Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Arizona: Northern Phoenix area
© 2002, © 2026 by Paul Freeman. Revised 2/13/26.
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(Original) Airhaven Airport (revised 12/27/22) - Isbell Construction Co. / Air Haven / (Original) Glendale Municipal (revised 11/10/23)
McGill Ultralight Field (revised 12/16/23) - Pylant Airport / Thunderbird #1 Aux AAF A-3 / Paradise Airport (revised 11/2/20) - Thunderbird Field (revised 2/13/26)
Thunderbird #1 Auxiliary Airfield A-1 (revised 12/27/22) - Turf Paradise Airfield (revised 10/7/21)
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McGill Ultralight Field, Phoenix, AZ
33.684, -112.165 (Northwest of Dowtown Phoenix, AZ)
McGill Ultralight Field, as depicted on the 1988 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).
DS reported, “This was my wife's grandparent's land & airfield; Clyde & Millie McGill.
Wonderful people, lots of great memories on this mountain.
They built an adobe home (the namesake of Adobe dam rec area) in the 1940s, along with a windmill that pumped water from a deep well to a holding tank on the East mountain.
They once had a thriving farm on in the valley with corn & other crops!
These folks were hardcore homesteaders that would make today's hobby farmers look soft.
When they arrived after WW2, it was almost an hour drive the city of Phoenix.”
This short-lived airfield for ultralight aircraft was evidently established at some point between 1971-78,
as it was not yet depicted on a 1971 aerial photo.
The earliest depiction which has been located of McGill Ultralight Field was a 1978 aerial photo,
which may have depicted the very beginnings of the airfield,
with a single unpaved east/west runway having been carved from the desert.
No airfield at this location was depicted on the 1981 USGS topo map or the November 1985 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
A 1986 aerial view showed a 2nd unpaved runway (oriented north/south) had been added at McGill Ultralight Field.
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of McGill Ultralight Field was on the 1988 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).
It depicted McGill as a private ultralight flight park.
A 1993 aerial view showed McGill Ultralight Field had gained a 3rd unpaved runway, oriented northeast/southwest,
along with a cluster of T-hangars to the south of the runways.
A 1997 USGS aerial view looking north at McGill Ultralight Field.
Steve Petttyjohn reported, “This was a wonderful ultralight flying field up until the late 1990s when a greedy developer wanted to build on the nearby hillsides & didn't want recreational ultralights buzzing around.
The county was all too complacent in shutting down the field as they wanted the hangars for storage of the county vehicles & equipment.
So they evicted the ultralight flying club which was there for many years including members of the McGill family which where the original homesteaders.
The club actually owned the hangars & disassembled & took them away. The developer never had the funds to build the luxury homes on the hillside.
The remains of the field lay derelict for years until some private company made a paintball field on the land.
This was so tragic as the old ultralight field was such a nice complement to the other recreational uses of the area
which included a model railroad, remote control flying field, golf course, go cart track, and waterslide park.”
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of McGill Ultralight Field was on the April 2002 Phoenix Sectional Chart.
It depicted McGill as a private ultralight flight park.
A 2004 aerial view showed that all of the hangars (except for 1 T-hangar) appeared to have been removed,
with only their foundations remaining.
McGill Ultralight Flightpark was no longer depicted on the 2006 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).
A circa 2010-2016 aerial view looking north at the T-hangar foundations (& one which appears to remain standing)
on the south side of the site of McGill Ultralight Field.
A 2015 aerial view looking north at the remains of McGill Ultralight Field.
As of 2016, street maps show the site of McGill Ultralight Field to be located within Adobe Dam Recreation Area.
DS reported, “The home just below the city water tank is now gone. Sadly, it was burned by vandals in 2020. It was vacant at the time.
It's all owned by the city now. We're glad to see the residents of North Phoenix enjoying the land.”
A 2021 photo looking southwest at the McGill Ultralight Field entrance gate.
The site of McGill Ultralight Field is located southwest of the intersection of West Pinnacle Peak Road & North 43rd Avenue.
Thanks to Doug Landers for pointing out this airfield.
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(Original) Airhaven Airport, Alhambra, AZ
33.49, -112.12 (Northwest of Phoenix, AZ)
Airhaven Airport, as depicted on the March 1946 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Brooks).
Airhaven Airport was not yet depicted on a 1937 aerial photo,
on the August 1943 Regional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Kevin Walsh)
or the March 1945 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Ron Plante).
According to Ron Chavez's book “The Valley's Airports of the Past”,
“Phoenix Airhaven Airport Inc. began as a business venture in June of 1945 by 2 businessmen, M. Fanning & S. Stewart after the end of WW2.
Fanning & Stewart leased farm land from L.H. Seargeant
and after an agreement was reached construction was to begin on the runways in July of 1945,
but before construction could be started sometime in 1946 the business venture was sold to L.L Monsees & H. Holtzman.”
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Airhaven Airport
was on the March 1946 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Brooks),
which depicted Airhaven as a commercial/municipal field.
The 1947 Gila River World Aeronautical Chart depicted Air Haven Airport as having a 3,000' unpaved runway.
