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Adolfo López Mateos International Airport (TLC / MMTO) Plane Spotting Map & Live Active Runway Predictor

Live METAR wind (calm), predicted landing/departure runways (landing and departure 15), hourly sun-angle backlight map, and top photo spots for Adolfo López Mateos International Airport.

METAR/TAF WIND VECTOR PREDICTION$3/mo runway-shift alerts

Which runway is active at Adolfo López Mateos (TLC) right now?

As of Mon 26 Oct, 09:44 local, the METAR/TAF wind vector predicts landing and departure 15. The METAR wind is calm. 15 is the long-runway pick because the wind is calm or variable. Closed runways: none listed. Updated Mon 26 Oct, 10:45.

EndTrue hdgLengthHeadwindCrosswindRole
15157°13,780 ft+0.0 kt0.0 ktLanding + departure
33337°13,780 ft+0.0 kt0.0 ktStandby

METAR MMTO 261544Z COR 00000KT 7SM OVC080 15/08 A3047 RMK 8/08/ HZY BINOVC

SIDE/CROSS LIGHT

Live weather

VFR

CALM

15°C · 7 SM · 1032 hPa

OVC080

Front-lit sector

Backlight / glare cone

Sun ray · amber pins are landmarks

Green pins are calculated. Blue pins are OpenStreetMap parks and viewpoints.

Mon 26 Oct, 10:45Az 141° · El 50°Golden hour in 6h 54m
+0h local

Best Adolfo López Mateos (TLC) plane spotting locations by time of day & sun angle

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.

  1. Short final 15 - sunny side

    Calculated perimeter

    Score 70/100

    Short final 15 - sunny side sits 1234 m from the 15 centerline. Looking toward the aircraft the bearing is 186.0°. That view is front-lit around midday (best 10:00 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.

    1234 m to centerline
    186.0° view bearing
    Best sun: Midday 10:00
    150-600mm

    Now: Side light

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Suggest a local spot / fence tip

Know 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 of Day & Lighting Schedule by Spot

Best time to plane spot at Adolfo López Mateos International Airport (TLC / MMTO): sun direction for every spotting location, scored from latitude 19.337, longitude -99.566, and the America/Mexico_City 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 LocationMorning (07:00-11:00)Midday (11:00-14:00)Afternoon / Golden Hour (14:00-18:00)JetPhotos / Camera Note

Short final 15 - sunny side

Runway 15

SIDE LIGHTBACKLIT / GLARESIDE LIGHTRecommended focal length 150-600mm. Best local hours for crisp fuselage illumination: 10:00. Avoid 12:00-15:00 harsh backlit contrast.

Recommended camera lenses & ATC radio frequencies for Adolfo López Mateos (MMTO)

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 118.0 MHz. D-ATIS is 127.8 MHz. A handheld VHF airband scanner (Uniden Bearcat BC125AT) at the fence hears the call as it is made. At 1234 m from 15, 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 gear
  • Uniden Bearcat BC125AT

    Handheld VHF airband scanner for tower and ATIS at the fence. Online streams run 30 seconds or more behind.

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  • FlightAware Pro Stick

    USB ADS-B receiver if you want tail numbers on a laptop beside the photos.

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Frequently asked questions about plane spotting at Adolfo López Mateos (TLC/MMTO)

Which runway is active at Adolfo López Mateos (TLC/MMTO) right now?

As of Mon 26 Oct, 09:44 local, the METAR/TAF wind vector predicts landing and departure 15. The METAR wind is calm. 15 is the long-runway pick because the wind is calm or variable. Closed runways: none listed.

Where is the best place to plane spot at Adolfo López Mateos (TLC) in the morning vs. afternoon?

At 08:00 local the sun is at 111° azimuth and 18° elevation. Short final 15 - sunny side scores 76/100, 1234 m from runway 15, view bearing 186.0°, best as a midday spot with a 150-600mm lens. At 16:00 the sun is at 244° and 28°. Short final 15 - sunny side scores 84/100 on a 127.5° 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.

What is the best time to plane spot at Adolfo López Mateos International Airport?

The best time to plane spot at Adolfo López Mateos International Airport (TLC/MMTO) 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 1 spotting locations. Read the Best Time of Day & Lighting Schedule by Spot table for the lens and the hours to avoid harsh backlit contrast.

What is the sun direction at MMTO spotting locations?

MMTO spotting locations sun direction: Short final 15 - sunny side (runway 15) is SIDE LIGHT in the morning, BACKLIT / GLARE at midday, and SIDE LIGHT in the afternoon. Recommended focal length 150-600mm. Best local hours for crisp fuselage illumination: 10:00. Avoid 12:00-15:00 harsh backlit contrast.

What lens focal length do I need for plane spotting at Adolfo López Mateos (TLC)?

Short final 15 - sunny side is 1234 m from the 15 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.

What ATC radio frequencies should I monitor while spotting at Adolfo López Mateos (MMTO)?

Monitor Tower 118.0 MHz, Approach 128.9 MHz, ATIS 127.8 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 118.0 MHz.

How do I know when Adolfo López Mateos (TLC) switches active runways?

No TAF wind shift in the next 6 hours flips the flow. Wind stays near calm, so 15 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/MMTO#runway-alerts

Telegram Runway-Shift Alerts · $3/mo

Get a Telegram ping when Adolfo López Mateos International Airport changes landing or departure runway. One airport or a short list.

$3/mo · Instant Telegram ping 60 min before a forecast wind shift flips the active runway, plus golden-hour reminders.

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