Here's how to see the biggest planes land at Toronto Pearson Airport

Plane-spotting near Toronto Pearson International Airport has never been more popular thanks to daily incoming flights from some of the largest planes in the world, offering regularly scheduled spectacles in the sky.

More and more people are flocking to the major flight hub to get up close and personal with enormous planes landing low overhead — including daily departures/landings by the mighty Airbus A380, which is the largest class of passenger plane in the world, and the majestic Boeing 747, known among aviation enthusiasts as the "Queen of the Skies."

So, if you still think of Pearson as a place to trudge through in sweatpants on your way to a destination, I am here to convince you that you are overlooking the airport as a destination in its own right.

Why you love plane watching and just don't know it 

If you have ever been stopped in your tracks in complete awe of large machines or roaring engines, you may not need much convincing about this exhilarating outdoor activity.

But, for those not yet convinced, there is a surprising sense of community scattered on the otherwise barren lawns surrounding Pearson, where crowds can be found on any given day, well prepared for an afternoon of plane watching with lawn chairs and coolers in tow.

A mix of families, photographers, aviation nerds with walkie-talkies, and all walks of life can be found pressed along airport fences, all united by excitement and a sense of awe when a massive jet roars overhead.

How to be in the right place at the right time

With flights landing and departing from five main runways at Pearson, many variables will shape your plane-watching experience, including wind direction and air traffic direction that could change at a moment's notice.

Your best bet is to get equipped with a flight-tracking app like Flightradar24 that will show you the position of all incoming/departing planes as well as their headings, which will allow you to predict the runway and corresponding viewing area.

Where to get the best views

The most popular viewing locations are positioned at the east and west sides of runway 05/23 and at the west side of runway 06R/24L.

When planes are landing or taking off at runway 05/23, you will usually find crowds of plane-watchers amassed along Airport Road at Orlando Drive.

You can position yourself directly below the orange landing beacon towers that extend beyond the runway and across airport road for the loudest roars, or just north or south of these beacons for a great side view of the planes.

A second popular viewpoint for this runway can be found at the west side of the airport along Dixie Road, at Director Gate.

For planes landing or taking off from runway 06R/24L, you'll want to head over to a gravel area along a bend on Convair Drive. While space for cars is limited, the views from this location are absolutely astonishing. 

The adventurous can even access this remote spot on foot or by bicycle using the Etobicoke Creek Trail.

Plane-spotting locations around Pearson Airport (highlighted orange). Google Maps.

The best planes and when to see them

Seeing the biggest passenger planes with double-decked configurations and four roaring engines, like the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747, used to require careful planning and a decent amount of luck to witness firsthand. 

But luckily, those days are in the past. Both planes now make daily appearances at Pearson, and you can keep track of them using the flight numbers on air traffic tracking apps.

Emirates EK 241/242 is a daily Dubai-Toronto route flying the behemoth A380, arriving at YYZ daily at 9:30 a.m. and then departing at 2:55 p.m.

Etihad also runs a daily flight EY 21/22 on the Abu Dhabi-Toronto route, which arrives at Pearson at 9:00 a.m. and departs in a roaring spectacle again at 1:40 p.m. each day.

Lufthansa's flight 470/471 on the Toronto-Frankfurt route is the only regularly scheduled chance to see the Boeing 747 at Pearson, arriving at YYZ daily at 4:20 p.m. and departing again at 6:20 p.m.

While Lufthansa is the only regularly-scheduled 747 you'll catch at Pearson, less frequent cargo flights also operate out of the airport using this enormous aircraft.

Things to know before you go

This pocket of the 905 is notoriously devoid of tree cover or shade of any sort, and the sun can be brutally oppressive during the treacherous summer months. Not to mention the vast expanses of pavement act as a giant heat magnet that can make conditions unbearable when temperatures climb into the 30s.

But whether you visit on a mild day, or plan ahead by bringing some form of shade umbrella, there are plenty of ways to experience this daily spectacle without the sun nuking your epidermis to oblivion.

So, get out there with your binoculars and telephoto lenses, and make sure to bring a cold drink and plenty of sunscreen.