The 1948 USAF Phoenix Urban Area Chart (courtesy of Scott O'Donnell)
depicted Air Haven has having two 1,700' runways (oriented northeast/southwest & northwest/southeast),
each with a parallel taxiway.
The earliest photo which has been located of the Airhaven Airport
was a 2/14/49 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District).
It depicted the field as having 2 unpaved runways in an 'X' shape.
More than 2-dozen light aircraft were parked around a few small buildings on the southwest side of the field.
Airhaven Airport, as depicted on a 1949 street map (courtesy of Kevin Walsh).
Airhaven evidently lost its crosswind runway at some point between 1949-52,
as the 1952 USGS topo map depicted Airhaven Airport as having a single northeast/southwest runway.
A circa 1950s advertisement for Phoenix Airhaven Airport (from Ron Chavez's book “The Valley's Airports of the Past”, enhanced by Bill Grasha)
described the field as being “One of the largest schools for flying instruction in AZ.”
The Aerodromes table on the reverse side of the 1956 Phoenix Sectional chart (courtesy of John Voss),
described Airhaven as having a single 3,000' bare runway.
An undated aerial view looking west at Airhaven Airport from a January 1957 article (courtesy of Jerry Sorrell),
which described Airhaven as having a 3,200' runway on 130 acres.
An undated photo of the Powers Aviation Company repair area at Airhaven Airport from a January 1957 article (courtesy of Jerry Sorrell),
which was captioned, “Mrs. Powers checks the upholstery, while Alabam looks over a faulty engine.”
A 1958 streeet map (courtesy of Kevin Walsh) depicted Airhaven Airport as an east/west oriented property outline.
A 2/15/59 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District)
depicted Airhaven Airport as having a single unpaved northeast/southwest runway,
with the land of the former crosswind runway having been returned to cultivation.
A closeup from the 2/15/59 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District, enhanced by Bill Grasha),
showing dozens of light planes parked around the hangars on the southwest side of the field.
The last photo which has been located of the Airhaven Airport was an 11/13/59 photo of a 17 year-old Jim Hackman with a Piper Cub upon the occasion of his first solo flight.
Jim observed, “I was skinny & had hair!”
The 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Airhaven as having a single 3,200' paved Runway 5/23,
with a parallel taxiway on the northwest side leading to a ramp at the west side of the field with a few small buildings.
According to Ron Chavez's book “The Valley's Airports of the Past”,
“In mid-1960, Phoenix Airhaven Airport began winding down its operation.”
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Air Haven Airport was on the March 1961 Phoenix Sectional Chart.
It depicted Air Haven Airport as having a 3,200' unpaved runway.
According to Ron Chavez's book “The Valley's Airports of the Past”,
“In 1961 the airport property was purchased by a development company
and afterwards Phoenix Airhaven Airport ceased operations after 15 years.”
Airhaven was no longer depicted at all on the March 1962 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
According to Ron Chavez's book “The Valley's Airports of the Past”,
“In 1963 the developer tore down the hangar offices & plowed over the runway to make room for construction.”
A 1964 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District)
showed that the airport site had been scraped clean, for future redevelopment,
and not a trace appeared to remain of the airport.
A 1970 aerial view showed that several buildings had been constructed over the site.
A 2015 aerial photo showed no trace remaining at the site of Airhaven Airport.
The site of Airhaven Airport is located southeast of the intersection of West Grand Avenue & West Indian School Avenue, just north of the Grand Canal.
The name Airhaven was later used by a separate airfield in Peoria, 8 miles northwest.
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Isbell Construction Company Airfield / Air Haven Airport / (Original) Glendale Municipal Airport (P37), Peoria, AZ
33.57, -112.23 (Northwest of Phoenix, AZ)
The Isbell Construction Company Airfield, as depicted on a 2/20/59 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District).
No airfield was yet depicted at this location on a 1949 aerial photo.
According to Ron Chavez's book “The Valley's Airports of the Past”, this airfield “began as the Isbell Construction Company Airfield,
a privately-owned airstrip built in 1955 at 75th & Olive Avenues.
The airport was used as an aerial crop seeding & spraying operation,
had a dirt strip that measured 2,400', and ran in a north/south direction (17/35) between Grand & Olive Avenues.”
The Isbell Construction Company Airfield was not yet depicted on the 1956 Phoenix Sectional chart (courtesy of John Voss).
The earliest depiction of this airfield which has been located was a 2/15/59 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District).
It depicted the field as having a single north/south runway,
with a hangar & at least one other smaller building on the southeast side of the runway.
No planes were visible on the field.
A 1964 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District) depicted the field in the same configuration.
The Isbell airfield was apparently not depicted on aeronautical charts at first
(which may be done at the owner's request, for a private airfield),
as it was not depicted at all on the July 1965 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Ron Kunse).
The 1966 AOPA Airport Directory (according to David Brooks) described the “Isbell Construction Company” airfield at this location in Glendale
as a private field, operated by Arizona Helicopters, Inc.
The field was said to consist of a single 2,400’ bituminous Runway 17/35.
