Grants-Milan (KGNT): An Airport Gem

Many years ago, we stopped several times at the Grants-Milan, NM airport. Each time we got a courtesy car, stayed overnight at a local motel, and left early the next morning. It all worked fine. 

This year, in 2022, we returned twice since the airport is a convenient stopping point for trips from Dallas to Arizona and back.

As we landed the first time, we were in for a surprise: The FBO building has been beautifully upgraded, with every amenity offered. 

On top, just as in prior years, the runway is in excellent condition, the self-service refueling station works well, the hangar for the overnight stay has ample space for our plane, and the courtesy car runs perfectly.

Grants-Milan airport FBO

Next to the FBO building a sign points to an addition we hadn't seen before: an open-air museum about aviation.


We have an inkling what the museum might provide:  There is a tall tower with a beacon and an adjacent shed. 

Beacon with power shed

We saw such beacons still in use when we started flying in the early 1980s. They were remnants of a large system of beacons, each with electricity supplied by an adjacent power shed.

The museum tells the detailed story about the construction, which was started in 1923, and the operation over the subsequent decades. 

In this post we cannot give an adequate summary about that navigation system. But we have a suggestion. Next time you fly west, why not plan an extended stopover at the airport or even an overnight stay so you can tour the museum. 

Make sure you get the brochure from the distribution box since it has interesting details about the system.

If you plan to stay overnight, call ahead using the airport telephone number and arrange with airport manager Lynn use of one of the courtesy cars, tie down of the plane, or, if you are interested in it, storage of the plane in the large hangar.

If you land early in the afternoon and plan to stay overnight, you may also want to visit the Uranium Mining Museum in Grants. In a simulated environment, you experience going underground and see how miners worked.

Got you interested in a visit? If so, this post has accomplished its goal.

Have any questions or feedback about this post? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

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