Did you know that there’s a huge runway in the middle of the Everglades, and at one point the plan was for the world’s largest airport to be built there? This is quite literally the most interesting piece of aviation history that I’ve ever learned.
Continue reading: World’s Biggest Airport Was Almost Built In The Everglades?!
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I never knew that existed. Not sure anyone would want to land in the Everglades anyways since the Eastern 401 crash in 72 and the associated ghosts and ValueJet in 96. I have driven from Naples to Miami before.
When you go, take many pictures. Also see why there are driveways close to the report. Google Maps show there are houses??? Please write it up afterwards.
I used to take students there all the time. You have to register your tail number before you go but it’s free to use.
You should look at satellite images of the site to get a sense of how remote, and big, it is.
I visited the site a couple of years ago on a day trip out of Marco. The scale is truly amazing. Technically it's a secure site, but I checked in with the folks onsite and asked permission to wander around for 30 minutes or so and they said OK. I think I read somewhere that they have used the site recently to practice water bombing.
I guess you could at least do a takeoff and landing use a Cessna at this air port.
I looked on my Google Earth and there is a "Corn Dance Hammock" nearby... I may go when they open Tippy's Outpost up again.
>>>>>Am I the only one who didn’t know about this, and finds it endlessly fascinating?!
Of course not, all the readers who read Travel Blogger Buzz knew this since November 27, 2020 when I posted about it.
In the "old days" Dulles (IAD) was little used by the airlines so it was used for touch and go training for the majors flying "heavies" I had the pleasure of doing this in the mid to late 70's the same for TNT.
Not related to this topic. Where can I get a rapid PCR covid test in Miami that accept insurance? Thank you.
I’ve been there before. It’s not down alligator alley... it’s on Tamiami Trail close to the border of the everglades national park and big cypress National preserve... you’ll know you’re by the entrance because you’ll see a bunch of Miccosukee tribal police cars parked in what looks like a road to nowhere that goes off Tamiami trail (with a few easy to miss signs identifying the airport). If you’re looking for outdoor activities in that area, there’s a lot of hiking trails and until heavy rain season starts again (probably another month or two) is the best time to go on hikes
It may have been the largest planned airport at the time, but DEN is just over 54 square miles.
Heck, stunning that at this times they where already existant those autoporoclamated Eco-activists!
I’m old enough to remember the fight to stop this airport (though I was a child at the time.) One of the major battles to preserve the ecosystem of the Everglades and South Florida.
I remember the controversy over the Everglades airport when I was a kid and we'd visit south Florida. It was really madness to have such a huge development next to a national park. Environmentalists had considerably more power in those days. Recall this was in the same era as when DFW was being built. Not long after we moved to New Orleans and there was a similarity huge airport proposal, which never got off the drawing board.
Probably a more impressive failed airport is Mirabel near Montreal. It was to be eastern Canada's international airport and equally huge. It operated for 20+ years. Air Transat was based there, but few others moved from Dorval. What killed it was accessibility; there was supposed to be rail service from Ottawa and central Montreal which never happened. Quebec separatism also played a role as corporate HQs abandoned Montreal for Toronto. Today YUL is a rather unpleasant experience.
Lol, yes, BOTH the people that read travelbuzzblog or whatever it is may know about it lol. Thanks for the educational post Ben, really enjoy hearing about these "ghost" runways
Just imagine how much of America’s cocaine must have landed there surreptitiously over the past decades..
Although it never got even beyond the planning stages, there was also at one point plans to build a huge regional airport in the New Jersey Pinelands, which would have served the NYC/PHL metropolitan area.
All I'm picturing is the "Top Gear"/"Grand Tour" crew doing a drag race there in some ridiculously altered fan-boats or duck-boats.
I saw the airstrip in December flying EYW-FLL. I couldn't convince myself anyone would build an airport there, so I decided I must have seen Miccosuckee, a tiny strip of a town along 41.
I didn't know about the Boeing 2707 projects so thanks for that Wikipedia rabbit hole ; )
Thank you, Ben! I haven't thought about this since I was a kid. I remember my dad helping me research the planned airport at the library (via card catalog and microfiche, even!). What a great trip down memory lane for me.
I went to one of the automotive events there about 12 years ago. Got to drive on the runway. Pretty cool experience! Another interesting tidbit: There's some oil wells just north of the facility.
We went on a slogging hike tour off that training road a couple of years ago. I had no idea the runway was just further up the road there, we never saw any other cars. Amazing area with the bromeliads and birds.
Was born in 52, lived grew up near Chicago, I was well aware of this airport even though I wasn’t an air freak.
