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May 30, 2019Grand Canyon National Park Airport Spotting Guide
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- last modified on September 11, 2019
Grand Canyon National Park Airport (GCN/KGCN) is located near the town of Tusayan, Arizona. It is near the south rim of the Grand Canyon (approx. 11km/7mi). The airport is primarily used for scenic (helicopter) tours and charter flights. The airport has one runway, but most traffic will take-off and land on the helicopter platforms of Papillon Helicopter Tours, Maverick Helicopters and Grand Canyon Helicopters.
Grand Canyon Airlines is the main operator with fixed wing aircraft at the airport, flying with De Havilland Canada DHC-6 and Cessna 208 aircraft. There are also a few smaller passenger and cargo air charters and some skydive aircraft present on the airport. There are only a few scheduled flights a day. The departures and arrivals of those flights can be found at flightstatus24.com or flightradar24.com.
Just north of the airport is the town of Tusayan. Hotels and restaurants can be found here.
Written by Bas Velders. Visited April 2019.
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| Airport Information | Runways | 3/21 | 2.743 m (8,999 ft) | Asphalt |
| Terminals | One for all flights. | |||
| Spotting Information | Ladder | Not necessary. | ||
| Car | Recommended to get around the airport. | |||
| Restrooms | Only at the terminal. | |||
| Drinks/Food | North of the airport (Tusayan). | |||
| Hotels | North of the airport (Tusayan). | |||
| Season | The peak season is during the US summer holidays from end of may till august. Check timeanddate.com for climate and weather. | |||
| Runway Usage | 03/21 | Used by all fixed-wing aircraft. | ||
| Northern Helicopter Pad (Spot #1) | Used by Papillon Helicopter Tours (and by Grand Canyon Helicopters for maintenance). | |||
| Eastern Helicopter Pad (Spot #6) | Used by Maverick Helicopters and Grand Canyon Helicopters. | |||
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Spot #1 – Papillon Helicopter Tours – Arrivals/Departures |
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| WHERE | Just follow the signs from airport entrance to the Papillon Helicopter Tours Terminal which two parking lots. Park your car on the most southern one. |
| WHAT | All Papillon Helicopter departures/arrivals and arrivals of the Maverick and Grand Canyon helicopters that pass by to their ramp. |
| TIME | From approx. 14.00 |
| MISC. | There is a souvenir shop and restrooms in their terminal. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 80-250mm (for the Maverick and Grand Canyon helicopters: 350-450mm) |
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Spot #2 – Papillon Helicopters/Airport Road (Hill) – Ramp overview/arrivals runway 21 |
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| WHERE | This spot is located near the most southern parking lot of Papillon Helicopters (Spot #1). Just cross the road and climb up the small hill. |
| WHAT | Arrivals/line-ups runway 21. |
| TIME | The best time is from sunrise till 14:00. |
| MISC. | There is a souvenir shop and restrooms in the terminal (Spot #1). |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 150-300mm |
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Spot #3 – Grand Canyon Airlines Terminal – Departures/Arrivals runway 21 |
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| WHERE | Park your car on the main car park of the airport. In between the Grand Canyon Airlines terminal and Paragon Skydive Centre you will find an open area. |
| WHAT | Departures/arrivals runway 21 and the main platform . |
| TIME | The best time is from sunrise till 12:00. |
| MISC. | Everything you need you find in the terminal. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-200mm |
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Spot #4 – Paragon Skydive – Departures/Arrivals runway 21 |
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| WHERE | Park your car on the small parking lot next to the Paragon Skydive Centre or walk from the previous location to this spat. Walk towards the stairs to Liberator Drive or climb up one of the concrete blocks at the parking lot to photograph over the fence. |
| WHAT | Departures/arrivals runway 21. |
| TIME | The best time is from sunrise till 12:00 |
| MISC. | Everything you need you find in the terminal (Spot #3). |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 60-300mm |
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Spot #5 – Liberator Drive – Arrivals/Departures runway 3/21 |
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| WHERE | From spot #4, drive all the way down on to Liberator Drive till the end of the road. Park on the side and climb up the hill to shoot over the fence. |
| WHAT | All runway 03/21 movements. |
| TIME | The best time is from sunrise till 12:00 |
| MISC. | There is nothing here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200-400mm |
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Spot #6 – Airport Road/Maverick Helicopters |
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| WHERE | This spot is directly at the entrance of the airport. Park your car at the Maverick Helicopters Terminal and cross the road to Beacon Drive. Climb up the hill to get an overview of their helicopter pad. |
| WHAT | All movements of the Maverick Helicopters and Grand Canyon Helicopters Pad. |
| TIME | From approx. 12.00 |
| MISC. | There is nothing here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-300mm |
