I got to Washington National 15 minutes before a flight once- and made it onto the flight. That was around 1998.

In the 1960s, I remember standing out on the tarmac at CAK and watching from behind a chicken-wire fence as my father boarded the plane.

Finally, I remember observation decks where you could actually go out and watch flights taking off and landing. Now, many favorite planespotting areas are patrolled and people are chased away.