The field was said to have tie-downs for emergency use only, and the remarks said, ““This is an agricultural spraying operation. Use at own risk.”
According to Ron Chavez's book “The Valley's Airports of the Past”, “After the closure of Paradise & Phoenix Airhaven Airports,
the Isbell Construction Company Airfield became available for general public use & general aviation aircraft began using the airport in 1966.”
The Isbell airfield was still not depicted on the January 1966 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy)
or the January 1968 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The 1968 AOPA Airport Directory (according to David Brooks)
described “Isbell Construction Company” as a private airfield, having the same configuration as described in 1966.
According to Ron Chavez's book “The Valley's Airports of the Past”,
“The name of the airport was changed to Glendale Airhaven Airport.”
The July 1968 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Brooks)
depicted the renamed Air Haven Airport as having a single 2,400' paved north/south runway,
matching the configuration of the “Isbell Construction Company” airfield.
A January-March 1969 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District)
depicted the field with the same physical layout as earlier photos,
but now with over 2-dozen light aircraft parked on the south side.
The 1970 AOPA Airport Directory (according to David Brooks)
described “Air Haven” as having a single 2,600’ blacktop Runway 17/35.
The field was said to have tie-downs.
The operators were listed as Air Haven Airport Service (a Cessna dealer) & Precision Helicopters (a Hughes dealer).
The January 1971 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Ron Plante)
depicted Air Haven Airport as having a single 2,400' paved north/south runway.
The 1972 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Brooks) depicted “Glendale - Air Haven”
as having a single 2,400' paved runway.
The 1973 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Brooks) depicted the field simply as “Glendale”.
The 1977 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted Glendale Municipal Airport
as having a single 2,400' paved Runway 17/35 with a parallel taxiway on the east side,
leading to a ramp on the southeast corner of the field with a few small buildings.
The 1977 Phoenix Sectional Chart close-up portion (courtesy of Ron Plante)
depicted Glendale Airport as having a single 2,400' paved north/south runway.
A 6/2/79 aerial view by Brian Baker (enhanced by Bill Grasha) looking west at Glendale Airport, showing a huge number of light aircraft parked on the field.
A 1982 aerial photo (courtesy of John Arthur, enhanced by Bill Grasha) showed that the aircraft parking ramp
had increased to over double the area depicted in the 1970 photo.
Over 100 aircraft were visible parked on the field.
A circa 1980s photo by Matt Gunsch of a Globe Swift at the original Glendale Municipal Airport.
A circa 1980s photo by Matt Gunsch of a North American T-6 Texan in front of an Alexander Aircraft Service hangar at the original Glendale Municipal Airport.
A circa 1980s photo by Matt Gunsch of N37690, a Frank Turben Scamp experimental biplane at the original Glendale Municipal Airport.
The 1982 USGS topo map depicted Glendale Municipal Airport as having a single north/south paved runway.
The 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury)
described Glendale Municipal Airport as having a single 2,400' asphalt Runway 17/35.
The operators were listed as Royal Helicopter & Marketing,
Flight Tech, Arizona Airplanes, Blue Baron Inc., and Alexander Aircraft Service.
The last map depiction which has been located of Glendale Airhaven Airport was on a 1983 street map (courtesy of Kevin Walsh).
According to Ron Chavez's book “The Valley's Airports of the Past”,
“In the early 1980s, the City of Glendale planners decided to build a new airport at Glendale Avenue & Glen Harbor Boulevard
that would allow plenty of space for expansion.
Plans were also in the works to terminate operations at Glendale Airhaven Municipal Airport.”
The last photo which has been located showing the original Glendale Airport still in operation
was a 1983 aerial view looking west by Stephen Mahaley (enhanced by Bill Grasha).
Stephen flew Cessnas at the original Glendale Airport in the early 1980s,
and recalled "the runway was 2,600' with the threshold displaced a couple of hundred feet at each end
due to the roads at each end of the end of the runway."
The last chart depiction which has been located of the original Glendale Airport was on the November 1985 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Brooks).
Only the new Glendale Airport was depicted on the 1987 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to David Brooks).
According to Ron Chavez's book “The Valley's Airports of the Past”,
“The city closed operations at Glendale Airhaven Airport & the property was sold off to private owners.”
However, the location of the original Glendale Airport continued to have a more-limited aviation role,
as starting in 1987 it was listed as a private heliport, the “Sunstate-Glendale Helistop (2AZ2)”.
It was said to have a 100' square concrete/asphalt helipad,
owned by the Sunstate Equipment Corporation, with the managers listed as Mike & Dave Watts.
The 1988 USGS topo depicted the original airfield as having a single 2,500' runway, oriented north/south.
The runway ran right up to Grand Avenue at its northern end, and Olive Avenue at the south.
A 1/21/93 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District)
depicted the old Glendale Airport after it had been closed, with no aircraft visible on the property, which otherwise remained intact.
A 2005 photo by Rick Tejera looking north along the remains of Runway 35.
The former runway numbers, and the closed-runway “X” symbol were still clearly recognizable.
