Visiting Florida and the Keys in August.
Any info on spotting at Homestead AFB, Patrick AFB or NAS Key West would be much appreciated such as where to go, flying times etc.
Patrick AFB is very nice to visit, there is a road along the coast with a dam, on the dam you have very nice overview on the base.
in 2007 whe visit the base and we park our car on parking spot who is use for visitors for the beach, we stay couple off hours on the beach ( swimming ) and it's good spot for arriving aircrafts you see them on short final for the runway. also if you are on the beach you can walk to the dam and you have a nice overview on the base and good photo spot. not a busy field but very nice to stay a couple hours to enjoy the beach i have some photo's from arriving traffic and departing traffic
Homestead: go to SW 127th Ave, Homestead. https://goo.gl/maps/YRNnt7ywW9eWmiqh9
By the way: the farmer may not like you being there (he buzzed me multiple times with a drone, thought I was stealing his crop) but the road is public land.
Key West can be a really difficult place to view/photograph depending on the runway in use. When I visited runway 14/32 was in use so I was able to view landings from US Highway 1, the 14 end, although that can be a little dangerous as there are no official parking places and the Sheriffs cars regularly patrol the Highway. You are also able to see the preserved Vigilante and Phantom from US Highway 1.
I then moved to the end of the runway, 32, take the Boca Chica Road off US Highway 1 until the dead end, it's a few miles long so stick with it. Once at the dead end park up (lock your car) and there is a path that takes you to the end of the runway.....make sure you take lots of water and sun block! Viewing take offs from 14, was fine from here, and most of the jets, F5 and F18s, that landed on runway 14 rolled until the end of the runway, heat haze was a major problem though.
