Planespotting / Viewing Guides for Moscow Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, St Petersburg Pulkovo airports, and other airports and airfields in Russia

Planespotting Guides for Russia's Airports and Airfields

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Spotting locations, viewing areas, the best spotting hotel rooms and advice on access for plane spotters travelling to airports and airfields in Russia. 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
GENERAL TIPS: Public transport is extremely cheap and very reliable - use them wherever you can whether it's the Airport Express trains, the metro or the Mashrutka minibus (a transit van that only goes when it's full). Buses are clearly marked and metro lines are individually numbered and colour coded so it's very simple to use. Avoid taxis at all costs

To visit Russia you require a visa from the VFS Global Russian Visa site
Lots of information on here regarding the visa, the fees and how to fill it out. Click here to go directly to the Visa Application Form. Fill in the application online and they give you a two week period in which to send in the printed form, visa invite and hotel voucher and you'll usually get it back after about five working days. It's important to take into account any Russian public holidays when they might be closed, plus they won't accept any applications until three months prior to your intended arrival date. It's also important that your invite covers you for your entire stay in Russia, in case you check out of the hotel and have an early morning flight out the next day. Submit the application electronically and print a copy off to send in the post to the Visa centre along with your passport, letters, insurance etc. Take copies of all documentation you send off as they may only send your passport back with the Visa and nothing else and you will require your insurance documents, letter of invitation and hotel confirmation

Planespotting at Russia's Airports & Airfields has been plotted on Google Maps, Google Earth, and can be added to your SatNav - click to download
All 11 Russian locations - where they are, viewing spots, hotels and preserved aircraft can be seen on detailed satellite images, making planning your spotting trip exceptionally easy. All these spotting points of interest can be added to your SatNav to give you another excellent resource to make your trip that much easier and more enjoyable. Please read the Download Instructions for example screenshots and further details

PRESERVED & STORED AIRCRAFT IN RUSSIA - its location is marked in the Spotting in Russia download

RA-0543G IL-14 is stored at the former St. Petersburg-Rzhevka airport, east of St. Petersburg city off the KAD ring road
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MONINO-RUSSIAN FEDERATION AIR FORCE MUSEUM

Spotting Info
This large museum is at the former Monino air base east of Moscow off the M-7. Well worth the visit but you will need to arrange it in advance. The museum website is in Russian.

MOSCOW-BYKOVO AIRPORT (UUEB/BKA)

Spotting Info
Southeast of Moscow city on the A-102. CCCP-91484 IL-14 is on display outside the terminal. Head upstairs in the terminal for views of the apron, most can be logged from here.

Public Transport
Take the orange line eastwards, get off at Electrozadvodna station, walk outside and you'll see the railway station above you from where you can take a local train out to Bykovo. It's about nine stops. Walk over to the opposite platform, cross the road and the airport is about 500m down the first side street. You can also travel on the purple line to its southern terminus ay Veeshina and catch the same commuter train also.
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MOSCOW-DOMODEDOVO AIRPORT (UUDD/DME) - TWR 118.6 & 119.7 / APP 120.6 / GND 119.0

Terminal Area Spotting Info
In the terminal, go up the escalators beside the check-in desks and panoramic windows the length of the food court area give a good view of some of the stands and nearly all of the stored aircraft, though you'll need a good pair of binoculars to log the latter and you'll need to be discreet, including making the occasional purchase if you're spending any length of time there. Views of the parallel runways from here are poor though, but as one is for departures and the other for arrivals, movements will taxi past at some point. You shouldn't have any problems with security here as they are becoming more aware of our hobby, but no photographs at all. Situate yourself in the middle of the concourse, as sitting close to the end by the departure gates might raise interest from staff on the customs desk. There is a car park to the side of the terminal, head out and turn right, which is adjacent to the ramp and the 14L runway. Beyond the ramp is the vast storage area, for which you will need a good pair of binoculars but use discreetly. No problems from this area and good photo opportunities but spotters have been approached by security and told to stop taking photographs so use caution. At the far end of the car park is the Aviast An12 ramp. If you can, arrive at Domodedovo rather than Sheremetyevo, passport control seems to be much better here.

Good views once airside. A cafe in the departure area of concourse B upstairs just after the security checks has good views of 14L/32R and taxiways. The end of Sector A has better views of the remote ramp and the stored aircraft.

If you are visiting as part of a tour group, make sure you go on the prearranged ramp tours, and if they are providing more than one ramp visit, go on them all. It's not that uncommon for there to be an 'error' at the last minute meaning that you miss out on passes for the tour, plus there's always something new to log on the subsequent tours.

Public Transport
From the metro (cheap and efficient), alight at Paveletskaya station on the green or brown lines and take the Airport Express train direct to Domodedovo.

