Walt Disney World has a runway - who knew?
- Thread starter flhrci
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denverpilot
Tied Down
Yeah, right under their bought and paid for permanent TFR.
steingar
Taxi to Parking
Pity you can't just fly in there with the TFR n' all. