0.0 kt | 0.0 kt | Landing |
| 20R | 208° | 5,700 ft | +0.0 kt | 0.0 kt | Departure |
| 02R | 28° | 2,886 ft | +0.0 kt | 0.0 kt | Landing |
| 20L | 208° | 2,886 ft | +0.0 kt | 0.0 kt | Departure |
SNA ATIS INFO V 1653Z. 00000KT 10SM CLR 21/13 A3007 (THREE ZERO ZERO SEVEN). VISUAL APPROACHES RWY 20R IN USE. LANDING AND DEPARTING RUNWAYS 20R AND 20L. RWY 20L DEPTS TURN LEFT 15 DEGREES AT DEP END OF RWY. ATTENTION ALL AIRCRAFT. HAZD WX INFO FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AVBL ON FSS FREQUENCIES. CAUTION FOR CONST ADJ TWY A, ACFT RDC TAXI SPD AND USE MIN THRUST IN THE VCNTY OF CONST, AND RESTRICTED TO ACFT WITH WINGSPAN 135 FEET OR LESS. CAUTION,SIMULTAENOUS OPS TO CLOSELY SPACED PARALLEL RWYS. ACFT SOUTH OF H TXG ON A BE ADZD RY20L DEPTS MK IMDT SE TRN OVR A. USE CAUTION FOR BIRD ACTIVITY IN THE VICINITY OF THE AIRPORT. USE CAUTION FOR MULTIPLE CRANES VARIOUS QUADRANTS. THE CD FREQ FOR ALL ACFT IS 118.0. ...ADVS YOU HAVE INFO V.
METAR KSNA 261653Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 21/13 A3007 RMK AO2 SLP182 T02110133
Live weather
VFRCALM
21°C · 10+ SM · 1018 hPa
-
Front-lit sector
Backlight / glare cone
Sun ray · amber pins are landmarks
Green pins are calculated. Blue pins are OpenStreetMap parks and viewpoints.
Every pin below carries original geometry: meters to the nearest runway centerline, the compass bearing toward the aircraft, the morning or afternoon that puts the sun behind that view, and a lens picked only from that distance.
Short final 02R - sunny side
Calculated perimeter
Score 91/100
Short final 02R - sunny side sits 549 m from the 02L centerline. Looking toward the aircraft the bearing is 358.8°. That view is front-lit around midday (best 12:00–13:00 local) with a 150-600mm lens.
Calculated public-side point about 1.2 km from the landing threshold and 280 m off the centerline, on the sunny side. Confirm the fence is between you and the runway before you stop.
Now: Frontlit
Google Maps navigationShort final 02L - sunny side
Calculated perimeter
Score 90/100
Short final 02L - sunny side sits 1234 m from the 02L centerline. Looking toward the aircraft the bearing is 358.8°. That view is front-lit around midday (best 12:00–13:00 local) with a 150-600mm lens.
Calculated public-side point about 1.2 km from the landing threshold and 280 m off the centerline, on the sunny side. Confirm the fence is between you and the runway before you stop.
Now: Frontlit
Google Maps navigationClimb-out 20R - sunny side
Calculated perimeter
Score 86/100
Climb-out 20R - sunny side sits 1234 m from the 02L centerline. Looking toward the aircraft the bearing is 358.8°. That view is front-lit around midday (best 12:00–13:00 local) with a 150-600mm lens.
Calculated public-side point about 1.2 km beyond the far end of the departure runway, offset 280 m to the sunny side of the climb.
Now: Frontlit
Google Maps navigationKnow a public fence, mound, or lens that works for a specific threshold? Send it in. Tips are reviewed before they show on the map.
Best time to plane spot at John Wayne Orange County International Airport (SNA / KSNA): sun direction for every spotting location, scored from latitude 33.675, longitude -117.869, and the America/Los_Angeles clock plus each spot's view bearing. Morning is 07:00-11:00, midday is 11:00-14:00, and afternoon / golden hour is 14:00-18:00. CLEAN FRONT LIGHT means the sun sits behind the camera. BACKLIT / GLARE means the sun is in the lens. HIGH SUN / TOP LIGHT is overhead midday light.
