Orlando Executive Airport
Encyclopedia
Orlando Executive Airport is a public-use airport
located three nautical mile
s (6 km) east of the central business district
of Orlando
, a city in Orange County
, Florida
, United States
. It is owned by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. It primarily serves the general aviation
community.
Orlando Executive Airport serves as a general aviation and corporate aviation airport for the greater Orlando area. Its proximity to the State Road 408 East-West Expressway as well as downtown
Orlando makes it a popular airport for private business and pleasure travelers alike. However, the airport is still considered the "minor" airport of Orlando, Florida, as the Orlando International Airport remains the primary airport for both domestic and international flights, drawing significantly more passengers every year.
The airport has been used for special air industry events and showcases including the National Business Aviation Association
(NBAA) Convention which was held there in 2008 and again in 2009. Orlando Executive Airport has been selected to be the location for the upcoming 2012 and 2014 NBAA
Annual Convention and Meeting, as well. The airport has also been used since the 1990s as a landing site and staging site by Marine Helicopter Squadron One (VMX-1) for Marine One
and other supporting VMX-1 helicopter operations during Presidential visits to Orlando. However the primary arrival method for Presidential visits is still via Air Force One
, which lands at Orlando International Airport
(MCO).
of 113 feet (34 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt
paved runway
s: 7/25 is 6,003 by 150 feet (1,830 x 46 m) and 13/31 is 4,638 by 100 feet (1,414 x 30 m).
For the 12-month period ending April 21, 2010, the airport had 218,162 aircraft operations, an average of 597 per day: 94% general aviation
, 5% air taxi
and <1% military
. At that time there were 210 aircraft based at this airport:
66% single-engine
, 20% multi-engine, 9% jet
and 5% helicopter
.
started airmail
service to Orlando the following year.
The United States Army Air Corps
took control of the airport in 1940 for use as a training facility and renamed it the Orlando Army Air Base. For the next six years, the airport remained under military control. In June 1941, the Army Air Corps became the United States Army Air Forces
and beginning in late 1941 through mid-1943, Orlando Army Air Base was used by I Bomber Command and later by units of the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command
(AAFAC) to fly antisubmarine patrols along both the east coast as well as over the Gulf of Mexico
and the Florida Straits.
With the lessening of the U-Boat threat, Orlando AAB became the home of the Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics
(AAFSAT) and subsequently as the Army Air Forces Tactical Center (AAFTC).
In 1943, the AAFSAT began training units in Night Fighter operations. the 481st Night Fighter Group was established, equipped with the Douglas P-70, a variation of the A-20 Havoc attack aircraft used for training. Squadrons attached to the group in 1943 and 1944 were the 348th, 349th, 420th, 423d, 425th, 426th and 427th Night Fighter Squadrons, which, after completion of training were sent overseas to either the Pacific or European Theaters for combat.
In 1946, the airfield was released back to the city of Orlando, while the military support facilities to the north and northeast of the airport remained under US Army Air Forces control as a non-flying administrative and technical training installation. With the establishment of the United States Air Force
as a separate service in 1947, this installation was renamed Orlando Air Force Base, serving as a technical training facility for the Air Training Command
and Tactical Air Command
, and as a headquarters installation for the Military Air Transport Service
(later Military Airlift Command
) and the Air Rescue Service
. In 1968, the installation was transferred to the United States Navy
and renamed Naval Training Center Orlando. The installation served as one of three Navy enlisted recruit training centers (boot camps) and as home to various technical training schools, to include the Navy Nuclear Power School for officer and enlisted personnel. The 1993 Base Realignment and Closure
Commission (BRAC 1993) directed that NTC Orlando be closed no later than 1 October 1999. The base property was sold to the City of Orlando, which in turn sold it to private developers. Most of the installation was demolished and residential and commercial properties developed on the site, renamed Baldwin Park.
In 1946, commercial service with National Airlines
and Eastern Air Lines
began at the now civilian Orlando Municipal Airport. Just five years later, the airport built its main terminal, a two-story structure with a built-in control tower
; this terminal building stood until late 1999. The April 1957 OAG shows 20 scheduled weekday departures: 14 Eastern and 6 National.
By the early 1960s, it became increasingly apparent that residential and commercial development around the airport made land acquisition and airport expansion unlikely. In addition, the airport's 6000 foot main runway greatly limited its ability to operate the first generation of commercial jet airliners such as the Boeing 707
, Douglas DC-8
and Convair 880
then coming on line with adequate safety margins. As a result, the city and county began lobbying the U.S. Air Force to investigate the potential of converting McCoy Air Force Base
, a Strategic Air Command
(SAC) bomber base located approximately eight miles to the south, to a joint civil-military airport that would conduct commercial jet operations on relatively undeveloped land on the east side of the base and military flight opertaions on the west side.
