Popular YouTube channel chooses SFO as new hub

On a recent Thursday morning, the sun cleared the sky as two brothers went over their checklist, minutes before the day’s flight schedule was translated lively at SFO Airport to the amusement of viewers around the world.

Peter and Joshua Solorzano are the creators of LA Flights, a beloved YouTube channel dedicated to plane spotting. “People watch us like they’re listening to the radio,” Peter says as he refreshes the screen on his iPad. “Seven hundred people have already been followed, which is twice what we get at Los Angeles International Airport,” he says. “Everyone is waiting.”

Their equipment features a thin microphone with a windshield, a Sony video camera and a 4K video camera trained on runways, with another camera pointed at Peter. He is the main voice of the production while his younger brother operates the cameras, smoothly moving back and forth between the runways so as not to nauseate viewers. Each stream consists of up to eight hours of non-stop aircraft spotting.

Similar to train spotting, flying spotting is a hobby where a person grows to enjoy air travel. The SFO is a popular location for activity and has several lookouts for observers.

LA Flights has captivated aviation fans with the brothers’ cheerful behavior. It’s full of catchphrases – “Drag race for one! It’s a two-for-one special,” Peter enthuses over the buzzing rhythm of the auctioneer – while challenging the mundane reality of daily flying.

“It’s very special,” Peter tells SFGATE about watching the planes take off and land. “The magic of flying! We want to bring back the excitement of your first flight.”

After completing their preparation, the brothers move hurriedly but in a coordinated rhythm. Although Los Angeles is part of their name on YouTube, this is their third time broadcasting from Bayfront Park, offering SFO excursions to their fans. They started referring to the airport as their second hub.

“You can’t get that close to takeoff,” Peter says of LAX versus SFO. “The amount of sounds is unparalleled. LAX is close, but there is car pollution. We love the planes and the birds chirping.”

Joshua begins to practice zooming in and out on the park’s twin runways, which support a unique view of two planes arriving or departing simultaneously. “That’s why we keep coming back,” he says. “SFO has it all.”

A group of men stroll by, beaming as they pass the array of cameras. “Great trip, Los Angeles Travels!” One of them shouts. “No wonder you haven’t lived yet; you’re still preparing.”

The brothers smile, thank them, and return to their gear. The average live stream can attract between 3,000 and 5,000 viewers, and has amassed 243,000 subscribers — up 43,000 since August, when they celebrated the channel’s second anniversary with a meet-and-greet. One of the participants even brought the brothers a cake.

Peter, 28, and Joshua, 19, launched the channel in 2021, after a childhood steeped in aviation enthusiasts. Joshua was in high school when the L.A. tours took off (it’s the only job he’d ever get); Before the pandemic, Peter worked at a car dealership. Financial support from their fans allows the brothers to live independently in their own apartments in Los Angeles.

“Some days, it’s as little as $5, and other days, it can be hundreds of dollars,” says Peter, adding that they receive very little from YouTube ad revenue.

Their father, Pedro, introduced the brothers to airplane spotting when the family lived in Las Vegas. “My dad would come home after his second or third shift and wake me up to take us to McCarran International Airport,” Peter said, referring to what is now Harry Reid International Airport. “You’ll be so close to the planes you can touch them,” he would say.

They would pick up burgers from the Jack in the Box restaurant on Las Vegas Boulevard (near the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign) and then head to the nearby airport to catch flights coming and going. Joshua said these are some of his first memories. “It was my father’s way of pointing me toward something prosperous,” Peter says.

The older brother started on his path to becoming a pilot, attending a high school that offered an aviation program. He absorbed every lesson in aviation physics while learning FAA regulations. But by his senior year, Peter said the cost of continuing his aviation studies, more than $100,000, kept him from continuing.

Pedro moved the family to Los Angeles with the promise that they would be closer to Los Angeles International Airport – one of the busiest airports in the world. At first, the brothers recorded the flights using an iPhone, just for keepsake. After posting a few of these videos online, the Solorzanos noticed they were not alone in their fascination with flying.

In August, they camped out at Los Angeles International Airport to take over the airport during Tropical Storm Hillary. “It was the wildest day at LAX,” Peter said. “The water! The wind! And the risk of water damage to our equipment. Viewers heard our excitement. We had 12,000 people watching.”

The comments section of the brothers’ YouTube live stream moves at the pace of a game of Tetris, with viewers chiming in with supportive comments or sharing what the channel means to them. Some people have overcome their fear of flying after listening to the brothers, while others have found a tribe that loves watching planes as much as they do.

As the brothers approach the start of the latest SFO episode, a man in a blue shirt and sitting on a nearby park bench gets up and walks toward them. Concord’s Marty Farmer graciously approaches Los Angeles Flights and introduces himself.

Earlier this year, Farmer was recovering from brain surgery when he stumbled across the canal. He says their streams helped with his recovery, and he wanted to thank them personally. He shakes hands with them. “The same weird thing I’m into, they’re into it,” Farmer tells SFGATE. “Watching planes sounds silly, but it’s amazing.”

It was time to go, and Joshua looked at his brother. “ready?” He says. Peter nodded, and they counted down from three, two…