Rick Tejera reported in 2005, “I recently visited Glendale, Airhaven
and found it to be remarkably intact for not having been used for 14 years.
The runway & taxiway markings are still visible & the remnants of the segmented circle are still there,
along with the helipads (from the original helicopter operation at this field I presume).
The area beyond the taxiway is marked as private property
so I did not venture in to look for old tie-downs or other airport features.”
A 2005 photo by Rick Tejera, “looking east from the main taxiway at one of 4 helipads in a square
(visible in the aerial photo as small white squares).
This one was the only one not covered in old tires.
The area now seems to be occupied by recycling & salvage businesses.”
A 2005 photo by Rick Tejera. “The round berm of dirt is the remains of the segmented circle, located just north of the helipads.
There are no remnants of the pattern indicators
and the area between the segmented circle & helipads is covered with old tires piles about 15' high.”
A circa 2006 aerial view looking north at the south end of the original Glendale Municipal Airport,
showing the 3 remaining former hangars.
A circa 2006 aerial view looking south at the Runway 17 markings
which are still barely visible at the site of the original Glendale Municipal Airport.
As of 2009 the “Sunstate-Glendale Helistop (2AZ2)” on the property was still listed as a private heliport.
A 2015 aerial view looking northwest showed the majority of the former runway of the original Glendale Municipal Airport still remains,
along with what look to be some original airport hangars & the large paved ramp area in the foreground.
A 5/7/21 photo by Matt Gunsch looking along the former runway of the original Glendale Municipal Airport.
Matt reported, “The runway is fairly intact, but there is a section that has been removed. The markings for Runway 17 were still visible, as were some of the centerline markings.”
A 5/7/21 photo by Matt Gunsch of the remains of one helipad which could be site at the site of the original Glendale Municipal Airport.
A 5/7/21 photo by Matt Gunsch of the remains of Tiedown #4, one of several which could be seen at the site of the original Glendale Municipal Airport.
The site of the original Glendale Municipal Airport is located north of the intersection of West Olive Avenue & North 79th Avenue.
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Thunderbird Field #1, Glendale, AZ
33.62, -112.18 (Northwest of Phoenix, AZ)
Thunderbird Field, as depicted on the September 1941 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Thunderbird Field #1 was one of 4 contract flying schools operated in the Phoenix area by Southwest Airways.
According to Nelda Crowell, Archivist of the Thunderbird School of Global Management,
“The 3 men most responsible for developing the Thunderbird Fields
were Leland Hayward, a movie producer & actor; John Connelly, a test pilot;
and John Swope, secretary-treasurer of Southwest Airways & a Life Magazine photographer married to actress Dorothy McGuire.”
The site was laid out to look from the air like an etching of a mythical Anasazi Thunderbird, and so it was called Thunderbird Field.
Thunderbird Field was also known as Thunderbird #1,
due to the presence of 3 other Thunderbird Fields run by Southwest Airways
(at the eventual locations of Falcon Field, Scottsdale Airport, and adjacent to Sky Harbor Airport).
Thunderbird Field #1 began construction on 1/2/41 (according to Nelda Crowell, Archivist of the Thunderbird School of Global Management).
Thunderbird Field was a contract flying school, operated by Southwest Airways.
They were contracted to train American, Canadian, British & Chinese military pilots.
Stearman biplane trainers were operated at Thunderbird.
The installation consisted of a number of hangars, barracks, and other buildings.
Adjacent to the buildings to the southeast was a 2,800' square ramp area,
and across West Greenway Road to the north was the airfield itself, with three 3,500' runways.
Thunderbird Field #1 was ready for operations on 3/22/41 (according to Nelda Crowell, Archivist of the Thunderbird School of Global Management).
The earliest depiction of the field which has been located was on the September 1941 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted "Thunderbird" as a commercial airfield, but with the note “Restricted to Army training.”
Stewart, Carmichael and the other backers paid $25,000 per month for fuel
until 1942, when the US Army Air Corps took over control & funding of the pilot training at Thunderbird.
The earliest photos which has been located of Thunderbird Field was a series of stills from the 1942 movie “Thunder Birds” (courtesy of Tim Tyler, enhanced by Bill Grasha).
This is an an aerial view looking northwest at a Stearman overflying the Thunderbird hangars, with dozens of Stearmans visible on the ramp
An aerial view looking northwest at the Thunderbird logo on top of one of the hangars, from the 1942 movie “Thunder Birds” (courtesy of Tim Tyler, enhanced by Bill Grasha).
A still from the 1942 movie “Thunder Birds” (courtesy of Tim Tyler, enhanced by Bill Grasha) showing Stearman trainers & cadets marching in front of the Thunderbird control tower.
A circa 1942 aerial view looking south at Thunderbird Field showed a huge number of trainers on the ramp, along with several on the paved landing mat.
A series of 3 runways extended toward the north across the road in the foreground.
A 1942 aerial view by Steve Magdich looking south at Thunderbird Field from a PT-17 Stearman (courtesy of Lon Magdich).
Lon Magdich recalled, “Thunderbird Field... My father was a Primary Flight Instructor there from April 1942 through January 1944.
