Planespotters hit the jackpot as they arrive at Arizona airport and end up spotting multiple rare jets no one usually sees
Published on Apr 09, 2026 at 10:38 PM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Apr 09, 2026 at 7:09 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
When these planespotters camped out at an Arizona airport, they got to see several rare jets – what aviation enthusiasts would call a ‘jackpot’.
Phoenix Goodyear Airport is a single-runway strip out in the middle of the Arizona desert.
But don’t let its size fool you, this is one of the busiest stretches of runway you’ll find anywhere in the US.
With student pilots, fighter jets, and commercial airliners stopping in, it’s a paradise for plane lovers, as YouTube channel Outside the Cockpit discovered.
What rare jets did these planespotters come across at Phoenix Goodyear Airport?
The presenters behind YouTube channel Outside the Cockpit are no strangers to a field trip to an airport.
But Phoenix Goodyear Airport is something exceptional.
Built during World War Two as a naval air facility, it would go on to become a general aviation reliever airport for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
These days, it serves several purposes – an airliner hospital for maintenance and repair, a site for short-term storage, and a flight training ground.
It sounds like a theme park for a plane geek, so it’s no wonder that this YouTube channel paid it a visit.
Flying into this Arizona airport is tricky, though, as the air traffic controllers were essentially conducting a balancing act.
That’s what happens when there’s only one runway.
Down on the ground, rows of Spirit and Allegiant airliners were laid out in rows.
“There’s just a stack of GA (General Aviation) planes, there’s so much going on here!” one of the hosts declared.
While driving from the airport, the hosts saw six F-35 Lightning IIs flying back to their base.
These stealth fighters each cost around $80 million each, and they had a roar to match.
There’s a lot of cool airports around the world
Most of us will have been to an airport at one point or another.
And we’ll have expectations about what they look like.
But around the world, there are several airports that take a more unconventional approach.
In Indonesia, the Domine Eduard Osok Airport is notable for having no fencing and being totally open to the public.
Then there’s St. Maarten airport in the Caribbean, which is so close to the sea that beachgoers can be blown away by descending planes.
And yes, there’s even one man who lives at an airport. That’s taking things to a whole other level.
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Following stints at LadBible, The Sun, The New York Post, and the Daily Mail, Ben joined the team full-time in February 2025. In his role as Senior Content Writer, his sparkling copy, the ability to sniff out a good story at 100 paces, and a GSOH quickly led to him becoming an integral and invaluable member of the writing staff.
