Scottsdale Airport

The United States Army Air Forces Army Air Forces Training Command used the airfield durng World War II, dubbing it "Thunderbird Field #2," as a flight training school for aviation cadets. Since it opened, over 5,500 students have graduated from Thunderbird #2. Over the course of its history, Thunderbird #2 grew from a small piece of isolated desert to a primary training school thanks to such notable Air Force officers as General Henry H. Arnold and Lieutenant General B.K. Yount. In November 1943, the facility reached hit 615, its peak. Arizona State Teachers College acquired the airport after the war’s end and started its own aviation program. The college soon cancelled these plans citing the distance from the college campus and the aviation program’s operating costs as the primary reasons. The Arizona Conference of Seventh-day Adventists purchased the airport in 1953 and founded Thunderbird Academy. Then in 1966, the city of Scottsdale bought the airfield portion of the academy's property, and still currently owns and operates it.

Scottsdale Airport sits nine miles north of Downtown Scottsdale, in Maricopa County, Arizona, minutes from world-class resorts, hotels, and golf courses. 

● In 2019, the airport boasted 186,514 aircraft operations, and over 195,800 operations the following year.

●KSDL is home to three main fixed-base operators: Jet Aviation Scottsdale, Signature Flight Support, and Ross Aviation. 

● The airport's master plan currently does not permit commercial flights due to noise concerns.