A 1942 photo by Steve Magdich of the Thunderbird Field control tower (courtesy of Lon Magdich).
A circa 1942 photo by Steve Magdich of Stearman biplane trainers in front of Thunderbird Field's B hangar, taken from the control tower (courtesy of Lon Magdich).
A 1943 photo of Thunderbird Field flight students (front row) & instructors (back row) (courtesy of Lon Magdich).
Lon Maddich observed his father, Steve Magdich, is on the back row at right.
A circa WW2 photo of the Thunderbird control tower, with Stearman biplanes in the background.
The February 1943 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted "Thunderbird" as a military airfield.
Two WW2-era photos (courtesy of Tammy McLaughlin-Underwood) of flight instructors at Thunderbird Field,
including her father Morris McLaughlin, her Uncle Wallace Pankratz, and his best friend Jerry McWayne.
A 6/17/43 aerial view looking north from the 1945 AAF Airfield Directory
depicted Thunderbird Field as having a number of hangars, barracks, and other buildings
on the southeast corner of West Greenway Road & North 59th Avenue.
The airfield consisted of a 2,800' square paved landing mat,
and across West Greenway Road to the north was another three 3,500' runways.
Surrounding the runways were a large number of revetments or bunkers (of unknown purpose).
A circa 1943 photo (enhanced by Bill Grasha) of Stearman PT-17 biplanes in front of a Thunderbird hangar (decorated with the school's logo).
A 1943 photo (enhanced by Bill Grasha) of a Vultee BT-13 Valiant monoplane & a Stearman biplane in front of a Thunderbird hangar (decorated with the school's logo).
A circa 1941-45 photo of Stearman biplane trainers at Thunderbird Field.
A circa 1941-45 photo of Stearman biplane trainers inside a Thunderbird hangar (enhanced by Bill Grasha).
A 1944 USAAF map of Thunderbird Field (center of map) & its satellite airfields (courtesy of John Voss).
During WW2, Thunderbird Field had several auxiliary airfields,
including Thunderbird #1 Aux A-1, Thunderbird #1 Aux A-2, Thunderbird #1 Aux A-3,
and Southwest Airways #4 (located 7 miles southeast, of which no recognizable airfield remains).
The layout of Thunderbird Field as depicted on a WW2-era document (from the Air Force Historical Research Agency, via Brian Rehwinkel).
Thunderbird Field & its 3 auxiliary airfields, as depicted on a WW2-era document (from the Air Force Historical Research Agency, via Brian Rehwinkel).
"Thunderbird #1" was still depicted as a commercial airfield on the March 1945 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The 1945 AAF Airfield Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock) described Thunderbird Airport #1
as a 640 acre square property within which was a 5,280' square bare all-way field, with a 2,582' x 1,850' oiled mat in the northwest corner,
and 3 dirt runways (the longest of which were the 3,200' northeast/southwest & northwest/southeast strips),
which were “N of field & are extensions of main landing area.”
Thunderbird #1 was said to have four 200' x 102' wood & metal hangars.
The field was described as being privately owned & operated,
and to have 3 auxiliary fields.
Thunderbird Field #1 closed on 6/27/45 (according to Nelda Crowell, Archivist of the Thunderbird School of Global Management).
Following the end of WW2, Thunderbird Field was declared surplus by the War Assets Administration in 1946.
That same year, Thunderbird was given for free by the federal government to Lt. General Barton Yount,
the commanding general of the U.S. Army Air Training Command.
He established the American Institute for Foreign Trade, and classes reportedly began on the site within a few months.
However, the airfield at Thunderbird may have continued in operation alongside the new school for some time,
as Thunderbird Field continued to be depicted on aeronautical charts for several more years.
A 1946 aerial view looking northeast at the buildings of Thunderbird Field, by that point reused as the American Institute for Foreign Trade.
The 2 hangars are seen on the right, and the 3 runways in the background on the north side of the road.
Thunderbird Field was not depicted on the 1947 Gila River World Aeronautical Chart.
The layout of Thunderbird #1, as depicted on the 1948 USAF Phoenix Urban Area Chart (courtesy of Scott O'Donnell),
with the large landing mat on the south side, and 3 runways to the north.
A 2/14/49 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District)
depicted the Thunderbird hangars & landing mat on the south side of the field.
It also clearly showed the taxiway on the northeast side of the ramp leading to West Greenway Road,
and the remains of the 3 runways on the north side of the road.
The path of the north/south runway had become North 55th Avenue, north of West Greenway Road.
"Thunderbird #1" was still depicted on the September 1953 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The Aerodromes table on the chart described the field as being "Attended 24 hours",
and it was said to consist of a single 2,580' hard surface runway.
Thunderbird Field was apparently closed at some point between 1953-54,
as it was no longer depicted on the September 1954 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
A 1958 aerial view of Thunderbird Field (courtesy of John Arthur)
did not show any significant difference compared to the 1949 aerial photo -
the hangars & former ramp area remained intact, without any redevelopment.
A 1965 aerial view looking southeast at Thunderbird Field showed that the hangars & former landing mat remained intact.
