Departure
94%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (KDVT) is a busy tower-controlled general aviation field in north Phoenix, Arizona, renowned as one of the busiest GA airports in the world by aircraft movements. It offers two parallel hard-surfaced runways, no scheduled airline service, and a strong flight-training and business-aviation culture that makes it a lively but manageable destination for visiting VFR pilots.
Phoenix Deer Valley Airport is a City of Phoenix-owned general aviation airport in the north of the city, serving as a reliever for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. It has no scheduled airline service but hosts extensive general aviation activity, including two well-known flight schools, corporate and charter operators, and a large based-aircraft population, making it one of the busiest general aviation airports in the world by movements.
The airport lies within Phoenix, Arizona, roughly 24 miles north of the city centre, inside the Phoenix metropolitan area. It sits close to major road corridors including the Loop 101 and Interstate 17, which run near the field and are useful references for pilots inbound from the south or west. The Sonoran Desert Preserve lies in the vicinity of the airport, offering another distinctive visual feature for orientation. It is a controlled aerodrome with its own operating tower and associated approach/departure service.
Deer Valley has two parallel hard-surfaced, lit runways. The main runway, 07R/25L, is 7,286 feet long on the 07R threshold and 7,268 feet on the 25L threshold. The shorter parallel runway, 07L/25R, measures 4,494 feet in both directions. All runway surfaces are hard-paved and lit. There is no ILS at the airport.
Deer Valley Tower operates on 118.4 MHz, which also serves as the CTAF. Ground control is on 121.8 MHz, ATIS broadcasts on 126.5 MHz, and approach/departure control is on 120.7 MHz. Clearance delivery is available on 123.9 MHz, and UNICOM is on 122.95 MHz. Prescott Radio, a flight service station frequency, is listed on 122.6 MHz. There is no ILS approach published for the airfield.
The two parallel runways at Deer Valley are separated by 700 feet centreline to centreline, a detail pilots should bear in mind when flying visual patterns alongside other traffic on the adjacent runway. VFR aircraft flying practice instrument approaches are given IFR separation where possible by Phoenix Approach Control, reflecting the mixed VFR/IFR training environment typical of the airfield's circuit area.
Useful visual references for locating the airport include the Loop 101 and Interstate 17 corridors, both of which pass near the field, and the Sonoran Desert Preserve, which lies in the surrounding area. The airport is accessed from Deer Valley Road on its south side and via Airport Road and Seventh Street to the north, both of which can help with visual orientation when approaching from those directions.
The airfield's origins lie in the 1950s, when the Sperry Flight Systems Company established an aerospace and defence manufacturing facility on undeveloped desert land north of Phoenix. Land leased nearby for a flight-testing facility was later developed into a private airfield, opening in 1960 with a single runway, no control tower, and minimal facilities. In 1971 the City of Phoenix purchased the roughly 480-acre site, and Federal Aviation Administration funding subsequently enabled upgrades to the terminal, control tower, runways, and other facilities. A modern control tower replaced four radio operators with a much larger team of air traffic controllers. A 1986 Master Plan led to lengthening of the south runway, enabling the field to support the great majority of the national general aviation fleet. The airport has also featured in aviation culture, including scenes from the 1980 aerobatics film Cloud Dancer and periodic air shows of vintage World War II aircraft, such as the Wings of Freedom tour.
Deer Valley remains a predominantly general aviation and business aviation airport with no scheduled airline service, though charter operators are active there. In 2020 it recorded over 400,000 aircraft operations, making it the busiest general aviation airport in the world by movements, with the great majority of that traffic being general aviation training and business flying. Around 920 aircraft are based on the field, spanning single- and multi-engine piston types, jets, helicopters, and gliders. The airport is home to two well-known flight schools and to FBO facilities including Cutter Aviation, and it also hosts Phoenix Police Department helicopter operations in a dedicated hangar.
