Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT/KGJT) is a small airfield in the west of Colorado, close to the border to Utah and was opened in 1930. It was used to be called Walker Field and is still listed as this sometimes, but actually its not the official name anymore. The airfield is located rougly 5km northeast of the city of Grand Junction and is Colorado’s thrid biggest airport. It handles roughly 550.000 passenger a year (as of 2019) primarly to bigger hubs around the US: DFW, LAX, ORD, DEN for example. So you will see some American Eagle, Allegiant Air, Delta and United flights a day plus some sports and GA aircraft, however there are also very few military operations. Per day you can expect around 134 movements (a mixture of everything), which was the average in 2018.

Written by Severin Hackenberger in cooperation with Björn Unger and Alex Crail. Last Update: December 2020

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
04/22	1677m / 5501ft
11/29	3201m / 10503ft
Terminals
T1	There is only one terminal handling all services/airlines with just a handful of gates.
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not recommended although it may be useful at spot #2. Rather shoot thru the mesh or from your car’s top.
Car/Public Transport	Car definitely needed, otherwise you are without a chance here.
Drinks/Food	None around the spots, but there are enough possibilities inside the city.
Hotels	There are several hotels just a few hundred meters to the south towards city centre.
Season	There is no typical season with more traffic, but summer may be hazier as it is warmer.
Security	Spotting is not a problem here, however spotters have been checked by police already about the reason they hang around here with a camera. So always have your ID with you and just be friendly all the time saying this is your hobby. Then there won’t be any struggles.
Runway Usage
04/22	Only used by small GA stuff and sports aircraft.
11/29	Major runway handling all bigger passenger airplanes. Operations are depending on the wind – 29 may be a bit more common than 11 usage.

	Spot #1 – 27 1/4 Road – 11 Arrivals
WHERE	This spot can be found west of the airfield simply along 27 1/4 Road. Drive up the road from the city/the south and position yourself wherever you want (depending on the light). Just pull over to the roadside and directly shoot from there. But be aware that the street runs a little bit lower than the airport terrain, so you cannot see the runway. You have to look out for the arrival light (poles) to see where the runway axis is.
WHAT	From here you can only spot Arrivals on runway 11.
TIME	Actually all day as you just walk/drive along the street and thus cross the runway axis with the sun.
MISC.	Nothing around, no ladder needed.
FOCAL LENGTH	70-300mm – depends on your position how much you exactly need.

Morning:

GJT-Spot1-Morning

GJT-Spot1-Afternoon

	Spot #2 – Landing View Lane – 11/29 Movements
WHERE	Take “Landing View Lane” from the terminal which will lead you along the fence towards the northwest. Before you reach the Twin Otter/Metroliner aprons on your right cramped with Key Lime Air and similar aircraft, pull over your car and just park by the roadside simply – but do not block the road. We also recommend to come here once an aircraft is actually moving and only to leave the car with your camera once you wanna take the picture. There are security cameras around the hangars/gates, so spend as little time here as necessary.
WHAT	Basically you will see all runway 11 movements here, plus 29 departures and most 29 arrivals will also pass by as they will not vacate earlier and thus taxi by here. 29 departures are usually airborne from this positions but for ground shots you have to photograph through the mesh of the fence or use the rooftop of your car as we do not recommend to use a ladder here.
TIME	This spot can be used from later morning/early noon till sunset.
MISC.	Haze may be an issue on hot days. Keep a very low profile here! Police sometimes passes by and will check what you are doing. Just tell them it is your hobby and be friendly.
FOCAL LENGTH	100-400mm E175 = 310mm

GJT-Spot2

GJT-Spot2

GJT-Spot2