Note also the complete lack of any surrounding residential development.
According to Nelda Crowell, Archivist of the Thunderbird School of Global Management,
“After the property was given to the American Institute for Foreign Trade, the runway remained intact for many years.
In the late 1960s, the school President, Arthur Peterson, flew his private plane onto the grounds to his campus residence.”
A 1970 aerial view still showed the former airfield in a basically unchanged state.
Brian Baker recalled of the former Thunderbird Field, “The last airplane I saw there was [in 1976].”
A 8/21/91 aerial view by Brian Baker looking east at the site of Thunderbird Field
showed that a significant amount of construction had been conducted by the Thunderbird School between 1970-91,
but many of the WW2-vintage airfield buildings remained standing.
A 1997 USGS aerial view looking north depicted the Thunderbird hangars remaining intact.
The area of the 3 runways on the north side of the road had been densely redeveloped with housing.
A circa 2000s aerial view looking southeast at the former Thunderbird airfield buildings, reused as the Thunderbird Graduate School.
As of the 2000s the former Thunderbird Field was still the location of the school, known as Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management.
The campus still contained many original airfield buildings, including the airfield control tower, barracks & 2 large airplane hangars.
A circa 2006 aerial view looking north at the northeast former hangar, one of 2 which remains standing.
A circa 2006 aerial view looking west at Thunderbird's former control tower building.
A 2007 photo by Steve Owen of the former Thunderbird control tower building, which still sports a windsock on top.
Steve noted, “The old barracks were still in use for office space, and the old tower structure remains.”
A 2007 photo by Steve Owen of “A nice monument to the aviators east of the western hangar structure, with its large T-Bird symbol.”
A 4/2/09 photo of the original Thunderbird Field control tower building.
The former tower building currently houses student government offices, a student lounge, and the Tower Cafe.
A 2021 aerial view looking north at the site of Thunderbird Field showed the 2 former hangars remained standing.
A 2025 photo of the beautifully-restored former Thunderbird Field control tower, reused by Arizona Christian University.
The site of Thunderbird Field is located southeast of the intersection of West Greenway Road & North 59th Avenue.
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Thunderbird #1 Auxiliary Airfield A-1, Sun City, AZ
33.64, -112.1 (Northwest of Phoenix, AZ)
A 3/2/43 USAAF aerial view (from the National Archives, via Brian Rehwinkel).
This airfield was originally one of at least 4 satellite airfields used during WW2 by the cadets from Thunderbird Field.
Thunderbird Airport #1 Auxiliary #1 was not depicted at all on Phoenix Sectional Charts from 1941/42/43/44/45.
The earliest depiction which has been located of Thunderbird #1 Auxiliary Airfield #1 was a 3/2/43 USAAF aerial view (from the National Archives, via Brian Rehwinkel).
It depicted Thunderbird #1 Auxiliary Airfield #1 as consisting of an unpaved square landing area, with possibly a small shack or tent in the center.
Brian Rehwinkel noted, “You can see a couple of aircraft (presumably Boeing PT-17 Stearman) on the field.”
A 1943 aerial view looking north at Thunderbird #1 Auxiliary Airfield #1,
from the 1945 Army Air Forces Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Thunderbird #1 Auxiliary Airfield #1 as consisting of an unpaved square landing area.
The location of of Thunderbird Field Aux Field #1 relative to its parent airfield, as depicted on a WW2-era document (from the Air Force Historical Research Agency, via Brian Rehwinkel).
The 1945 AAF Airfield Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock) described Thunderbird Airport #1 Auxiliary #1
as a 160 acre square property within which was a 2,640' square “sod” all-way field.
The field was described as not having any hangars, and to be privately owned & operated.
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Thunderbird #1 Auxiliary Airfield #1
was on the 1948 USAF Phoenix Urban Area Chart (courtesy of Scott O'Donnell).
It depicted a square outline, labeled “AF Aux Landing Area”.
Thunderbird #1 Aux A-1 was presumably abandoned at some point after 1948, as it was not depicted on subsequent aeronautical charts.
A 3/27/49 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District) did not depict any specific trace of Thunderbird #1 Aux A-1, just a square plot of land.
A 2019 aerial view showed no trace remaining of Thunderbird #1 Auxiliary Airfield #1.
Note: Another airfield, for the Turf Paradise Racetrack, was later built on the opposite (south) side of West Bell Road.
The site of Thunderbird #1 Auxiliary Airfield #1 is located northeast of the intersection of West Bell Road & North 19th Avenue.
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Pylant Airport / Southwest Airways Airfield / Thunderbird #1 Auxiliary Airfield A-3 / Paradise Airport, Sunnyslope, AZ
33.58, -112.1 (Northwest of Phoenix, AZ)
“Pylant Flying Service” Airport, as depicted on a 1940 HM Gousha Company map (courtesy of Curtis Carroll).
According to Curtis Carroll, “Earl Pylant was an Arizona native & aviation pioneer.
He had his pilot’s license by the time he was 17.
By the late 1930s, he started the Pylant Flying School near his hometown of Glendale.”
