George Bush Airport Houston

I am a college student, and probably plan on going into law enforcement, so I know the law fairly well, but this one has me stumped. I am authorized to photograph at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, and am out there a few times a month. I often have to stop off to the side of the road in different areas when plane spotting, and the road nearest runway 27 at IAH is narrow, and people like to speed a lot. I have been considering putting in some white and amber strobe lights that would only be used when I am parked on the side of the road, and using a magnetic beacon ("Kojak" light) on top of my car when stopped, which would probably be amber.

I am in the law enforcement community, and have many friends that are cops and lawyers, but I get a lot of conflicting information, and the Texas Transportation Code is a little vague. Some have recommended blue and amber strobes, others have said white and amber, and a few have said amber only. I have also gotten conflicting information for the Kojak light, as some have said it can be blue, and others have said amber. Some have even said I can’t have them at all!

I’m probably going to go with amber and white strobes and an amber beacon, but thought I’d give this a go and see if any LEOs or experienced lawyers want to chime in. Best answer will go to whoever gives me a good explanation backed up with the actual law.
JayJay- My hopes are that I won’t be harassed, I am friends with the security patrols at IAH, I am more worried about HPD giving me problems, since they don’t know that I am authorized to be there, and may think that I am impersonating an officer with the white strobes, which I have been told are also forbidden (stroboscopic lights do not flash at the same time as the hazard lamps).

Steven- I have a small convertible, the supplied hazard flashers are useless, and until I can afford to buy a second car (probably a Jeep), I would like to have some added protection from inattentive drivers.

Leslie- Thank you for clarifying on the blue, I had seen it on construction vehicles and tow trucks, so I was wondering about that. I believe you are thinking of Aldine-Westfield Rd, I am actually talking about Lee, Farrel, and Rankin. The only one with a place to stop is Lee, and that’s only open from dawn to dusk, if I want shots in the early morning, I have to stop on the side of the road. Anot
(continued) Another good spot is FM 1960, but the cops don’t like people stopping there. Good point on the impaired drivers, although I am more concerned about how foggy it gets in the morning, and being seen by regular drivers. Come down and visit us, Houston is a great city.

Chet- Thanks, I have read the code many times over, it is not very helpful, because it doesn’t specify as to whether I can have strobes or not, and says nothing about the beacon. Those are covered in other sections.

Thank you all for your answers!

Here is the Texas Transportation code on restricted use of lighting:
http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/TN/htm/TN.547.htm#547.305

Here is the section you need, Hazard Lamps Permitted.
http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/TN/htm/TN.547.htm#547.331

Sec. 547.331. HAZARD LAMPS PERMITTED. (a) A vehicle may be equipped with lamps to warn other vehicle operators of a vehicular traffic hazard that requires unusual care in approaching, overtaking, or passing.
(b) The lamps shall be:
(1) mounted at the same level and spaced as widely apart as practicable on the front and on the rear of the vehicle; and
(2) visible at a distance of at least 500 feet in normal sunlight.
(c) The lamps shall display simultaneously flashing lights that emit:
(1) a white or amber light, or a color between white and amber, if the lamp is mounted on the front of the vehicle; or
(2) a red or amber light, or a color between red and amber, if the lamp is mounted on the rear of the vehicle.

Add:
You can have a flashing, strobe, or beacon doesn’t matter, as long as it is white to amber in the front, amber to red in the rear (but two lights on the front or back can not "wigwag" they have to flash simultaneously).

Ok. Well I’m moving to France in june and currently I live in Houston, tx (really big airport). Well I’m going to go on my one-way flight on June 5th and I have two friends who wanna go to the airport with me. I told them it’ll be hard getting past security but they wouldn’t take that. But I remember I was flying southwest airlines from hobby alone and I took my mother past security with me to assist me to the gate. SA had a pass to go pass security but you need a family or a friends who has a southwest airlines boarding pass. Does air France (airline I’m flying on), have something like that at the George bush intercontinental airport? Or will the security people at IAH be nice and let them go past? That’s least likely.

The only way you can get someone to go through security with you is if you need assistance. And the airlines will need advance notice.

I doubt your friends will get through security at Bush.

I, as a 16 year old boy with a car, was foced to pick up my cousins from the airport about a week ago. Their flight wound up being delayed for about an hour and I was stuck outside of security with nothing to do for about two hours. I picked up some Starbucks, and hopped on the underground shuttle (monorail) which transports people from terminal to terminal throughout the airport for the remaining hour and a half until their plane landed. I don’t know what you guys think, but the whole experience to me was pretty fun. Peace and quiet riding around underground on some monorail listening to my mp3 player. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon. This got me wondering, not that somebody would want to (please don’t ask me why I would hang out at an airport instead of playing video games, I know I’m a nerd), but is it legal to go to an airport just to ‘hang out’??? FYI it is the Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston (or Humble, whatever) or is this trespassing? Why would it be trespassing? I paid for parking damnit!

