Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson

Arizona Guide

Planes of Fame Air Museum, Valle

Tusayan — Grand Canyon National Park Airport
Arizona Aviation Museum Guide

Grand Canyon National Park Airport
Madison Aviation Airport (GCN)
Tusayan, AZ 86023

Grand Canyon National Park Airport (GCN) is a state-owned public-use airport located in Tusayan, a CDP in unincorporated Coconino County, Arizona, United States. It is near Grand Canyon National Park, seven miles (11 km) from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The airport is primarily used for scenic tours and charter flights, but there is scheduled commercial service. ^[3]

As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 294,436 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008 and 354,624 enplanements in 2007. According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009-2013, it is categorized as commercial service - primary. ^[3]

History — The present day facility incorporates the site of the first official Grand Canyon airport, a landing field authorized by the U.S. Forest Service for commercial flights in 1925. The new airport first opened for business in October 1965. The airport terminal was completed and formally dedicated on October 20, 1967. ^[3]

Today, the airport is the third most active air carrier airport in the Arizona, following Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Tucson International Airport. Over 40 air taxi and commuter carriers serve the airport. ^[3]

On August 16, 2009, Air Force One, carrying President Barack Obama landed at Grand Canyon Airport at about 10 am local time, for a four hour visit of the Canyon by the President and his family. ^[3]

Facilities and Aircraft — Grand Canyon National Park Airport covers an area of 859 acres (348 ha) at an elevation of 6,609 feet (2,014 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 3/21 with an asphalt surface measuring 8,999 by 150 feet (2,743 x 46 m). ^[3]

For the 12-month period ending April 30, 2010, the airport had 91,695 aircraft operations, an average of 251 per day. At that time there were 34 aircraft based at this airport: 12% single-engine, 12% multi-engine and 76% helicopter. ^[3]

When driving to the south rim of the Grand Canyon, be sure to stop by the Grand Canyon National Park Airport (Madison Aviation Airport (GCN)) located approximately 6 miles south of Grand Canyon, Arizona (less than a mile south of the Tusayan) on Highway 64. The airport is home to several Grand Canyon National Park air tour companies that offer fixed wing and helicopter tours of the Grand Canyon National Park. One of these companies, Grand Canyon Airlines, has a vintage 1929 Ford 5-AT-C "Tri-motor" (N414H, s/n 74) on display at their private air terminal. We currently do not have any photos of his aircraft at this location, but were lucky enough to photograph this aircraft when it participated in the re-creation of the 1925-1931 National Air Tours. The photographs below were taken by Skytamer's John Shupek at the Yankee Air Museum, Belleville, Michigan on 25 September 2003.

• 1929 Ford 5-AT-C "Tri-motor" (N414H, s/n 74)

Help Needed

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References

1. AirNav, Grand Canyon National Park Airport
2. Google Earth, Satellite Image
3. Wikipedia, Grand Canyon National Park Airport
4. Shupek, John. Aircraft Photos via the Skytamer Archive