Phoenix Goodyear Airport

Phoenix Goodyear Airport
Phoenix Goodyear Airport
	IATA: GYR; ICAO: KGYR; FAA LID: GYR;
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	City of Phoenix
Serves	Phoenix, Arizona
Location	Goodyear, Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Hub for	CTC Aviation; Lufthansa Flight Training; German Air Force; KLM Flight Academy; CTC Aviation;
Elevation AMSL	971 ft / 296 m
Coordinates	33°25′41″N 112°22′28″W / 33.42806°N 112.37444°W
Website	phoenix.gov/goodyearairport/
Map
	GYR Location in Arizona
Runways
Helipads
Statistics (2012)
Aircraft operations
Aircraft operations	137,253
Based aircraft	223
	Source: Federal Aviation Administration

Phoenix Goodyear Airport (IATA: GYR, ICAO: KGYR, FAA LID: GYR) (formerly Goodyear Municipal Airport) is a public airport a mile southwest of Goodyear, in Maricopa County, Phoenix, Arizona.^[1]

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 for many airlines around the world, and many airlines' aircraft, both domestic and international ones, 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

Facilities

Phoenix Goodyear Airport covers 789 acres (319 ha); it has one asphalt runway, 3/21, which is 8,501 x 150 ft (2,591 x 46 m), and one concrete helipad, H1, which is 64 x 64 ft (20 x 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 airfield is home to several companies offering aircraft maintenance and commercial pilot training:

AeroTurbine, 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 727, Douglas DC-9s and DC-10s 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 G 120A aircraft.
Oxford Aviation Academy (OAA) is the US base for Oxford Aviation Academy, a British company specializing in training airline pilots for United Kingdom, British Airways and 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 Operation	Number
Single Engine Aircraft Based on Field:	196
Multi-Engine Aircraft Based on Field:	17
Annual Commercial Operations:	147
Jet Aircraft Based on Field:	2
Annual Commuter Operations:	none
Helicopters Based on Field:	2
Annual Air Taxi Operations:	313
Military Aircraft Based on Field:	6
Annual Military Operations:	4228
Gliders Based on Field:	none
Annual GA Local Operations:	79391
Ultralights Based on Field:	none
Annual GA Itinerant Operations:	53174

Gallery

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