Planespotting Long Beach — KLGB
Long Beach Airport, also known as Daugherty Field, is a historic Douglas Aircraft town airport with a streamline-moderne terminal and one of the strictest noise ordinances in the US. Airline and cargo flights are capped at a few dozen a day, so the passenger schedule is short and dominated by Southwest — but the field is one of the busiest general aviation airports anywhere, with flight schools, helicopters, police aircraft, bizjets and a Gulfstream service centre keeping it busy all day. Airliners use the 10,000 ft runway 12/30; light aircraft use the parallel 8L/26R and 8R/26L. Onshore sea breezes mean runway 30 is in use most of the time, with arrivals coming in from the southeast. The former Douglas and Boeing plant beside the field, where DC-10s, MD-11s, 717s and C-17s were built, is now used by other aerospace firms. The city has set up an official spectator area on Kilroy Airport Way.
- DAL2533 BCS3 29 450 ft
- UAL1855 B772 15 225 ft
- N902TW P208 6 025 ft
- DAL1972 A319 5 500 ft
- AAL2365 A21N 4 975 ft
- — 4 700 ft
- SWA990 B737 4 300 ft
- N222TA C150 4 200 ft RWY 30
Conditions right now
Runways
- 12/30 3,051 × 60 m · 10,010 × 197 ft asphalt
- 07L/25R 1,884 × 46 m · 6,181 × 151 ft asphalt
- 07R/25L 1,651 × 46 m · 5,417 × 151 ft asphalt
- 16R/34L 1,366 × 22 m · 4,482 × 72 ft asphalt
- 16L/34R 1,018 × 22 m · 3,340 × 72 ft asphalt
Ask the sky
What flew over this morning? Where was that loud one heading? Ask in plain words — the answer comes from real recorded traffic.
Airport profile
Typical traffic by hour
Relative intensity by local hour — a typical day, not live data.Peak: 08:00
Typical traffic mix
- GA44%
- Narrowbody24%
- Bizjet20%
- Turboprop9%
- Cargo2%
- Military1%
Spotter score
Our editorial rating (0–100).Best time of year
When the interesting traffic peaks.Where to spot
LGB plane spotting area, Kilroy Airport Way
The official viewing area established by the airport, with a few shaded bleachers at the northwest corner of the big office-park car park. It overlooks runway 12/30 and the parallel taxiways, so you see every airliner and most of the bizjet traffic. The fence mesh is fine, so step back and shoot over it rather than through it.
- Getting there
- Turn into the office complex between 3880 and 3900 Kilroy Airport Way and head for the northwest corner of the large car park. Free parking. Long Beach Transit buses serve Kilroy Airport Way and the airport.
- Best time
- Runway 30 operations, afternoon until sunset, when the sun is behind you to the southwest.
- Lens
- 70–300 mm.
East corner of the Kilroy Airport Way office park
At the easternmost corner of the same office car park, the fence line gives a closer view of runway 30 arrivals and departures and movements on both taxiways — a well-known local spot where people stop to watch traffic. Fast-moving aircraft make shooting through the mesh tricky.
- Getting there
- Enter from Kilroy Airport Way and drive to the eastern corner of the car park. A car roof helps clear the fence. For longer sessions spotters are advised to contact the airport's public affairs office in advance.
- Best time
- Runway 30 arrivals and departures, from afternoon until sunset all year.
- Lens
- 50 mm for a 767-sized arrival, about 100 mm for a CRJ, 150 mm for an A320 on the taxiway.
Hilltop Park, Signal Hill
A city park on top of Signal Hill, across the I-405 from the airport, with a sweeping view of the whole runway, the terminal and the approach path. Too distant for frame-filling photos, but ideal with binoculars or a long lens for an overview of the airport against the LA basin.
- Getting there
- Hilltop Park on Skyline Drive, Signal Hill; street parking. Check park opening hours.
- Best time
- Afternoon, when the sun is behind you to the southwest. Clear winter days give the sharpest views.
- Lens
- Binoculars or 400 mm and up.
Respect private property, signage and the airport security perimeter. Spotterra predicts the active runway from live weather on the dashboard.
What you'll see
Southwest operates the vast majority of airline flights, with 737s to the West, Hawaii and Texas. Hawaiian flies to Honolulu and Maui, Delta Connection serves Salt Lake City and Alaska returned in 2026 with flights to Seattle. UPS operates freighters. The real volume comes from business and general aviation: Gulfstreams visiting the service centre, private jets for the LA area, flight-school Cessnas and Pipers, plus police and news helicopters. A strict noise budget limits airline and cargo flights to roughly 58 a day, with tight curfew hours.
FAQ
What's that plane over Long Beach?
Spotterra's live map shows every ADS-B aircraft over the South Bay and Long Beach in real time, from Southwest 737s on final to runway 30 to helicopters over the port. Tap one for type, registration and route.
Does Long Beach Airport have an official viewing area?
Yes. It is at the northwest corner of the office-park car park between 3880 and 3900 Kilroy Airport Way, with shaded bleachers and free parking.
Why are there so few airline flights?
Long Beach has one of the strictest noise ordinances in the US. Airline and cargo flights are capped by a noise budget, while general aviation fills the rest of the day — which makes the field far busier than its passenger schedule suggests.
Spotterra watches the sky over Long Beach
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