Busy airports, like busy train stations in the old days, are fun places to hang out. Lots of people to watch, sometimes interesting things to do, restaurants for munching, etc. Today people are so paranoid that they consider anything out of the ordinary to be suspicious, but it’s perfectly legal to spend time at the airport, and usually the airport is so busy that nobody will care as long as you’re in the areas outside security (which you normally would be, since you’re not flying and there’s nothing interesting beyond security anyway).

Plane-watching can be fun at airports, too, and that is also legal, although it’s even more likely to arouse suspicion than simply hanging around.

Okay well I am flying from IAH (george bush international houston airport) to BWI ( Baltimore) and Im flying with US Airways. I am 17. Never flown before and to be honest Im terrified. Not cause of movies but because I am flying on the 7th(2 days from now) close to 9/11’s 10 yr ann. I am flying by myself and just curious to of how safe us airways is please and thank you.

U.S. Airways a long time ago had a string of crashes but has not had a major accident in a long time. I have flown with them and would not be afraid to get on their aircraft. Actually the major airlines of the United States all have a decent safety record. Airlines must follow certain procedures and rules regarding pilot training and aircraft maintenance. If they don’t, the airlines can be fined, have their aircraft grounded and face bad publicity.

Just bring some gum and maybe an iPod to listen to.

My younger brother and his golf teammates are traveling from DEN to HOU (Houston-Hobby) tonight and I assumed that they would be landing at George Bush Intercontinental, but I was wrong. My theory is that because Southwest is more of a budget airline, they would save more money by choosing not to offer services to major airport. Is my theory somewhat correct?

You are spot on in your theory!
One of the way Southwest keep costs low is taking their operations to some lesser used airports where they don’t have to pay as much in landing fees and gate leases.

i went to a coffee shop at IAH in houston it was not starbucks but a different Coffee chain, they had the most Delicious tea, and i cant think of the name of the coffee shop, please can anyone help me find the Coffee shop there, it was southwest airlines that i took, but i cant find the name of the place i went too.

Southwest Airlines does not fly into IAH. They use Hobby Airport.

Regardless, here is a map of IAH and you can look through the terminals and look through lists of food vendors to find your coffee shop.

http://www.ifly.com/george-bush-intercontinental-airport/terminal-map

Map of Hobby Airport:
http://www.ifly.com/william-p-hobby-airport/terminal-map

Sound confusing, let me attribute more details here. I’m scheduled to fly from SIN to VPS via NRT (Tokyo) and IAH (Houston). With 2 immediate International Connecting Flights and 1 immediate Domestic Connecting Flight I’m interested to buy Duty Free upon arrival. However, I’m very sceptical with the informations provided by friends pertain to Rules of Purchasing Duty Free items on several connecting flights.

Which Connecting Airport can I make my Duty Free Purchase?

Please also assist me with the most reliable website providing information about Custom Guidelines of what which kind of foods that I may carry along with me upon arriving (from Singapore (SIN) & Tokyo (NRT), Japan) to IAH George Bush Intercontinental Airport?

Thanks

Hi,

Try the website I’m including in sources, that should be updated information. The government office with whom to ask any info on personal exemptions when traveling back from oversees is always CBP. Do not fail to declare to the CBP (Customs Border Protection) Officer if in doubt, they will seize your goods if you don’t declare something you should have and may also fine you.

I have not been to IAH for years and have a question about arrivals. I have to pick my husband up tomorrow at 3:00pm. My questions are the following…
1. It takes me an hour to get there, when should I leave
2. Where can I park to meet him, parking deck or is there an area by the exit doors.
3. how much are the parking decks for hourly parking

thank you very much.

Check the flight status before leaving home. This can be done on your computer. You’ll need the airline name and flight number.

I would leave about 60 - 65 minutes before his flight is scheduled to arrive. You will look for the terminal first. Then you’ll watch for "Arriving Flights" signs. Pull in and move forward (or as directed by the security). Do not block the driveway. Pull over by the curb, even if you see your husband.

You will not get out of your car. This is NOT a parking area where you can run inside and meet someone. He will come out and find your car. Hopefully you have cell phones and he can tell you when he’s headed outside.

(If you get there and find the flight has been delayed, you can always go to the cell phone lot and wait until he calls.)

But paying to go into the parking garage is not worth the money.

BA 747 from LHR landing at IAH and a bit of a cabin shot from seat 2K. G-CIVV

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I was waiting for a connecting flight to Vancouver the other day at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. It’s not exceptionally remarkable as far as large airports go. But hey, it has a bunch of Texas kitsch, and it’s named after Dubya’s daddy!

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