Heading to Scottsdale, AZ looking for advice

[jkenney]

I am flying to Scottsdale for the holiday weekend.   Looking for any advice on airports to fly into. 

Deer Valley and Falcon Field look roughtly equidistant from Scottsdale.    Scottsdale Muni is clearly the closest, but I have read that it's more oriented toward the jet crowd.

 

Any advice regarding ease of flying into or out of those three fields and the quality of your experiences would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

Jim Kenney

N9154X, based at KTOA

[Chimpanzee]

Hi Jim,

Falcon Field gets my vote. Deer Valley is a little too busy and Scottsdale Muni is indeed somwhat " jet-set". Falcon is also Class D, but has is not overly busy with its two parallels, and ATC is generally very nice and helpful. All services are available. Also a nice watering point (Monastery) for the beer afterward is not too far away (Actually at the end of the airport road.). And the scenery around Falcon is nice with typical Arizona mountains. However, depending on where you coming from you might have to transition Class B if you are VFR.
Again i would recommend Falcon, but I am biased as my bird lives there.

Cheers
Norbert
M20C

[carqwik]

I live in Scottsdale but my plane is at Deer Valley.  The only reason is because fuel prices and hangar rent are much less expensive at Deer Valley than at Scottsdale for based customers.  However, if you are a transient and don't mind a one time expense of high fuel prices and parking charges, I'd fly in to Scottsdale over Deer Valley or Falcon Field.  It isn't that busy at SDL these days although it is a difficult airport to spot from the air coming from the west.  As a second choice, I'd go to DVT if you're going anywhere in North Scottsdale.  I'd go to Falcon if you're going to the downtown Scottsdale area.  One caveat about DVT is that there is an awful lot of training airplanes with Chinese and Korean students....so expect a very busy pattern although the controllers are very good. Also, if you can come IFR, I'd do that just so you don't have to know all the visual landmarks. The Bravo sits on top of all three airports and you certainly don't want to bust it....and there's that SATR if coming from the west (Luke controls this airspace due to F-16s in the area doing training....very cool.)

 

Typical IFR routing from TOA will take over BLH with a clearance along the airway to PXR then direct BUT you'll never fly that route.  Instead you get vectors to SDL or DVT about 30-50 miles before the BXK vortac.  Also, sometimes you'll get an off-airway clearance to TIRON intersection then vectors to the airport (again, for SDL or DVT).  This intersection in not on any published chart except for a military approach plate into Luke AFB....yet it is routinely handed out. Go figure.  As far as routing to FFZ....I don't have a clue since I don't go there.

[jkenney]

Thanks both for the great info.  I am going to be in the downtown area and will come in IFR, so based on what you both have mentioned I am leaning towards Falcon.   The reviews I read on the Deer Valley FBO are outstanding, but having never been to any of these fields I am a bit wary of trying to find the field while simultaneously dodging significant pattern traffic at DVT.

[N201MKTurbo]

Oh, come out to CHD, we have the cheapest gas. As long as you don't want a car, or an FBO it's a great place!