Hualien (Karenka North)

1Carrefour

On top of the Carrefour Hualien there is a parking lot that offers very nice opportunities. Both reading the numbers and photography is very nice from here! You have a good view of the complete base and are able to monitor all activities (either which way they fly). Being a good spot this parking lot is also known to local police. The police visit this spot on a regular basis to check on the 'audience' (CCTV cameras are installed). Since photograhpy is not allowed you should take care here. Numbercrunchers (acting as regular aviation enthusiasts) were normally only checked and left to do their business. More recently all people have been sent away though. To get here just focus on the Carrefour logo and follow the directions to this store.

2Along the river

This spot is an alternative for spot 1. If you locate yourself along the river you will probably not be hassled by the police and left alone. This spot is OK for photography and reading your numbers but your view of the base is very limited. To get here you pass the Carrefour and turn left, and right at the end. At a certain moment you can turn left again and are heading for an underpass of the connecting taxi-track. After you pass this you can turn left onto a larger road and position yourself to your liking. You will probably need one or two aircraft as a reference.

3Runway 21

When runway 21 is in use you can position yourself very near to the water. Both photography and reading are options from here. To get here from spot 1 enter the main road again heading south. Just after passing the base perimeter turn left onto Huashi Road. This road runs along the base perimeter. Keep following this perimeter until you end up near the runway appraoch lighting.

4Shelters

An additional spot for extra numbers. From a spot near a children's playground you can peek inside the shelters that are located near to the perimeter wall and read the tail numbers. The same goes for the ones parked outside their shelters across the runway.

5Civil terminal

Near the civil terminal you have an option to read some of the Navy S-70s. Just after passing circling the road underneath the terminal building you'll see the Navy-gate. Just after heading for the main road again you can sometimes read some of the helo's in their sheds.

6Parallel runway

When the other runway is in use you can position yourself very near to it. The view is very good and both photography and reading are easy and self-explanatory. To get here turn left on the last but one major road crossing after you have left the terminal spot. You will end up near the runway automatically. The authorities are not to keen on people watching the activities when this runway is in use though so you might be visited very soon after you arrive!

7Parallel runway 03

Another option to visit when the parallel runway is in use is the approach of runway 03. This spot is very nice for photography since the mountains in the back are visible on the shots. You can get here by eiter underpassing the taxi track from spot 6 or following the directions to spot 2 and turning right twice.