| Spotting Location | Morning (07:00-11:00) | Midday (11:00-14:00) | Afternoon / Golden Hour (14:00-18:00) | JetPhotos / Camera Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Short final 02R - sunny side Runway 02R | SIDE LIGHT | CLEAN FRONT LIGHT | SIDE LIGHT | Recommended focal length 150-600mm. Crisp fuselage illumination 10:00-16:00 local. No harsh backlit window between 07:00 and 18:00. |
Short final 02L - sunny side Runway 02L | SIDE LIGHT | CLEAN FRONT LIGHT | SIDE LIGHT | Recommended focal length 150-600mm. Crisp fuselage illumination 10:00-16:00 local. No harsh backlit window between 07:00 and 18:00. |
Climb-out 20R - sunny side Runway 20R | SIDE LIGHT | CLEAN FRONT LIGHT | SIDE LIGHT | Recommended focal length 150-600mm. Crisp fuselage illumination 10:00-16:00 local. No harsh backlit window between 07:00 and 18:00. |
Zero-Delay Fence Audio
Online streams lag by 30 seconds or more, which is enough to miss the runway change and be on the wrong side of the field. Tower is 119.9 MHz. D-ATIS is 126.0 MHz. A handheld VHF airband scanner (Uniden Bearcat BC125AT) at the fence hears the call as it is made. At 549 m from 02L, bring a 150-600mm lens.
Sony FE 200-600mm
Beyond 450 m you want 150-600mm. A 200-600mm zoom still frames a heavy jet on a long final.
Search this gearUniden Bearcat BC125AT
Handheld VHF airband scanner for tower and ATIS at the fence. Online streams run 30 seconds or more behind.
Search this gearFlightAware Pro Stick
USB ADS-B receiver if you want tail numbers on a laptop beside the photos.
Search this gearAs of Mon 26 Oct, 10:00 local, D-ATIS confirms landing 02L+02R, departure 20R+20L. The METAR wind is calm. 02L is the long-runway pick because the wind is calm or variable. Closed runways: none listed.
At 08:00 local the sun is at 112° azimuth and 10° elevation. Short final 02R - sunny side scores 85/100, 549 m from runway 02L, view bearing 358.8°, best as a midday spot with a 150-600mm lens. At 16:00 the sun is at 236° and 23°. Short final 02R - sunny side scores 97/100 on a 57.2° view. Morning and afternoon picks follow that bearing: a view that wants the sun in the east is a morning spot, and a view that wants it in the west is an afternoon spot.
The best time to plane spot at John Wayne Orange County International Airport (SNA/KSNA) is the window marked CLEAN FRONT LIGHT for the fence you are using. Morning (07:00-11:00) front light: no listed spot stays fully front-lit. Afternoon / golden hour (14:00-18:00) front light: no listed spot stays fully front-lit. Midday (11:00-14:00) is HIGH SUN / TOP LIGHT at 0 of 3 spotting locations. Read the Best Time of Day & Lighting Schedule by Spot table for the lens and the hours to avoid harsh backlit contrast.
KSNA spotting locations sun direction: Short final 02R - sunny side (runway 02R) is SIDE LIGHT in the morning, CLEAN FRONT LIGHT at midday, and SIDE LIGHT in the afternoon. Recommended focal length 150-600mm. Crisp fuselage illumination 10:00-16:00 local. No harsh backlit window between 07:00 and 18:00. Short final 02L - sunny side (runway 02L) is SIDE LIGHT in the morning, CLEAN FRONT LIGHT at midday, and SIDE LIGHT in the afternoon. Recommended focal length 150-600mm. Crisp fuselage illumination 10:00-16:00 local. No harsh backlit window between 07:00 and 18:00. Climb-out 20R - sunny side (runway 20R) is SIDE LIGHT in the morning, CLEAN FRONT LIGHT at midday, and SIDE LIGHT in the afternoon. Recommended focal length 150-600mm. Crisp fuselage illumination 10:00-16:00 local. No harsh backlit window between 07:00 and 18:00.
Short final 02R - sunny side is 549 m from the 02L centerline, so the lens is 150-600mm. The bands are fixed from that distance: 70-200mm inside 250 m, 100-400mm from 250 m to 450 m, and 150-600mm beyond 450 m. The aircraft itself is about 573 m from this pin on a 700 m final.
Monitor Tower 119.9 MHz, Ground 120.8 MHz, Approach 121.3 MHz, ATIS 126.0 MHz. Online streams lag by 30 seconds or more. A handheld VHF airband scanner at the fence is the zero-delay way to hear a runway change on Tower 119.9 MHz.
No TAF wind shift in the next 6 hours flips the flow. Wind stays near calm, so 02L remains the favored arrival. The $3/mo Telegram Runway-Shift Alert pings you when D-ATIS or the METAR wind vector changes the active runway: https://planespottingmap.com/airport/KSNA#runway-alerts
Get a Telegram ping when John Wayne Orange County International Airport changes landing or departure runway. One airport or a short list.