<P> Principal photography started April 26 , 1965 , at the 20th Century - Fox Studios and 20th Century - Fox Ranch , California . Other filming locations , simulating the desert , were Buttercup Valley , Arizona and Pilot Knob Mesa , California . The flying sequences were all filmed at Pilot Knob Mesa near Winterhaven , located in California 's Imperial Valley , on the western fringes of Yuma , Arizona . </P>
where was the original flight of the phoenix filmed
20th Century - Fox Studios 20th Century - Fox Ranch , California Buttercup Valley , Arizona Pilot Knob Mesa , California