Huge Airport Built in the Swamp: Everglades Jetport

Today, a huge, green airstrip stands abandoned in the middle of Florida. The construction started with a big dream Everglades Jetport, It was designed for supersonic jets.

from around the world Coming to the USA with supersonic jets While it was planned to be a famous place that wealthy people could use, its name was lost to history. What remained was a lonely, large runway in the middle of the swamp, and it was not clear why it was there.

This is known as Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.

This facility, also known as Everglades Jetport; In the mid-1960s, it was promoted as the airport of the future. At that time, millions of passengers from all over the world traveling on supersonic planes He would use this airport to reach Miami.

like Concorde As well as supersonic aircraft developed in Europe There was also a project called Boeing 2707 in the USA. With this vision, the world’s largest airport project was launched west of Miami.

View on Google Maps.

When looking at the region from Google Maps, Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport​ An area defined as appears. In fact, we can say that it was designed as an area where supersonic commercial jets will land and take off.

In the early 1960s it took shape along the highway connecting the city to Naples on the Gulf of Mexico.

Boeing 2707

At that time, supersonic Airplanes such as the Boeing 2707 were being developed It was a time when air travel was expanding rapidly. The Everglades region was also an ideal airport that could serve such aircraft without noise restrictions.

When planned with a large area of ​​101 square kilometers It was expected to be one of the largest airports in the world and was five times the size of New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport, with 6 runways.

in 1968, Dade County Port Authority A $52 ​​million bond was issued by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration contributed $500,000 to begin construction of the jet port.

However, with the uncontrolled increase in fuel prices and the rise of the environmental movement in the early 1970s, interest in traveling by supersonic aircraft decreased.

This situation, On May 20, 1971, the US House of Representatives canceling funding for the project and halting the Boeing 2707 program brought construction of the Jetport to an abrupt end.

Although the area’s activity remained limited, it was actively used in pilot training throughout the 1970s and 1980s, particularly for airlines such as Pan American World Airways and Eastern Airlines. However, with the closure of these major airlines in the early 1990s Large jets left Jetport one by one.

Today, this place is open between 08.00 and 17.30. opening to trafficonly a limited number of training flights and very emergency landings are allowed.

Our other content that may interest you: