Aviation enthusiasts watch air traffic at the Boca Raton Airport from the new observation area. ABOVE (l-r): Jordan Cohen, his father, Cliff Cohen, and FAU student Victoria Czyszczon watch a Global 7500 take off to the north. With a 104-foot wingspan, it is the largest jet the airport can accommodate. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Rich Pollack
The crackling voices coming over two loudspeakers at Boca Raton Airport’s new observation area hint at what is soon to come from out of the sky.
An air traffic controller sitting in the nearby tower gives a far-off pilot the green light to land a private jet, and soon the eyes of those gathered on the deck are focused upward searching for the plane weaving through the clouds.
Within minutes the large aircraft approaching from the north appears to be coming straight toward the small group of spectators as it touches down about a football field away.
The collective “wow” is muffled by the thundering jet engines.
“Just being able to come to something like this is pretty cool,” said Scott Goldstein, one of the first to visit the long-awaited observation area, which opened in January.
The deck is a magnet for people who find witnessing planes come and go magical but who have had to peer through fences or hide from security to do so. It offers a clear vantage point to see everything from large Gulfstream 650s with 100-foot wingspans to single-engine propeller planes and even a gyrocopter.
“This is a great spot,” said Lander Talbott. He and his fiancée, Aelin Shea, have come to the airport regularly to watch planes but have had to watch from a distant parking lot.
“Being able to listen to the air traffic controller talking to the pilots is cool, too.”
The observation area was dedicated on Jan. 28.
During a ribbon-cutting ceremony Jan. 28, airport Executive Director Clara Bennett said the observation deck was built with the community in mind.
“This is an opportunity for us to give back to the community that has supported the airport for 75 years,” she said.
Built on a 4-foot-high elevated mound, with ramps on either side forming a circle, the observation deck is unique in its design, according to the airport’s deputy director, Scott Kohut.
Along with the speakers that make it possible to eavesdrop on chatter between pilots and the tower, the deck has a covered area and four educational signs with information about the history of the airport, the native species that inhabit the surrounding area, aviation features of the airport, and descriptions of the types of aircraft that visitors will see.
Located on the east side of the airport next to the Boca Raton Airport Authority offices on Northwest 35th Street, the observation area is easily accessible from FAU Boulevard and includes ample parking. There is seating for up to 12 people and it is ADA accessible.
“The observation area is meant to provide additional ways of engaging with the community, telling the story of the airport, and inspiring interest in the field of aviation,” Kohut said. “It is also a great way for students interested in aviation and airports to learn more about the field.”
The area is also designed for people who just enjoy watching planes take flight, whether they are 5-year-olds waving to pilots or those who aspire to be in the cockpit.
“There is something awe-inspiring watching aircraft as they come and go,” Kohut said. “Airplanes are cool.”
The observation deck is a real draw for student pilots like Kyle Peterson, a high school junior who has been flying since before he could drive a car, and Jordan Cohen, who is also taking flying lessons and was at the airport along with his fiancée, Stephanie Kruchko, and two dogs one Sunday, and with his dad, Cliff, the next weekend.
“I love to watch airplanes and here you can hear the control tower. It’s awesome,” said Cohen, who got pointers from Jared Kulp, a flight instructor from Lynn University who had come to the deck to see the airport from a different vantage point and to witness the variety of aircraft on the runway.
Air traffic on the Sunday afternoon that Cohen and Kruchko visited was robust, with jets of different sizes, including those that can carry as many as 15 people, coming in or taking off about every five to 10 minutes.
Traffic is likely to almost double over the next few years — whenever President Donald Trump is at Mar-a-Lago, flight restrictions will mean that many non-commercial flights will have to land at airports other than those in West Palm Beach and Lantana.
The observation area was built at a cost of about $1 million and funded largely with federal grants.
“We hope that anyone with an interest in aviation stops by and learns more about the airport and general aviation, the history of the airport, and some of the unique aspects of the airport including some of the native species we share the field with,” Kohut said.
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