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Payson Airport (KPAN) is a small, uncontrolled general-aviation field in the town of Payson, Arizona, set beneath the Mogollon Rim in the heart of the state's high country. Owned by the Town of Payson, it is a popular stop for local training flights and, in summer, a staging point for fire-fighting aircraft. A single asphalt runway, lit for night operations, serves the field along with an on-site FBO and restaurant.
Payson Airport, also known locally as Rich Henry Field, is a public general-aviation airport owned and operated by the Town of Payson, Arizona. It sits in Gila County on the edge of the Mogollon Rim country and is used almost entirely for general aviation, with a notable seasonal role hosting fire-fighting aircraft during the Arizona wildfire season. For a visiting VFR pilot it offers a straightforward single-runway layout, a resident flight school, and the novelty of an on-airport restaurant, all set against dramatic high-country scenery.
Payson Airport lies about one mile west of the central business district of Payson, Arizona, on high ground beneath the Mogollon Rim. The airport has no air traffic control tower, so arriving and departing traffic operates under uncontrolled airfield procedures typical of Class G or Class E surface airspace in this part of Arizona. Prescott Radio, a flight service station, is available on frequency for flight-plan and advisory services.
The airport has a single physical runway, 06/24, measuring 5,480 feet and surfaced in hard-standing (asphalt), with runway lighting for the whole length. There is no ILS or other precision instrument approach available.
Pilots can obtain automated weather from the AWOS-3 on 119.325 MHz. Prescott Radio, the local flight service station, can be reached on 122.3 MHz. The airport's CTAF/UNICOM frequency is 122.8 MHz, used for self-announced traffic calls and unicom services since there is no operating control tower.
As an uncontrolled field, Payson Airport relies on pilots self-announcing on the 122.8 MHz CTAF/UNICOM frequency for arrival, departure and circuit calls, in the standard manner for non-towered US airports. No specific circuit heights or noise-abatement procedures are given in the available material, so pilots should follow standard traffic-pattern practice for the runway in use and remain alert for fire-fighting aircraft during the summer season.
The airport is located about one mile west of Payson's central business district, making the town itself a useful lead-in landmark. The field lies in high country close to the Mogollon Rim, a prominent escarpment that dominates the surrounding terrain and provides a strong visual reference for pilots approaching from the south or east.
Payson Airport has long served as a general-aviation field for the town of Payson, covering some 80 acres and historically also known as Rich Henry Field. Beyond its everyday general-aviation role, it has been notable as a base for fire-fighting aircraft during the summer fire season, reflecting the airport's importance to wildfire response in the surrounding forested and rim country.
Today the airport handles a mix of general aviation, air taxi and a small amount of military traffic, with around 40 aircraft based on the field, mostly single-engine types along with a multi-engine aircraft, an ultra-light and a glider. Payson Aviation operates as the main fixed-base operator and is the airport's flight training school, while Payson Air provides aircraft maintenance services. Crosswinds Restaurant operates on site, accessible from the airport ramp, giving visiting pilots a dining option adjacent to the flight line.
