BMG AF Aux Field, Gila Bend

Arizona Guide

Harry Bonsall Sr. Park, Glendale

Gila Bend — Gila Bend Municipal Airport
Arizona Aviation Museum Guide

Gila Bend Municipal Airport ¹
1500 N. Highway 85
Gila Bend,² AZ 85337

Overview ^4,5

Gila Bend, founded in 1872, is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The town is named for an approximately 90-degree bend in the Gila River, which is close to but not precisely at the community's current location. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 2,055. Just outside the town is the San Lucy district of the Tohono O'odham Nation, with a tiny settlement, San Lucy bordering the town itself. Gila Bend enjoys a minor notability among tourists and aficionados of roadside attractions. Besides the quirky welcome sign, the town boasts several roadside sculptures and the Space Age Lodge motel and restaurant, named for its “Space Age” theme architecture and decor. The town is just off Interstate 8 on Arizona SR 85, which provides access between I-8 and Interstate 10 north of Gila Bend. In recognition of historical routes that pass through the area, the town's website refers to Gila Bend as "The Crossroads of the Southwest". According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.8 square miles (59 km²), all of it land.

Gila Bend Municipal Airport (E63), is a public use airport located two nautical miles east of the central business district of Gila Bend, Arizona. The Gila Bend Municipal Airport covers an area of 232 acres at an elevation of 789 feet above mean sea level. It has one runway: 4/22 is 5,200 by 75 feet with an asphalt surface. For the 12-month period ending April 19, 2008, the airport had 3,500 general aviation aircraft operations, an average of 10 per day. At that time there were 0 aircraft based at this airport.

Photos ^6,7

The Gila Bend Municipal Airport has two McDonnell RF-101C Voodoos on display. Both aircraft are located at the entrance to the airport as you turn off Highway 85. They are a McDonnell RF-101C-70-MC Voodoo (AF 56-0112) and a McDonnell RF-101C-75-MC Voodoo (AF 56-0130). Special thanks to Ron Strong and A Friend in Arizona (AFIA) for the photos.

McDonnell RF-101C-70-MC Voodoo (AF 56-0112, c/n 358) on display (7/22/2007) at the Gila Bend Municipal Airport Gila Bend, Arizona (Photo by Ron Strong)

McDonnell RF-101C-70-MC Voodoo (AF 56-0112, c/n 358) on display (3/23/2008) at the Gila Bend Municipal Airport Gila Bend, Arizona (Photos by AFIA)

McDonnell RF-101C-75-MC Voodoo (AF 56-0130, c/n 385) on display (7/22/2007) at the Gila Bend Municipal Airport Gila Bend, Arizona (Photo by Ron Strong)

McDonnell RF-101C-75-MC Voodoo (AF 56-0130, c/n 385) on display (3/23/2008) at the Gila Bend Municipal Airport Gila Bend, Arizona (Photos by AFIA)

Special Thanks

A very special thanks to Ron Strong and A Friend in Arizona (AFIA) for providing us with photos of the aircraft at this location.

References

1. Gila Bend Municipal Airport, AirNav website
2. Gila Bend, City Website
3. Google Earth, Satellite Image
4. Wikipedia, Gila Bend, Arizona
5. Wikipedia, Gila Bend Municipal Airport
6. AFIA (A Friend in Arizona), Aircraft Photos
7. Ron Strong, Aircraft Photos