jfly,
Sounds like a nice trip, I'm jealous!
Logged around 100 hours flying around Phoenix, and enjoyed every minute of it. If you've got time and you fancy doing some aerobatics, try popping into
Chandler Air Service at Chandler Airport while you're in the area - you can book dual flights in a Great Lakes bi-plane, or if you've got a few hundred dollars to spare you can also try out the Pitts S2C.
Doesn't sound like you'll have much time for sightseeing in Arizona, but if you do, here's a couple of nice trips:
Fly into Tucson Airport. Just flying into an international airport is an experience in itself if you're not used to it - they're very general-aviation-friendly. Once you're there, go and visit the Air and Space Museum. It's a short cab-ride from the airport (get a cab from outside the main passenger terminal), and it's full of interesting aircraft. There's also the aeroplane graveyard (sorry, it's not a graveyard, it's a storage site) - you can book a bus tour from the ticket desk at the museum.
If you fancy going north from Phoenix to do some mountain flying, go to Sedona. Book yourself onto one of the Pink Jeep Tours - can't remember the details, but any tourist office in Arizona will be able to help you. The guys at Pink Jeep will pick you up from Sedona Airport if you ask them nicely, and the tours are fantastic - superb scenery, and some real professional off-road drivers. Watch out for the inclined runway at Sedona - it's usual to land uphill, to the east, and take off downhill, to the west, except in very strong winds. (The restaurant at the airport is expensive, and serves very average food - you're better off getting something to eat in the town.)
And, of course, there's the Grand Canyon. You can do what I did, which is fly into Grand Canyon airport, then book yourself onto a helicoptor tour which leaves from the other side of the airport. There are also aeroplane tours over the canyon, which are a lot cheaper, or you could hire a car. Unfortunately, you can't fly over the canyon yourself (except very high along a couple of corridors - too high to be able to get a decent view).
Feel free to e-mail me if you want any more info - and have a good time!
FFF
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