The earliest depiction which has been located of Pylant Airport was a 1940 HM Gousha Company map (courtesy of Curtis Carroll).
It depicted the “Pylant Flying Service” Airport as being T-shaped, on the northeast side of Valley Heights.
A 10/10/40 newspaper article (courtesy of Curtis Carroll) described a fatal crash at Pylant Airport,
in which Manuel Gutierrez was killed after his small cabin monoplane caught some wires on its landing approach to Pylant Airport.
No airfield was depicted at this location on the September 1941 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Plyant Airport was depicted as “Southwest Airways” on the September 1942 Phoenix Sectional Chart.
According to Curtis Carroll, “Pylant enlisted in the Army Air Corps on 10/21/42.
It’s possible he turned over the operation of the field at that time to the Army
and continued as a flight instructor with the understanding it would resume as a private airfield after the end of the war.”
Pylant Airport was used during WW2 as Thunderbird Auxiliary Field A3.
According to Ron Chavez's book “The Valley's Airports of the Past”,
“Thunderbird Auxiliary Field A3 [was] one of many auxiliary fields built in 1942 by Southwest Airways Inc., owner & operator of Thunderbird Field.”
The earliest photo which has been located of Thunderbird #1 Auxiliary Airfield #3
was a 1943 aerial view looking north from the 1945 Army Air Forces Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The aerial view depicted the airfield as consisting of an unpaved square landing area,
with what may have been some buildings on the east side of the field.
The 1945 AAF Airfield Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock) described Thunderbird Airport #1 Auxiliary #3
as a 160 acre square property within which was a 2,640' square “sod” all-way field.
The field was described as not having any hangars, and to be privately owned & operated.
According to Ron Chavez's book “The Valley's Airports of the Past”,
“In 1945, with the end of Word War II in sight, Southwest Airways began scaling down the flight operations at both Thunderbird Airfields.
It was decided these surplus auxiliary airfield properties were no longer of any use
and began selling them off for use as private-use airports.
In 1945, E. Pylant, a pilot, purchased this airfield property with the intention of starting a flying school.
After completing the purchase agreement, Pylant began renovating the military airfield.
He had 2 hangars & a terminal building constructed & had a new northeast/southwest runway carved out over the rutted existing runways.”
“Southwest Airways #3” was depicted as an auxiliary airfield on the September 1945 Phoenix Sectional Chart.
According to Curtis Carroll, “Once the military need ended, Pylant changed the proper name of the facility to Paradise Aviation Co., Inc. and the name of field to Paradise Airport.
He took the name from the expansive area known as Paradise Valley that spreads from north of the Phoenix mountains to Cave Creek & Carefree.”
“Plyant” was depicted as an auxiliary airfield on the March 1946 Phoenix Sectional Chart.
“Paradise” was depicted as an auxiliary airfield on the August 1946 Phoenix Sectional Chart.
The 1947 Gila River World Aeronautical Chart depicted Paradise Airport as having a 3,200' unpaved runway.
Paradise Airport was depicted on the 1948 USAF Phoenix Urban Area Chart (courtesy of Scott O'Donnell),
but strangely it did not depict any runway configuration.
The earliest photo which has been located of Paradise Airport during its use as a civilian airport
was a 2/14/49 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District).
It depicted the field as consisting of a largely square dirt field, with 3 hangars on the east side of the field.
A closeup from the 2/14/49 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District)
showing a total of 2-dozen single-engine aircraft around the hangars of Paradise airport, the longest of which was painted with “Paradise” on its roof.
A circa late 1940s - early 1950s advertisement for Paradise Aviation Company (from Ron Chavez's book “The Valley's Airports of the Past”)
described the company as “One Arizona's finest flying schools”.
Two circa 1950s photos by Richard Bertram of an AT-6 & a Cessna at Paradise Airport (courtesy of Bob Bertram).
A circa 1950s photo of 2 Piper Cubs in front of a building at Paradise Airport (enhanced by Bill Grasha).
The Aerodrome table on the 1956 Phoenix Sectional chart (courtesy of John Voss).
described Paradise Airport as having a total of 4 runways, with the longest being 3,200'.
A 1958 photo by Brian Baker (enhanced by Bill Grasha) of one of Don Underwood's NAF N3N-3s, N44831, PW985 duster, with a B-25 Mitchell bomber in the background.
Brian recalled, “It was taken at Paradise Airport before Don moved his crop spraying business over to Deer Valley.
Don had some N3N's & Stearmans at Paradise, and also had a B-25 there for a while, but that all went to Deer Valley.”
The last photo which has been located of Paradise Airport
was a 2/20/59 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District, enhanced by Bill Grasha).
It showed that the field had been improved at some point between 1949-59 with 3 unpaved runways & several additional hangars.
The number of aircraft parked on the field had also increased compared to the 1949 photo,
including several relatively larger twin-engine aircraft.
According to Ron Chavez's book “The Valley's Airports of the Past”,
“The Paradise Airport began to wind down airport operations in 1959,
due to the increase in new development that was starting to appear along the airport property.
In 1959 [airport owner] Kilbourne decided to sell the property to a developer who had plans to turn the area into an industrial park for the AZ Public Service Company.
