Planespotting Guides for Latvia's Airfields and Airports
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Spotting locations, viewing areas, and the best spotting hotel rooms for planespotters travelling to airports and airfields in Latvia. Use the hotlinks above or scroll down for spotting information on spotting locations, airfield hangar access, aviation museums, preserved aircraft. Plus all the information has been plotted as Points of Interest and can be downloaded to your SatNavs, Google Earth and Google Maps to make planning your spotting trips abroad so much easier and helping you log many more
CESIS AIRFIELD
Spotting Info
Northeast of Cesis town, alongside road P20. 2 sides to this strip - the Aeroclub and the GA side. The hangar on the Aeroclub side has plenty of gaps to look through.
CIEMUPE-DAKOTA KAFEJNICA
Spotting Info
Just north of Ciemupe village, alongside the A6, is the Dakota Kafejnica cafe, where you'll find the cockpit of An24 YL-LCA, 43 Wilga, 252 An2 and an unidentified light aircraft 01 yellow coded 17.
IKSKILE AIRFIELD
Spotting Info
Just southeast of Ikskile village, overlooking the River Daugava. Friendly, ask for access.
JELGAVA AIRFIELD (EVEA)
Spotting Info
In the north of Jelgava town, an old Russian Air Force base that is now used as a paradrop base and for gliding. Friendly, ask for access. Stored here is An28 CCCP-28813 minus its cockpit.
LIMBAZI AIRFIELD
Spotting Info
Southwest of Limbazi town. Very friendly strip, ask for access. The gate guard is An2 YL-LEF.
RIGA AIRPORT (EVRA/LIX)
Spotting Info
The busiest airport of the Baltic countries, but still quiet by most standards. Very few movements during the day until around 16:00. If you're wanting to complete your Air Baltic fleet, the evening rush begins at around 17:00L, where you'll see most, if not all of them. You should also see RAF Avia's Antonovs. One terminal with two arrivals and departures areas depending on whether the flights are Schengen or non-Schengen - the Schengen flights all use the single central pier. Either side of this pier are remote parking areas with the one north of the terminal (by the museum) being used for mostly
Ryanair flights as well as some Air Baltic F50 and DHC8 flights. On arrival the grey Tu134 CCCP-65874 can be seen in the trees opposite the terminal.
Inside the terminal, the Lido restaurant on the 3rd floor has a view of the runway and of one side of the pier and remote apron, although not really any good for photography. To get here, take the steps up signposted to the Airline Offices and walk along the walkway to the middle of the Mezzanine floor. The food is good and cheap and you can stay here as long as you make the odd purchase. There is also a window slightly to the left of the restaurant, but no seating and it can get pretty warm through the glass on a sunny afternoon. Airside has good views. At the B gates you can get good photos as aircraft taxi past.
A short walk from the terminal (turn left out of the terminal and follow the perimeter, stopping briefly at the control tower gate for a view of the ramp, and then turn left again) is the Riga Aviation Museum - website states it's open 0900-1800 at weekends by prior appointment, though it's supposedly open Monday-Friday also. Lots of aircraft here, tightly parked together, and some cockpits as well. It may look closed but press the buzzer at the gate and they will come and let you in. 5LVL (about £6) entry and photos are no problem. If the museum is closed, most can be identified from peering over the walls surrounding the museum. Part of the museum but outside of its boundary and parked airside are RA-65717 Tu134, 53 Tu22M and CCCP32418 An2 - the An2 is slightly hidden, you can see it clearly if you walk along towards the Business Aviation Terminal, beside the Tu22.
Next to the museum are a few remote stands, usually where the cargo flights park, and these can be easily logged. Continue past the museum and you'll come to a few hangars, and the biz ramps, and again, these can be read off. Parked on the grass/snow opposite the Business Aviation Terminal are Mi2s YL-LHC and YL-LHH.
South of the terminal are passenger flights remote stands and a hangar, but there's no access to walk down here due to the security gates. You'll have to log anything parked here on taxiing in or out. There is a gate near to the terminal though, enabling some of the aircraft parked down here to be read off.
Pole mounted beyond the western perimeter is IL28 38 at the old military housing area. This is only visible by driving around the airport perimeter roads. Continuing along this road gets you to the western airport perimeter fence, and the viewing area frequented by the locals. It looks across the runway to the southern parking areas and hangars so you can log much of what's in, and is good for photos in the afternoon.
RIGA-SPILVE AIRFIELD (EVRS/RSC)
Spotting Info
Ask for access, but don't know if it'll be granted. If no one's around then one hangar has plenty of gaps to peer through, the big hangar has a few gaps but you won't log much. You probably won't get
anything in the other hangar if it's shut.
RUMBULA AIRFIELD
Spotting Info
South of Riga city, alongside the A6 and tucked away behind a garage is a GA airfield at the ex-Air Force base. Friendly, ask for access. CCCP-22461 Mi8 and CCCP-56509 An2 fuselage are stored here. In a bunker used as a workshop is a Polikarpov I-16 stored and a Yak7.
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