Walt Disney World Airport | |||||||||||
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Airport type | Private | ||||||||||
Owner | Walt Disney Company | ||||||||||
Location | Bay Lake, Florida | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 28°24′00″N81°34′17″W / 28.4°N 81.5715°W | ||||||||||
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Walt Disney World Airport, also known as Lake Buena Vista Airport and Lake Buena Vista STOLport( IATA : DWS), is a former small airfield owned by The Walt Disney Company, located within Walt Disney World, just across World Drive from the Transportation and Ticket Center, in Bay Lake in Orange County, Florida, United States. When it was active, it accommodated smaller commuter airliners such as the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprop, which had STOL ("Short Take Off and Landing") capabilities and could operate from airfields with short runways (also known as STOLports). It is no longer registered as an active airport by the FAA, ICAO, and IATA, and as of December 2017 [update] serves Walt Disney World as a storage lot. [2]
Lake Buena Vista Airport was built in 1971 to serve as an airfield for Walt Disney World guests and employees, with scheduled passenger airline service to Orlando Jetport at McCoy (now Orlando International Airport) and Tampa International Airport provided by Shawnee Airlines, using STOL-capable De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft. [3] [4] Executive Airlines also offered scheduled passenger service into the airport using DHC-6 aircraft. [5]
The airport was never large, with only enough ramp space at the passenger terminal to accommodate four aircraft at a time, and no hangar space was ever built. This STOL airfield was intended as a proof-of-concept but was ultimately rejected in favor of a vision for a larger, full-service airport within Walt Disney World itself, which itself was later rejected. [1]
There has been no scheduled or unscheduled commercial service to this airport since the early 1980s. The next nearest airport to the resort, Kissimmee Gateway Airport, briefly offered passenger service through DayJet which suspended operations in 2008. As of 2024 [update] , most Walt Disney World guests arrive through Orlando International Airport and to a lesser extent, Orlando Sanford International Airport or Melbourne Orlando International Airport.
The runway and apron have been converted to storage and parking. They are visible to motorists traveling along World Drive toward the Transportation and Ticket Center and passengers on the monorail. [6]
The runway featured a set of grooves, like rumble strips on the side of a highway, that played "When You Wish Upon a Star" when driven over at roughly 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) to surprise the airplane passengers. The musical grooves were removed in 2008. [7]
It is considered a precursor to future musical roads, the first of which was built in Denmark in 1995. The musical road in the village of Takayama, Gunma, Japan, plays the same song the "Singing Runway" once did.
Bahamasair Holdings Limited is an airline headquartered in Nassau. It is the national airline of The Bahamas and operates scheduled services to 32 domestic and regional destinations in the Caribbean and the United States from its base at Lynden Pindling International Airport.
A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh conditions. STOL aircraft, including those used in scheduled passenger airline operations, have also been operated from STOLport airfields which feature short runways.
The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada in the mid-1960s and still in production today. De Havilland Canada produced it from 1965 to 1988; Viking Air purchased the type certificate, then restarted production in 2008 before re-adopting the DHC name in 2022. In 2023 DHC restarted production of the 300 series, in addition to the Series 400 produced by Viking. The aircraft's fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL capabilities, twin turboprop engines and high rate of climb have made it a successful commuter airliner, typically seating 18–20 passengers, as well as a cargo and medical evacuation aircraft. In addition, the Twin Otter has been popular with commercial skydiving operations, and is used by the United States Army Parachute Team and the 98th Flying Training Squadron of the United States Air Force.
Disney Transport is the public transit system of the Walt Disney World resort near Orlando, Florida, United States. It offers guests a variety of fare-free options to navigate the resort, including buses, the Walt Disney World Monorail System, the Disney Skyliner gondola lift system, and watercraft. This network facilitates movement between the resort's four theme parks, its shopping district, and all Disney-owned lodging on the property. Additionally, Disney Transport operates trams, providing assistance navigating large parking lots, and the Minnie Van rideshare service, offering on-demand, point-to-point transportation.
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A STOLport or STOLPORT was an airport designed with STOL operations in mind, usually for an aircraft class of a certain weight and size. The term "STOLport" did not appear to be in common usage as of 2008, although was commonly used by pilots flying into Biggin Hill during 1986/87 when the London City Airport was opened restricting approaches and ceilings to the north of Biggin. A STOLport usually has a short single runway, generally shorter than 1,500 m (5,000 ft). STOLports are only practicable by certain types of aircraft, especially smaller propeller aircraft, with performances that are compatible with the shorter runway length, steeper approach/departure paths, etc. at individual STOLports. In the United States, short runway facilities are simply known as airports, and the term "STOLport" has not been commonly used since the early 1970s.
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