Phoenix Goodyear Airport

Phoenix Goodyear Airport (IATA: GYR, ICAO: KGYR, FAA LID: GYR) (formerly Goodyear Municipal Airport) is a public airport 1.15 miles (1.00 nmi; 1.85 km) southwest of Goodyear, in Maricopa County, Arizona.

Phoenix Goodyear Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCity of Phoenix
ServesPhoenix, Arizona
LocationGoodyear, United States
Hub for
Elevation AMSL971 ft / 296 m
Coordinates33°25′41″N 112°22′28″W
Websitegoodyearairport.com
Map
GYR
GYR
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
3/21 8,501 2,592 Asphalt
Helipads
Number Length Surface
ft m
H1 64 20 Concrete
Statistics (2012)
Aircraft operations137,253
Based aircraft223

It was built during World War II as a naval air facility, NAF Litchfield Park, then upgraded to naval air station status and renamed NAS Litchfield Park. Its primary role after the end of World War II was storage and preservation of obsolete or excess U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard aircraft.[2] In 1968, all Department of Defense and U.S. Coast Guard aircraft preservation and storage was consolidated at the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center (MASDC) at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson and NAS Litchfield Park was slated for closure.

Following the closure of NAS Litchfield Park in 1968, the city of Phoenix purchased the airport as a general aviation reliever airport for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The airport is not served by any airlines. The airport is, however, a major keep and maintenance spot, and the aircraft of many airlines, both domestic and international, can be spotted there.[3]

Phoenix-Goodyear Airport is a Superfund site due to a number of soil and groundwater contaminants from its time as a military installation.

NAS Litchfield Park
Old World War II Radar Tower was built in 1941 and located in the Phoenix Goodyear Airport (formerly Goodyear Municipal Airport). The airport was used as a naval air facility during World War II.

Facilities

Phoenix Goodyear Airport covers 789 acres (319 ha) at an elevation of 971 ft (296 m) above mean sea level. GYR has one asphalt runway and one concrete helipad:

  • Runway 3/21 measuring 8,501 ft × 150 ft (2,591 m × 46 m)
  • Helipad H1, measuring 64 ft × 64 ft (20 m × 20 m)[1]

In 2007 the airport had 188,136 aircraft operations, average 515 per day: 93% general aviation, <1% airline, 5% military and 1% air taxi. 223 aircraft are based at the airport: 73% single engine, 11% multi-engine, 16% jet and <1% helicopters.[1]

Resident companies
The Phoenix-Goodyear Airport "bone-yard" where planes no longer in use are kept

The airfield is home to several companies offering aircraft maintenance and commercial pilot training:

  • AerSale, Inc. operates a maintenance facility on the airfield which comprises maintenance, storage and disposal. The northern side of the airfield is used for storage and many Boeing 737, Airbus A340 and Boeing 747s are visible from the road as they await their fate.
  • Airline Training Center Arizona (ATCA) is the training facility for the Lufthansa Flight Training of German Lufthansa Airlines. Basic flight training for German Air Force student pilots is also conducted in Grob G 120 aircraft.
  • Oxford Aviation Academy (OAA) is the US name for Oxford Aviation Academy, a British company specializing in training airline pilots for United Kingdom, British Airways and other European airlines. OAA moved to Falcon Field in October 2013 and is no longer based at KGYR.

Both flight training schools, while regulated by the FAA and operating under their regulations, train students to JAA requirements as required for Europe.

From 2014 CTC Wings aviation academy started to use the airport as training facility in addition to its center in Hamilton, New Zealand.

Operational statistics
Type of operationNumber
Single-engine aircraft based on field196
Multi-engine aircraft based on field17
Annual commercial operations147
Jet aircraft based on field2
Annual commuter operationsnone
Helicopters based on field2
Annual air taxi operations313
Military aircraft based on field6
Annual military operations4,228
Gliders based on fieldnone
Annual GA local operations79,391
Ultralights based on fieldnone
Annual GA itinerant operations53,174
  • Aerial view in 1950
  • Different aircraft types stored in 1959
  • SNJs at Litchfield Park in 1960
  • FJ-4F in 1960
  • AJ-2 in the 1960s
  • VNAF A-1H in 1961
  • Seen from Lufthansa's ramp looking north, the commercial parking and the OAA parking
  • A PA34 of Oxford Aviation Academy at Seneca's ramp
  • A Lufthansa Flight Training Bonanza 33
  • Oxford Aviation Academy's airplanes Piper PA-28 Warrior, as seen from the apron
  • A Ford Trimotor landing at Phoenix Goodyear Airport during March 2017
  • A recent view of Phoenix Goodyear Airport
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References
  1. FAA Airport Master Record for GYR (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2007-07-05
  2. "NAS LITCHFIELD PARK | Flickr". Flickr.
  3. "Goodyear Photos Page 1". www.visitingphx.com.
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