by Ian Kluft
Contents
[As of October 2025, this page is a work in progress.]
Portland International Airport (PDX) has some varied interests for the aviation geek, or "avgeek". Being located in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) invites comparison to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). Seattle is the headquarters hub of Alaska Airlines and its regional subsidiary Horizon. But Portland is also a secondary hub for Alaska and Horizon.
Seattle has far more international routes than Portland. Portland has enough to be interesting.
But PDX is also a mixed-use civilian/military airport with the Portland Air National Guard Base on the south side of the airfield. None of the Seattle-area airports is mixed-use.
Another interesting aspect of Portland for aviation geeks is that it has a Boeing paint hangar. Of course, Seattle dominates that aspect because Boeing Commercial Airplanes has two major factories there: widebody jets at Everett's Paine Field (PAE) and narrowbody jets at Renton Municipal Airport (RNT). Both those airports have paint hangars. But they aren't enough to keep up with current plane production. So some planes get flown out unpainted, with a green vinyl protective coating, to get painted at either Boeing Field (BFI) in Seattle or Portland PDX. There is no Boeing paint hangar at Seattle-Tacoma SEA. So this adds to the interesting mix for planespotting in Portland.
I've found that bicycling has advantages for planespotting at PDX Airport. Airports of course are busy places with limited parking. Some good spots at PDX are only easily accessible by bicycle. I'll share my experiences here on getting to the airport and where the viewing spots are.
Though pedestrians can access all the points too, if you take transit or find a place to park. It's just a lot slower.
Working with Airport Security
Planespotters have excellent access at PDX. We should not take that for granted. Let's encourage each other to work together to make sure we don't lose our privileges. At all airports, planespotters need to try to be an ally of the airport's security. If not, we could see new restrictions on our access. So it's important to be well behaved and set a good example for others.
For example, don't touch airport perimeter security fences. Assume that doing so will at least catch attention, and may be considered a security incident.
When planespotting in the airport parking structures, assume you're in view of cameras at all times. Whether being watched live or on footage reviewed later, make it obvious you are there to see airplanes. Don't show interest in parked vehicles, except for your own if you drove there.
If you see a security incident or suspicious activity, call either the Portland Airport Police (part of the Port of Portland) or call 911.
Getting to PDX
Planespotters have options to get to PDX by car, transit or bicycle. Some locations are only really accessible by bicycle. I'll lump scooters in with bicycles since they can usually use the same routes. Rental bikes and scooters have geofenced boundaries which may not access the whole area.
Driving to PDX, use either NE 82nd Ave / State Route 217 or Airport Way and follow signs to short term parking at the terminal.
If you don't want to pay for parking or mess with traffic at the terminal, an alternative is to park at a TriMet transit center and take the MAX Red Line light rail to the airport. The closest free parking lots are at Gateway/99th Ave Transit Center and Parkrose/Sumner Transit Center. If you don't have a Portland-area Hop Card for riding transit, you can tap a chip-equipped credit card at the station before boarding. If you want to minimize costs, note the "valid until" time when tagging in (2 hours later) and be sure to board a return train before then so it will be on the same fare. Otherwise a second TriMet fare in a day will become a day pass.
For cyclists, Portland Airport can be reached from most directions, some more or less direct than others. it's best to stick to bike paths and roads with bike lanes. Avoid or use extreme caution on roads which have no bike facilities.
| Bicycle and Pedestrian Access to PDX | ||
|---|---|---|
| From | Route | Cyclist access |
| MAX light rail | Red Line | excellent 🟢 |
| East Portland | NE 82nd Ave | avoid ❌ - use I-205 path |
| Outer East Portland to Gresham | I-205 path | excellent 🟢 |
| Hollywood district | NE 33rd Ave to Marine Drive Path | caution for traffic 🟡 |
| North Portland | Marine Drive and Marine Drive Path | caution for traffic 🟡 |
| Fairview to Troutdale | Marine Drive and Marine Drive Path | caution for traffic 🟡 |
Airport diagram
Planespotting places at PDX
photo by Ian Kluft
photo by Ian Kluft
Planespotting areas at PDX vary in accessibility, some only accessible by bicycle. In the parking structures, in case of rain you can find cover one floor lower.
| Location | Views | Accessibility |
|---|---|---|
| parking structure: 4th floor long-term, south side | Runway 28L/10R | car, transit, bicycle |
| parking structure: 7th floor short-term, north side | Runway 28R/10L | car, transit, bicycle |
| cell phone waiting overflow lot | Runway 28R/10L | car, bicycle |
| Marine Drive multi-use path, Columbia River levee | Runway 28L/10R | car, bicycle |
| Marine Drive multi-use path at 33rd Ave | Runway 28R/10L | bicycle |
Which runway to choose
Airplanes take off and land into the wind. Check the NWS forecast for PDX to get an idea which runways will be in use and select your viewing location.
The official airport conditions are transmitted on the Automated Terminal Information System (ATIS), which is 128.35MHz at PDX. If you have a scanner, you can listen directly. Online, digital ATIS is available at various sites that display the FAA data feed, such as
Portland's main runways are numbered 28L/10R and 28R/10L. The numbers are the compass directions with the last digit removed, so approximately 280 degrees when landing and taking off westbound, or 100 degrees when eastbound. Since there are two parallel runways, they have a right (R) and left (L) suffix.
So when winds are coming from 280 degrees, roughly from the west, it lines up with Runways 28L and 28R. Likewise winds from the east line up with Runways 10L and 10R. Wind can come from any direction and doesn't necessarily directly line up with runways. So the control tower uses the closest direction. Pilots are trained to land with crosswinds. You can use this to anticipate which direction planes will be landing and taking off.
When winds are calm, PDX uses Runways 28L and 28R.
- 28L/10R is south of the terminal, near the Portland Air National Guard Base
- 28R/10L is north of the terminal, near the Columbia River
When both runways are open, planes usually request (but don't necessarily always get) the runway closest to their arrival gate or desination on the airfield.
- Alaska and Horizon are usually on Runway 28L/10R.
- Southwest, Delta, United and international arrivals are usually on 28R/10L.
- International departures prefer 28R/10L because it's the longest runway, allowing the plane a higher takeoff weight consisting of total fuel, passengers and freight.
- Oregon Air National Guard F-15s prefer 28L/10R, next to the Oregon ANG Base. However visiting military aircraft may use 28R/10L if refueling at the FBOs on the north side.
- Cargo aircraft prefer 28L/10R for the shortest taxi to the cargo ramp.
- New Boeing airplanes from the factories or from storage: incoming unpainted and outgoing newly-painted planes prefer 28L/10R for proximity to the Boeing Portland Paint Hangar.
(writing in progress - more coming)