Phoenix Goodyear Airport
Phoenix Goodyear Airport is a public airport in Goodyear, Arizona in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States.
History
It was built during World War II as a naval air facility and officially opened in 1941 as 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. 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 at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson and NAS Litchfield Park was slated for closure.Following the closure of NAS Litchfield Park in 1968, the Goodyear company discussed using it as its Aviation Products Division. The airport is not served by any airlines. Ultimately, the city of Phoenix purchased the airport as a general aviation reliever airport for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The airport is, however, a major keep and maintenance spot, and the aircraft of many airlines, both domestic and international, can be spotted there.
Phoenix-Goodyear Airport is a Superfund site due to a number of soil and groundwater contaminants from its time as a military installation.
Facilities
Phoenix Goodyear Airport covers at an elevation of above mean sea level. GYR has one asphalt runway and one concrete helipad:- Runway 3/21 measuring
- Helipad H1, measuring
Tenants
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 was the training facility for the Lufthansa Flight Training of German Lufthansa Airlines. Basic flight training for German Air Force student pilots was also conducted in Grob G 120 aircraft. In 2022 the entire Center was sold to United Airlines.
- CAE Oxford Aviation Academy is the US name for CAE Oxford Aviation Academy, a British company specializing in training airline pilots for United Kingdom, British Airways and other European airlines. CAE OAA moved to Falcon Field in October 2013 and is no longer based at KGYR.
- FLY Goodyear, formerly known as Buckeye Flight Experience, is a training center based at Lux Air Jet Center. They offer single-engine and multi-engine flight training for those looking to learn to fly for fun or those wanting to pursue a career in aviation.
- Lux Air Jet Center, is the Fixed Base Operator for the Phoenix Goodyear Airport. They provide, fuel and support services for government, military and emergency medical service operators, also hosts many of the arrivals and departures for major sporting events in the Phoenix area.
- CTC Wings aviation academy started to use the airport as a training facility in 2014, in addition to its center in Hamilton, New Zealand.
- United Aviate Academy, opened in early 2022 is the main pilot training center for United Airlines.