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Bangkok, Thailand

Don Mueang International Airport (DMK / VTBD) Plane Spotting Map & Live Active Runway Predictor

Live METAR wind (160° at 4 kt), predicted landing/departure runways (landing and departure 21R+21L), hourly sun-angle backlight map, and top photo spots for Don Mueang International Airport.

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

Which runway is active at Don Mueang (DMK) right now?

As of Mon 26 Oct, 20:30 local, the METAR/TAF wind vector predicts landing and departure 21R+21L. The METAR wind is 160° at 4 kt. 21R shows +2.6 kt headwind and 3.1 kt crosswind from the left. Closed runways: none listed. Updated Mon 26 Oct, 20:41.

EndTrue hdgLengthHeadwindCrosswindRole
03L30°12,139 ft-2.6 kt3.1 ktStandby
21R210°12,139 ft+2.6 kt3.1 ktLanding + departure
03R29°11,483 ft-2.6 kt3.0 ktStandby
21L209°11,483 ft+2.6 kt3.0 ktLanding + departure

TAF at Tue 27 Oct, 01:00 shifts the wind to 30° at 5 kt, favoring 03L+03R in about 4.3 hours.

METAR VTBD 261330Z 16004KT 9999 FEW020 BKN100 28/23 Q1013 NOSIG

NIGHT / LOW LIGHT

Live weather

VFR

160° @ 4 kt

28°C · 10+ km (9999) · 1013 hPa

FEW020 BKN100

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, 20:41Az 266° · El -41°Sun below the useful photo window
+0h local

Best Don Mueang (DMK) 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 21R - sunny side

    Calculated perimeter

    Score 66/100

    Short final 21R - sunny side sits 1085 m from the 21L centerline. Looking toward the aircraft the bearing is 180.8°. That view is front-lit around midday (best 15:00 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.

    1085 m to centerline
    180.8° view bearing
    Best sun: Midday 15:00
    150-600mm

    Now: Night / Low light

    Google Maps navigation
  2. Short final 21L - sunny side

    Calculated perimeter

    Score 66/100

    Short final 21L - sunny side sits 1234 m from the 21L centerline. Looking toward the aircraft the bearing is 179.8°. That view is front-lit around midday (best 15:00 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
    179.8° view bearing
    Best sun: Midday 15:00
    150-600mm

    Now: Night / Low light

    Google Maps navigation
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.

Recommended camera lenses & ATC radio frequencies for Don Mueang (VTBD)

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 118.1 MHz. D-ATIS is 126.4 MHz. A handheld VHF airband scanner (Uniden Bearcat BC125AT) at the fence hears the call as it is made. At 1085 m from 21L, 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.

    Search this gear
  • FlightAware Pro Stick

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

    Search this gear

Frequently asked questions about plane spotting at Don Mueang (DMK/VTBD)

Which runway is active at Don Mueang (DMK/VTBD) right now?

As of Mon 26 Oct, 20:30 local, the METAR/TAF wind vector predicts landing and departure 21R+21L. The METAR wind is 160° at 4 kt. 21R shows +2.6 kt headwind and 3.1 kt crosswind from the left. Closed runways: none listed.

Where is the best place to plane spot at Don Mueang (DMK) in the morning vs. afternoon?

At 08:00 local the sun is at 111° azimuth and 25° elevation. Short final 21R - sunny side scores 88/100, 845 m from runway 21L, view bearing 239.3°, best as a morning spot with a 150-600mm lens. At 16:00 the sun is at 249° and 25°. Short final 21R - sunny side scores 75/100 on a 180.8° 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 lens focal length do I need for plane spotting at Don Mueang (DMK)?

Short final 21R - sunny side is 1085 m from the 21L 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 Don Mueang (VTBD)?

Monitor Tower 118.1 MHz, Ground 121.9 MHz, Approach 119.4 MHz, ATIS 126.4 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 118.1 MHz.

How do I know when Don Mueang (DMK) switches active runways?

TAF at Tue 27 Oct, 01:00 shifts the wind to 30° at 5 kt, favoring 03L+03R in about 4.3 hours. 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/VTBD#runway-alerts

Telegram Runway-Shift Alerts · $3/mo

Get a Telegram ping when Don Mueang 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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