We had family in Naples and Miami, so during summer vacation dad would drive between the 2 cities on the 2 lane Tamiami Trail(41 ), that drive was scary at night, so I was looking forward to the airport bringing a better road.
This was of course before Alligator Alley.
Interesting.. I have flown over the very large and long runways of the KW defunct naval base..What a waste of space for nothing but a few guards..They should make it the KW airport because of the longer runway so commercial flights would not have to deal with weight and baggage restrictions.. Government in action wasting taxpayers $$$$$
@dee - If you are referring to Boca Chica, it is still an active base. DOD website shows it currently hosts 6 Command tenants - one of which is Coast Guard.
dee - curious as to what airport you flew over and when, since, as mentioned, Boca Chica is still very much in use
@Jim—The airport in central NJ in the Great Swamp was designed in 1959 to be the largest international airport in the world, with four 12,000 foot runways (at a time when the longest runway at Idlewood (renamed JFK) was 9600 feet). It would have replaced Newark Airport and been built by the Port Authority of NY and NJ. Fascinating story, and if it had been built, it have almost been in my back yard!
@Pushslice - X01 Everglades City is where all the drugs came in, not TNT. Everglades City was so bad, the entire town got arrested. they eventually cleaned it all up, today it is a seafood/stone crab hot spot.
Flying out of Tampa, I took my 727 bounces there (1986). That big 'ole piece of concrete sure looked lonely sitting in the middle of a swamp.
What about bug splatter? At certain times of the year, just driving across Alligator Alley renders my windshield nearly opaque, I would imagine a jet's windshield in that area would be so covered with bug splatter that the pilots wouldn't be able to navigate to the gate!
Imagine all the gator food options, super fresh. Maybe won't need a coast to coast rail connect in 50-100 years if the climate sea level rises.
What a cool piece of information! I’ve been several times to the Shark Valley visitor center on Tamiami Trail and this airstrip is literally just 20 minutes from it.
High speed rail was planned to connect TNT to MIA so passengers could be quickly shuttled between the two giant airports seamlessly.
Used to shoot training flight touch and go landings in Eastern's 727s there back in 1980. Usually late at night.
Thank you for sharing this interesting story on Everglades Jetport; reminds me of tales of other abandoned airports such as the Montreal's Mirabel or Kampong Chhnang’s airport or Gbadolite airport
I fly here all the time on a C172 to practice TO/landings and approaches. Its massive, you can literally land and TO twice or more. Maybe I'm exaggerating. I did not know all the facts mentioned on the article. On my last commercial flight we flew over it and my foreflight was connected since I had a window seat and I could track going over it on my way to MIA. Sooo cool. Another cool nearby airport is Everglades (X01), check it out on a map.
When I was still active duty Coast Guard, we would go out there at night and practice raft drops. Since, as the radioman/radar operator, I was superfluous to this drill, they would land and toss me out the door with a flashlight and some flares. My job was to mark the drop zone and retrieve the practice gear.
Mighty lonely out there in the dark...
Somehow I missed this post back in April, but my first thought was about a similar plan to build a large international airport about 40 miles north of Montreal. And unlike the proposed everglades airport, Mirabel was built but used only lightly. Apparently none of the big airlines wanted to move from Dorval (YUL) to Mirabel so the airport basically fizzled away.
I am an airline pilot and I live in Palm Beach. I also used to teach flying out of Lantana Airport. If you ever want to ride down to TNT to do some touch and go's feel free to reach out.
My eyes were glued out the window for most of the flight
I was downright giddy
This passion is what sets you apart from other bloggers.
Ha!! "Mighty lonely out there in the dark".
I've read too many Carl Hiaasen and Tim Dorsey novels to EVER want to be out in the Everglades at night!! My hat's off to you and thank you for your service.
ANd then there is the Naval Station and very large runway in key west sitting there empty(at TAXPAYERS $$$$)while we all fly into the little KW one==where you cannot land if it is windy or have a heavy plane...
The abandoned Naval base and runway could be an international airport???
How come you have never considered getting a PPL? So much more fun flying to an airport like this then Kurt seeing it from high above.
51 years ago I had strep throat and missed a week of school. There was a TV show ( National Geographic?) about the construction of this airport. Just a few years removed from Gentle Ben, a show about a boy and his pet bear cruising around the Everglades on an airboat, I thought How? Why? I’m glad the Everglades were saved.
Lets keep eyes on for future development. Im not a tree hugger but I think we should leave something for our fellow travelers - gators, panthers, etal.
Also I think one has to have a special clearance to land there.