Arizona is a great place to visit if you’re an aviation enthusiast. Not only does it have a couple of major airports, but it’s also home to many storage bases and the incredible AMARG collection at Davis Monthan AFB near Tucson.

Phoenix is the largest city in Arizona, and it has a number of airports in its vicinity that are easy to visit and definitely worth stopping by. Below, I’ve listed a few details of each, but please feel free to comment with your own opinions and details.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International
This is the main airport of the state, and certainly the busiest. It is a hub for US Airways and Southwest Airlines. All major US airlines, both passenger and cargo, visit daily, and there is a large enthusiast community who ensure the hobby is accepted. Try the top level of the car park for some good views.

Scottsdale
Technically another city, but you’d never know. Scottsdale is situated to the east of Phoenix, and it’s airport is a busy base for executive jets. You can view movements from the airport’s perimeter roads, and see aircraft on the ground from the main terminal area.

If you plan on visiting Phoneix, or any of the nearby storage airports, then I can’t reccommend this link enough:

www.visitingphx.com

It is run by spotters at Phoneix and covers all the comings and goings, news, and latest photos.

What is also invaluable is the lists of aircraft currently stored at places like Goodyear, Chandler etc – often updated daily, so you’ll know how accurate it is when you plan on visiting.