Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD / YSSY) Plane Spotting Map & Live Active Runway Predictor

As of Wed 28 Oct, 08:30 local, the METAR/TAF wind vector predicts landing and departure 25. The METAR wind is 260° at 16 kt. 25 shows +15.9 kt headwind and 1.7 kt crosswind from the right. Closed runways: none listed.

At 08:00 local the sun is at 90° azimuth and 24° elevation. Mill Stream Lookout (General Holmes Drive / 16R-34L East) scores 78/100, 110 m from runway 16L, view bearing 265.0°, best as a morning spot with a 100-400mm lens. At 16:00 the sun is at 282° and 40°. Shep's Mound scores 68/100 on a 57.1° 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 Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD/YSSY) is the window marked CLEAN FRONT LIGHT for the fence you are using. Morning (07:00-11:00) front light: Mill Stream Lookout (General Holmes Drive / 16R-34L East). Afternoon / golden hour (14:00-18:00) front light: Qantas Drive / Marsh Street Viewing Area (07 Threshold), Tempe Recreation Reserve (07 Approach / West End), Rydges Sydney Airport Rooftop / International Terminal Precinct. Midday (11:00-14:00) is HIGH SUN / TOP LIGHT at 5 of 7 spotting locations. Read the Best Time of Day & Lighting Schedule by Spot table for the lens and the hours to avoid harsh backlit contrast.

YSSY spotting locations sun direction: Mill Stream Lookout (General Holmes Drive / 16R-34L East) (runway 34L, 16R, 34R) is CLEAN FRONT LIGHT in the morning, HIGH SUN / TOP LIGHT at midday, and BACKLIT / GLARE in the afternoon. Recommended focal length 100-400mm. Crisp fuselage illumination 07:00-11:00 local. Avoid 15:00-18:00 harsh backlit contrast. Terminal 2 Domestic Gates (Airside) (runway 16R, 34L) is SIDE LIGHT in the morning, HIGH SUN / TOP LIGHT at midday, and SIDE LIGHT in the afternoon. Recommended focal length 50-200mm. Crisp fuselage illumination 14:00-15:00 local. No harsh backlit window between 07:00 and 18:00. Shep's Mound (runway 16R, 34L, 16L, 34R) is BACKLIT / GLARE in the morning, BACKLIT / GLARE at midday, and SIDE LIGHT in the afternoon. Recommended focal length 100-400mm. Crisp fuselage illumination 16:00-18:00 local. Avoid 08:00-13:00 harsh backlit contrast. Qantas Drive / Marsh Street Viewing Area (07 Threshold) (runway 07, 25) is SIDE LIGHT in the morning, HIGH SUN / TOP LIGHT at midday, and CLEAN FRONT LIGHT in the afternoon. Recommended focal length 70-200mm. Crisp fuselage illumination 14:00-18:00 local. Avoid 07:00-08:00 harsh backlit contrast. Tempe Recreation Reserve (07 Approach / West End) (runway 07, 25, 16R) is SIDE LIGHT in the morning, HIGH SUN / TOP LIGHT at midday, and CLEAN FRONT LIGHT in the afternoon. Recommended focal length 70-200mm. Crisp fuselage illumination 14:00-17:00 local. No harsh backlit window between 07:00 and 18:00. Rydges Sydney Airport Rooftop / International Terminal Precinct (runway 16R, 34L, 07) is BACKLIT / GLARE in the morning, HIGH SUN / TOP LIGHT at midday, and CLEAN FRONT LIGHT in the afternoon. Recommended focal length 70-200mm. Crisp fuselage illumination 14:00-18:00 local. Avoid 07:00-10:00 harsh backlit contrast. Botany South (34L / Foreshore Beach) (runway 34L, 34R) 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: 15:00. Avoid 12:00-14:00 harsh backlit contrast.

Mill Stream Lookout (General Holmes Drive / 16R-34L East) is 110 m from the 16L centerline. The working lens at this landmark is 100-400mm. Calculated pins use 70-200mm inside 250 m, 100-400mm from 250 m to 450 m, and 150-600mm beyond 450 m. The aircraft itself is about 1700 m from this pin on a 700 m final.

Monitor Tower 120.5 MHz, Ground 121.7 MHz, Approach 135.1 MHz, ATIS 115.55 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 120.5 MHz.

No TAF wind shift in the next 6 hours flips the flow. Wind stays near 260° at 16 kt, so 25 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/YSSY#runway-alerts