Phoenix Deer Valley Airport is a public

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

north of Phoenix, in

Maricopa County Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,420,568, making it the state's most populous county, and the fourth-most populous in the United States. It contains about ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, United States. It is owned by the City of Phoenix. The FAA's

National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) is an inventory of U.S. aviation infrastructure assets. NPIAS was developed and now maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It identifies existing and proposed airports tha ...

for 2009–2013 categorized it as a ''

reliever airport A relief airport or reliever airport is an airport that is built or designated to provide relief or additional capacity to an area when the primary commercial airport(s) requires additional capacity, on a long-term or temporary basis. Reliever a ...

'' for

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a civil–military public airport east of downtown Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is Arizona's largest and busiest airport, and among the largest commercial airports in t ...

. In 2020 the airport recorded 402,444 aircraft movements, making it the 5th busiest airport in the world by aircraft movements and the busiest

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

airport in the world. The airport's high ranking is attributed to its large

business and its status as the home of two popular flight schools.

History

In the 1950s, the Sperry Flight Systems Company established an aerospace/defense manufacturing facility on land north of Phoenix's city limits in what was mostly undeveloped desert. While the plant was under construction, roughly 480 acres to the north nearby was also leased as the potential site for a new flight testing facility. Later on this land was developed into a private airport and then sold, in 1971, to the City of Phoenix. A number of flight research and general aviation firms soon made the new airport their base of operations.

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...

funding enabled upgrades to the terminal building, flight control tower, runways, and many other facilities and safety features.

Usage

There is no scheduled airline service, but charter service is available through several companies.

Facilities and aircraft

The airport covers at an

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § ...

of 1,478 feet (450 m). It has two

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concrete ...

s: 7R/25L is 8,196 by 100 feet (2,498 x 30 m) and 7L/25R is 4,500 by 75 feet (1,372 x 23 m). In 2017 the airport had 378,777 aircraft operations, average 1,037 per day: 99%

, <1% military and <1% airline. 942 aircraft were then based at the airport: 807 single-

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...

, 90 multi-engine, 23 jet, 16

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...

, 4

glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of gliding ...

, and 2

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

In popular culture

Several scenes of the 1980 aerobatics movie

Cloud Dancer ''Cloud Dancer'' is a 1980 aviation drama film directed by Barry Brown. The film stars David Carradine, Jennifer O'Neill and Joseph Bottoms. ''Cloud Dancer'' follows a competition aerobatics pilot throughout his show season. Plot Brad Randolph ...

were filmed at this airport.

Incidents and accidents

*On August 20, 2018, an accident occurred when an Acroduster airplane crashed at Seventh Street near the airport as it was trying to land on it, killing 54-year-old pilot Theodore Rich and his 49-year-old passenger, Elaine Carpenter.

Gallery

Phoenix Deer Valley Airport has hosted various air shows of vintage World War II aircraft. Among the events which have taken place is "Wings of Freedom".

References

External links

Phoenix Deer Valley Airport
official site
Phoenix Deer Valley Airport
at

Arizona DOT The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT, pronounced "A-Dot") is an Arizona state government agency charged with facilitating mobility within the state. In addition to managing the state's highway system, the agency is also involved with p ...

website * * {{Authority control Airports in Maricopa County, Arizona Airports established in 1960 1960 establishments in Arizona