NAVIGATION 
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Denver International Airport Overview ________________________________Spotters Map and Guide Frequencies Current Activity Like many other large airports (LAX, DTW, DFW) Denver International (DEN) has multiple parallel runways: The north/south runway sets of 35L/R and 17L/R plus 34L/R and 16L/R. DEN also has 7/25 and 8/26, but I'll get to that later. DEN's terminal complex is in the middle of these runways, and where one set of parallel runways "end", the other set "begins" on the opposite side of the complex- see airport diagram. This ensures that aircraft have a short taxi to any given runway. Because of this centralized layout, certain runways are used for specific tasks. For example, when the wind is out of the north, aircraft will taxi to the 34's for departure, as taxing to the end of the 35's would take far too much time. As a result, landings will occur on the 35's. If a wind from the south kicks up, aircraft will most likely land on the 16's and taxi to the terminal. By default, departing traffic will most likely use the 17's for takeoff. Denver also has 2 east/west runways: 8/26 and 7/25. In a predominant western wind, air traffic will use Rwy 25 to depart and Rwy 26 to arrive. If the western wind is extremely strong, these could be the only 2 runways in use. If the wind is from the east, aircraft will land on Rwy 7 and depart Rwy 8. The same idea of strong winds also applies. NOTE: Eastbound departures, excluding the active use of Rwy 26, seem to prefer a Rwy 8 departure, but this is not always the case; I have seen an NK flight to FLL or DTW depart to the west on Rwy 25! The same principle applies westbound departures using Rwy 7/25. This layout, highly efficient for air-traffic, can be a nightmare for spotters. Keep in mind that the area of DEN is over 50 square miles! It will take you some time to travel around the airport. The seldom use of specific runways for takeoffs or landings also is a problem for a spotter. Again, with a northern wind, a spotter will probably not see any landings on the 34's, as such a landing would disrupt the departures on 34L and 34R, not to mention the taxi times- save cargo operations based on the southern side of the field. The same idea goes for a southern wind. Hardly any landings on the 17's- again save cargo. Wind and runway use becomes quite fun when the east/west runways are factored in. For example, a landing on Rwy 25 is less likely to happen, because of the taxi time and will disrupt the departing traffic on Rwy 25. Also the approach to Rwy 25 lies over the 17's/35's, adding ATC complications. The seldom use of runways 25, 17L (save cargo), 17R (save cargo), 34L and 8 for landings and the seldom use of 7, 26, 16R, and 16L for takeoffs adds to the general efficiency and safety of operations at DEN. Spotters beware though, DEN has many places that are off-limits, and spotting in these areas could lead to you asking a friend or family member for bail money. Also, most of the spotting locations at DEN are not absolute. See the spotting sub-pages for more information. ________________________________
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