In 1961, the airport was renamed again, this time called the Herndon Airport after former Orlando city engineer "Pat" Herndon, the name change being in preparation for moving commercial air service to the new Orlando Jetport at McCoy that was to be collocated at McCoy AFB, the facility which is known today as the Orlando International Airport
. By 1968, commercial airlines no longer served Herndon and it became primarily a general aviation and corporate flight facility.
In 1976, the City of Orlando ceded control of the airport and transferred the property, its former City of Orlando Aviation Department, and all operational responsibilities to the newly-established Greater Orlando Aviation Authority
(GOAA), chartered by the Florida State Legislature to operate and manage all publicly-owned airports in Orange County, Florida
. GOAA renamed the airport as Orlando Executive Airport in 1982 and renamed it again to its present name of Executive Airport in 1998.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located three nautical mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
s (6 km) east of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, a city in Orange County
Orange County, Florida
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida and is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 1,145,956....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is owned by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. It primarily serves the general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
community.
Overview
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
Orlando makes it a popular airport for private business and pleasure travelers alike. However, the airport is still considered the "minor" airport of Orlando, Florida, as the Orlando International Airport remains the primary airport for both domestic and international flights, drawing significantly more passengers every year.
The airport has been used for special air industry events and showcases including the National Business Aviation Association
National Business Aviation Association
National Business Aviation Association or NBAA, is a non-profit and nonpartisan 5016 corporation based in Washington, DC, United States. The Association represents more than 8,000 companies....
(NBAA) Convention which was held there in 2008 and again in 2009. Orlando Executive Airport has been selected to be the location for the upcoming 2012 and 2014 NBAA
National Business Aviation Association
National Business Aviation Association or NBAA, is a non-profit and nonpartisan 5016 corporation based in Washington, DC, United States. The Association represents more than 8,000 companies....
Annual Convention and Meeting, as well. The airport has also been used since the 1990s as a landing site and staging site by Marine Helicopter Squadron One (VMX-1) for Marine One
Marine One
Marine One is the call sign of any United States Marine Corps aircraft carrying the President of the United States. It usually denotes a helicopter operated by the HMX-1 "Nighthawks" squadron, either the large VH-3D Sea King or the newer, smaller VH-60N "WhiteHawk", both due to be replaced by the...
and other supporting VMX-1 helicopter operations during Presidential visits to Orlando. However the primary arrival method for Presidential visits is still via Air Force One
Air Force One
Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. In common parlance the term refers to those Air Force aircraft whose primary mission is to transport the president; however, any U.S. Air Force aircraft...
, which lands at Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...
(MCO).
Facilities and aircraft
Executive Airport covers an area of 1055 acres (426.9 ha) at an elevationElevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 113 feet (34 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
paved runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s: 7/25 is 6,003 by 150 feet (1,830 x 46 m) and 13/31 is 4,638 by 100 feet (1,414 x 30 m).
For the 12-month period ending April 21, 2010, the airport had 218,162 aircraft operations, an average of 597 per day: 94% general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
, 5% air taxi
Air taxi
An air taxi is an air charter passenger or cargo aircraft which operates on an on-demand basis.-Regulation:In the United States, air taxi and air charter operations are governed by Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations , unlike the larger scheduled air carriers which are governed by more...
and <1% military
Military aviation
Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...
. At that time there were 210 aircraft based at this airport:
66% single-engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
, 20% multi-engine, 9% jet
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
and 5% helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
.
History
Opened in 1928 as the Orlando Municipal Airport, the airport was the first commercial airport in central Florida. The United States Postal ServiceUnited States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
started airmail
Airmail
Airmail is mail that is transported by aircraft. It typically arrives more quickly than surface mail, and usually costs more to send...
service to Orlando the following year.
The United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
took control of the airport in 1940 for use as a training facility and renamed it the Orlando Army Air Base. For the next six years, the airport remained under military control. In June 1941, the Army Air Corps became the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
and beginning in late 1941 through mid-1943, Orlando Army Air Base was used by I Bomber Command and later by units of the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command
Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command
The Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command was a direct reporting agency of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Its mission was to deal with the German Navy U-boat threat.-Lineage:...
(AAFAC) to fly antisubmarine patrols along both the east coast as well as over the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
and the Florida Straits.
With the lessening of the U-Boat threat, Orlando AAB became the home of the Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics
Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics
The Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics was a military training organization of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II...
(AAFSAT) and subsequently as the Army Air Forces Tactical Center (AAFTC).
