Rota

1Spanish navy platform

The first spot to visit is on the eastern side of the base. When on the A-491 there is an option to point your scope towards the Spanish navy platform. Aircraft with larger codes can be read off from here (but you can forget about the Harriers for instance).

2Dump north side

Spot 2 indicates the area on the north side of the base that contains a dumped helicopter and Cessna. When travelling from spot 1 towards the town of Rota you can exit the A-491 and continue on a smaller parallel road. This road allows you to stop a your own will more easily. The dumped aircraft will show up if you look carefully.

3Platform overview

Continuing this parallel road you will encounter a spot that gives you a, more or less, unobstructed view of the platform area. Driving back and forth a little will allow reading the serials of the aircraft parked on the US platform. This is also the spot to overview the flying activities of the day (either during take-off or landing). You will be able to identify most of the traffic. Photography is not really an option from here.

410 Approach

The approach of runway 10 offers some possibilities at a track that runs south bound off A-491. To get here, go south on A-491 until you reach the km15 marker, make a right just before that into a dirt track. This runs a bit parallel to the A-491 but bends away from it after a couple of hundred meters. About 300 meters further down there are some mounds providing height. From there you will be able to read off aircraft on the runway. For photography it is less than ideal, you are about 600 metres away from the threshold, but still doable.