Planespotting Hotels - its location is marked in the Spotting in Russia download
The Domodedovo AirHotel is just a short walk from the main terminal and is close to the Aviast An12 ramp and runway 14L/32R, virtually in line with the 14L threshold. The 5th floor and above have views of traffic arriving and departing on this runway, though SBS will definitely help. The higher you are the better, so the 9th floor is good. Has balconies both sides that you can spot from and read them off but you may miss a few as they sink below the tree line. Regarding SBS, the electricity supply is of a poor standard resulting in your SBS shutting down from time to time. The hotel has no air conditioning in the rooms, and while you can keep your window open overnight, it's only recommended for heavy sleepers as there is no night curfew and Tu154s etc fly throughout the night. No wi-fi internet so if you don't just want hexcodes appearing on your screen for you to hopefully tie up later, manually input the codes, including VP- and VQ-, before you leave.
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MOSCOW-KHODINKA STORED

Spotting Info
On the site of the former Khodinka airport are the former exhibits of the defunct Central Air & Space Museum. The aircraft are parked tightly together with a mesh fence surrounding them but you can stand at the fence to easily read the serials and markings and some photographs are also possible.

MOSCOW-PARK POBEDY (VICTORY PARK) WAR WEAPONRY FORTIFICATION EXPOSITION

Spotting Info
This open air museum is at Victory Park in Moscow. Take the metro line 3 Blue, exit at Park Pobedy and walk towards the large pole monument. Pass the large monument while walking slightly downhill and it's not far ahead. Contains preserved aircraft and replicas. They can all be seen from outside but any photographs won't be great due to the numerous trees in the way.

MOSCOW-SHEREMETYEVO AIRPORT (UUEE/SVO) - TWR 120.7 & 131.5 / APP 119.3 & 123.7 / GND 119.0 & 121.8

Spotting Info
At Sheremetyevo 2, in the International Terminal F, the food area has views of the runways with limited views across to the domestic Terminals B and C and the storage ramps, though you'll need a good set of binoculars to read off these ramps and you will need to keep making purchases. Heat haze can be a problem reading those parked at Sheremetyevo 1 on the north side but once the temperature drops you won't have a problem. Photography is forbidden here so keep your cameras away, and there have been occasional reports of spotters being questioned regarding the use of binoculars and telescopes and then being asked to leave. Preserved outside Sheremetyevo 1 between Terminals B and C is CCCP-75554 IL18. A quiet airport compared to the other two Moscow airports. A prearranged ramp tour as part of a tour group will see you log everything present and you wouldn't need to spend much more time here afterwards. You can drive round the airport, looking in various nooks and crannies to log the stored aircraft and movements and you can position yourself on the approach to log the arrivals. If you can, arrive at Domodedovo rather than Sheremetyevo, passport control seems to be much better there than at SVO.

Public Transport
From the city take the green line on the metro (cheap and efficient) system north to the last stop at Rechnoy Vokzal and catch either the 851 service bus or preferably a mashrutka minibus to the airport.

Planespotting Hotels - their locations are marked in the Spotting in Russia download

The Novotel is a short walk from the international Terminal F at Sheremetyevo 2 on the south side. The 4th floor room 4155 faces east and you may get aircraft overhead in the circuit. Rooms facing west, north or east will give traffic views, the higher the floor the better, however many rooms face inward into the hotel interior and offer no external views at all.
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The Holiday Inn Moscow-Vinogradovo is 9 miles from the airport so no airport views but it's a nice hotel and with a free airport shuttle bus.
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MOSCOW-VNUKOVO AIRPORT (UUWW/VKO) - TWR 118.3 / APP 122.3 & 129.0 / GND 119.0

Spotting Info
Not a lot in the way of viewing from the terminal, and you'll probably get moved on anyway. Walk out of the terminal to the entrance to the airport with direct views of the runway. You won't be bothered here. There's a pull in on the approach road by the disused ANC Police post, where a lot of cars stop and gives a great view of aircraft on final approach and those awaiting to taxi on to the runway. Many people wait here before going into the airport to pick up and if you position your car just short of the approach lights you can also see the ones lining up for take off. Perfect for photographs. At the main/southern airport entrance is CCCP-42507 Tu104 marked "CCCP-L5412". Some views are possible outside/around perimeter including the Rossiya ramp. If you are visiting as part of a tour group, make sure you go on the prearranged ramp tours, and if they are providing more than one ramp visit, go on them all. It's not that uncommon for there to be an 'error' at the last minute meaning that you miss out on passes for the tour, plus there's always something new to log on the subsequent tours.

Public Transport
Using the metro (cheap and efficient) take the red line to its southern terminus at Yugo Zapadna, turn right after the ticket barriers, up the left hand stairwell and there are mashrutka buses immediately on your left that will take you to Vnukovo airport. There should also be a new rail link from the airport to the city.
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ST. PETERSBURG-PULKOVO AIRPORT (ULLI/LED) - TWR 118.1 & 128.0 / APP 125.2 & 129.8 / GND 121.7 & 124.0

Spotting Info
In Pulkovo 1 there are seats in the terminal overlooking the ramp. The best spot is outside the right hand side of the terminal on the departures level in order to get the best view of the runway.

TORZHOK HELICOPTER BASE (UUET)

Spotting Info
This military helicopter trainig base is in the east of Torzhok town. A prearranged tour will let you log all helicopters present and there is a good museum here with an example of almost every helicopter used by the Russian military over the years.

TVER-MIGALOVO AIR BASE (UUEM/KLD) - TWR 120.2 / APP 120.2 / GND 124.0

Spotting Info
This military transport base is west of Tver town and home of the An22s. It's best to visit as part of a tour group with prearranged ramp tours to make sure you log and photograph as many as possible.