In 1943, the AAFSAT began training units in Night Fighter operations. the 481st Night Fighter Group was established, equipped with the Douglas P-70, a variation of the A-20 Havoc attack aircraft used for training. Squadrons attached to the group in 1943 and 1944 were the 348th, 349th, 420th, 423d, 425th, 426th and 427th Night Fighter Squadrons, which, after completion of training were sent overseas to either the Pacific or European Theaters for combat.
In 1946, the airfield was released back to the city of Orlando, while the military support facilities to the north and northeast of the airport remained under US Army Air Forces control as a non-flying administrative and technical training installation. With the establishment of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
as a separate service in 1947, this installation was renamed Orlando Air Force Base, serving as a technical training facility for the Air Training Command
Air Training Command
Air Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...
and Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
, and as a headquarters installation for the Military Air Transport Service
Military Air Transport Service
The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command...
(later Military Airlift Command
Military Airlift Command
The Military Airlift Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command of the USAF which was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was constituted on 1 January 1966 and active until the end of the Cold War, when the Air Force table of organization was revised...
) and the Air Rescue Service
Air Rescue Service
The Air Rescue Service is a disestablished organization in the United States Air Force. Previously a subcommand of the Military Air Transport Service , a USAF major command , ARS was redesignated as the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service on 1 Jan 1966 when MATS was redesignated as the Military...
. In 1968, the installation was transferred to the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and renamed Naval Training Center Orlando. The installation served as one of three Navy enlisted recruit training centers (boot camps) and as home to various technical training schools, to include the Navy Nuclear Power School for officer and enlisted personnel. The 1993 Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
Commission (BRAC 1993) directed that NTC Orlando be closed no later than 1 October 1999. The base property was sold to the City of Orlando, which in turn sold it to private developers. Most of the installation was demolished and residential and commercial properties developed on the site, renamed Baldwin Park.
In 1946, commercial service with National Airlines
National Airlines (NA)
National Airlines was an airline founded in 1934 and was headquartered on the grounds of Miami International Airport in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States near Miami.- History :...
and Eastern Air Lines
Eastern Air Lines
Eastern Air Lines was a major United States airline that existed from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida.-History:...
began at the now civilian Orlando Municipal Airport. Just five years later, the airport built its main terminal, a two-story structure with a built-in control tower
Control tower
A control tower, or more specifically an Air Traffic Control Tower , is the name of the airport building from which the air traffic control unit controls the movement of aircraft on and around the airport. Control towers are also used to control the traffic for other forms of transportation such...
; this terminal building stood until late 1999. The April 1957 OAG shows 20 scheduled weekday departures: 14 Eastern and 6 National.
By the early 1960s, it became increasingly apparent that residential and commercial development around the airport made land acquisition and airport expansion unlikely. In addition, the airport's 6000 foot main runway greatly limited its ability to operate the first generation of commercial jet airliners such as the Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
, Douglas DC-8
Douglas DC-8
The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
and Convair 880
Convair 880
The Convair 880 was a narrow-body jet airliner produced by the Convair division of General Dynamics. It was designed to compete with the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 by being smaller and faster, a niche that failed to create demand...
then coming on line with adequate safety margins. As a result, the city and county began lobbying the U.S. Air Force to investigate the potential of converting McCoy Air Force Base
McCoy Air Force Base
With McCoy's closure as an active air force installation in 1975, the site was redeveloped and is known today as Orlando International Airport, which carries the airport code MCO .- History :...
, a Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
(SAC) bomber base located approximately eight miles to the south, to a joint civil-military airport that would conduct commercial jet operations on relatively undeveloped land on the east side of the base and military flight opertaions on the west side.
In 1961, the airport was renamed again, this time called the Herndon Airport after former Orlando city engineer "Pat" Herndon, the name change being in preparation for moving commercial air service to the new Orlando Jetport at McCoy that was to be collocated at McCoy AFB, the facility which is known today as the Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...
. By 1968, commercial airlines no longer served Herndon and it became primarily a general aviation and corporate flight facility.
In 1976, the City of Orlando ceded control of the airport and transferred the property, its former City of Orlando Aviation Department, and all operational responsibilities to the newly-established Greater Orlando Aviation Authority
Greater Orlando Aviation Authority
Greater Orlando Aviation Authority operates Orlando International Airport and Orlando Executive Airport in Orlando, Florida. GOAA consists of a seven-member board: the mayor of the City of Orlando, Florida; the Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners; and five other members who are...
(GOAA), chartered by the Florida State Legislature to operate and manage all publicly-owned airports in Orange County, Florida
Orange County, Florida
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida and is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 1,145,956....
. GOAA renamed the airport as Orlando Executive Airport in 1982 and renamed it again to its present name of Executive Airport in 1998.
See also
- Florida World War II Army Airfields
- Army Air Force School of Applied TacticsArmy Air Force School of Applied TacticsThe Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics was a military training organization of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II...