Flagstaff Pulliam Airport - Spotting Guide

Flagstaff Pulliam Airport – Spotting Guide

January 6, 2024 - last modified on January 3, 2024

Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG/KFLG) is Northern Arizona’s busiest airport with around 70,000 passengers per year, and the closest airport to Grand Canyon National Park with service by legacy carriers. Flagstaff is at an elevation of 7,000 feet, which means the Honeywell 757 and other aircraft are occasionally doing tests. The airport is only served by American Airlines, which only flies CRJ700s. United Airlines flew to FLG until October of 2022. There are also some C130s that practice every so often. Whenever the Northern Arizona Football team has a game, a charter plane will come in. These are usually Allegiant A320s or Sun Country 737-800s. Flagstaff Pulliam has lots of GA traffic as well. For the majority of plane spotting locations here you are required to walk a little ways, but not too far depending on the spot. Flagstaff usually gets a ton of snow in the winter, which means great photos, but hard to get to some locations.

Written by Sawyer Grey. Last Update: December 2023

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
03/21	2.682 m (8800ft.) Asphalt
Terminals	Terminal 1 – Passenger Service by American Airlines
Spotting Information
Ladder	Most spots are on a hill so no ladder is needed to clear the airport fence. Only for Spot 1 and 2 it is helpful.
Car/Public Transport	Bus available from downtown to main terminal, otherwise car needed
Drinks/Food	Food/Beverage can be purchased at the nearby Swift gas station
Hotels	All hotels in Flagstaff proper, none near airport
Season	Snow in winter can make walking to spots impossible
Security	Never had any issue with security, Wiseman FBO is very nice towards spotters
Runway Usage
03/21	FLG almost always uses Runway 21

	Spot #1 – Wiseman Aviation FBO Parking Lot – 03 movements, ramp, taxiway
WHERE	To get to the Wiseman FBO parking lot, turn onto W Shamrell Blvd from John Wesley Powell Blvd. From there, turn left onto Grumman Ln, where you can turn into the parking lot. Head to the side with the fence, where you can look at the GA aircraft parked. Sometimes there will be a large aircraft blocking the fence, you should be able to move over and see departing aircraft off of Runway 21.

WHAT	GA parking, Taxiway A, and Runway 3/21 visible

TIME	This spot is best in the afternoon and evening for lighting. No haze here.

MISC.	No food/beverage or restrooms here, although there is a nearby gas station

FOCAL LENGTH	100 mm for parked GA aircraft, 400 mm for departing aircraft

	Spot #2 – Dirt Road – 21 movements, taxiway
WHERE	You have to walk a little ways to get to this point. Park at the main airport parking lot (free for the first hour) and walk down the marked dirt road across the street. Once you reach the fence, you will be right on taxiway A. If you walk a little ways further, there is a better viewpoint of the taxiway. There is a fence, so a ladder would be helpful, but not needed if you are okay with a fence.

WHAT	Best for 21 arrivals and departures and taxiway A.

TIME	This spot is best in the afternoon and evening for lighting.

MISC.	No food/beverage or restrooms here

FOCAL LENGTH	Taxiway is VERY close, 50mm, 150 – 200 mm for departing aircraft

	Spot #3 – Runway 21 Viewpoint – 21 Arrivals/Departures
WHERE	To get to this spot, park at the marked Lake Mary parking lot, and walk across Lake Mary Road. This is a very busy road, be careful when crossing. Once on the dirt maintenance road, walk up until you see a trail that goes up a hill. Follow that trail until you reach the spot, which has two benches.

WHAT	Runway 21 departures and arrivals, taxiway A, and CRJs lifting off runway 3 are all visible from this spot.

TIME	This spot is best in the afternoon and evening for lighting.

MISC.	No food/beverage or restrooms here. There are some benches to sit down. The position is on a hill and you overlook the runway so no ladder needed.

FOCAL LENGTH	250 mm for landing aircraft, 50-100 for taxiing aircraft

	Spot #4 – Runway 21 Viewpoint – 21 Arrivals/Departures
WHERE	To get to this spot, park at the marked Lake Mary parking lot and cross the road. From there follow the blue path on the map that leads to spot #4, which is all along the yellow line. Position yourself as preferred. The walk itself isn’t too long, but not very short either. Keep following the path that leads into the trees to get shots that are on the same level as the runway.

WHAT	Runway 21 Departures and Arrivals, taxiing aircraft are visible from this location.

TIME	Best lighting from early morning to noon, otherwise backlit.

MISC.	No food/beverage or restrooms here. The position is on a hill and you overlook the runway so no ladder needed.

FOCAL LENGTH	150-250 mm for arriving aircraft, 200-250 mm for taxiing aircraft

	Spot #5 – Runway 03 Viewpoint – 03 Arrivals/Departures
WHERE	This is not an easy spot to get to, and the runway is usually not used. The walk is pretty far. To get here, park at the Guardian Air parking lot, and follow the dirt road down the hill. Once at the bottom, below the runway, turn left onto the first trail. You can pick a spot along this fence.

WHAT	Aircraft starting runway 3 takeoff rolls, arriving runway 3 aircraft.

TIME	Best lighting from early morning to noon, otherwise backlit.

MISC.	No food/beverage or restrooms here. The position is on a hill and you overlook the runway so no ladder needed.

FOCAL LENGTH	150-300 mm