Anyone who has visited LAX will recognize the iconic Jetson-esque structure (officially called the "Theme Building") in the center of airport that houses the Encounter Restaurant. What you may not have known is that above the restaurant sits an observation deck offering 360º views of the airport. The observation deck was closed after 9/11, but on July 10th it will re-open to the public.

^{photo courtesy of UK Daily Mail}

Access will be free, though you will have to pay for parking. For now, the observation deck will be open only on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

For more on the engineering and history of the "Theme Building" click here.

This week we are joined by Phil from nycaviation.com to discuss planespotting in and around the airport. NYCAviation is an airline news and resource organization geared towards enthusiasts. for the past 6 years, they have looked to serve those with a passion for aviation even far outside New York both on and off of the internet. We discuss:

The recent Hawaiian airlines flight that turned back due to a passenger comment card Matthew's recent blog post about theft in the air ...