In 1960 with the sale of the property completed, Paradise Airport was closed down.”
A 1962 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District) showed that the hangars had been removed
and several buildings had been built over the western & eastern portions of the field.
Paradise Airport was no longer depicted at all on the July 1965 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Ron Kunse).
Traces of several runways were still recognizable in a 1969 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District).
By the time of a 1979 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District),
not a trace remained of the former Paradise Airport.
Two buildings which were visible in the 1959 aerial view appeared to still remain standing in a 2005 aerial view.
A 2019 aerial view showed no trace remaining of Paradise Airport.
The site of Paradise Airport is located at the intersection of West Peoria Avenue & North 19th Avenue, just south of Shaw Butte, and north of the Arizona Canal.
A later airfield, Turf Paradise Airfield, was located 4 miles to the north of Paradise Airport.
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Turf Paradise Airfield, Phoenix, AZ
33.63, -112.09 (North of Downtown Phoenix, AZ)
Turf Paradise Airfield, as depicted on the January 1964 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
This private airfield was located on the property of the Turf Paradise horse racetrack, which was built in 1954.
Turf Paradise Airfield was apparently built at some point between 1958-59,
as it was not yet depicted on a 1949 aerial photo nor on the March 1958 Phoenix Sectional chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
Duncan Woods recalled, “Turf Soaring School was originally located just south of Turf Paradise Race Track at Bell Road & 19th Avenue
back when the race track was about the only thing out there, back in the 1950s.
There was one northeast/southwest runway and a fair amount of glider activity.”
A 1958 aerial view of Turf Paradise (courtesy of John Arthur) appeared to show a single unpaved southwest/northeast runway
(or at least the beginnings of a cleared runway) on the southeast side of the racetrack.
The earliest dated reference which has been located of the usage of the Turf Paradise Airfield is from Jack Young, who recalled,
"Back in 1959 while getting qualified in taildraggers I used to fly an Aeronca Champ in & out of Turf Paradise.
I never saw another airplane there while I was using it."
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction of the Turf Paradise Airfield which has been located
was on the January 1964 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted the field as having a 3,300' unpaved runway.
The 1966 Phoenix Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of John Voss) depicted Turf Paradise as having a 3,000' unpaved runway.
A January-March 1969 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District) depicted Turf Paradise Airfield's single southwest/northeast runway on the southeast side of the racetrack,
along with at least 9 small general aviation aircraft parked at the southwest end of the field.
The January 1971 Phoenix Sectional Chart closeup portion (courtesy of Ron Plante)
depicted Turf Paradise Airfield as having a 3,000' unpaved runway.
A 1975 street map (courtesy of Kevin Walsh) depicted “Turf Airport” as having a southwest/northeast runway.
John Moore recalled, “Back in the mid-1970s, I flew sailplanes, rented from Turf Soaring School, out of Turf Paradise Airfield. The strip at the time was gravel.
A nice thing about that airport was that you could soar over Phoenix & the mountains that within the city limits.
Also, there was very little air traffic there at the time. The airport also had personally-owned gliders.
The approach to the airport was interesting because there was almost always sink (downward moving air) on the final leg (towards the southwest), so you needed to be careful to make the field.
However, in a glider you go at maximum speed on final (at least, the little trainers I flew), just in case.
Gliders have the ability to rapidly lose speed & altitude, using spoilers plus extreme slip, and it was easy to land & then stop your glider a yard behind the last glider in the line waiting for a tow.”
George McNeil recalled, “I learned to fly at Turf Soaring School in the 1970s.
Turf Soaring School moved from Turf Paradise Airport sometime in 1976 because it had been rumored & then announced that the field would be closing.
The school owner Roy Coulliette built a new airport which became Pleasant Valley Airport.”
The last aeronautical chart depiction of the Turf Paradise Airfield which has been located was on the June 1977 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Kevin Walsh).
It depicted Turf Paradise as having a 3,000' unpaved runway.
A 1978 aerial view of Turf Paradise, looking east, by Chris Kennedy.
The runway was still visible just to the right of the large racetrack, but it is not known if the airfield was still open by that point.
The Turf Paradise Airfield was evidently closed at some point between 1977-78,
as it was no longer depicted on the 1978 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).
A 12/15/79 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District) showed that with no trace of Turf Paradise Airfield remained,
with the runway having been covered by several new buildings.
The 1982 USGS topo map continued to depict the "Landing Field" as having a single 3,000' runway,
even though it had already ceased to exist for at least 3 years.
A 1983 street map (courtesy of Kevin Walsh) continued to depict “Turf Airport” as having a southwest/northeast runway.
The Turf Paradise runway continued to be depicted on the 1988 USGS topo map, even though it had been built-over for at least 9 years by that point.
A 2019 aerial view looking north showed no trace remained discernible of Turf Paradise Airfield.
The Turf Paradise Race Course is located southeast of the intersection of Bell Road & North 19th Avenue.
An earlier airfield, Paradise Airport, was located 4 miles to the south of Turf Paradise Airfield.
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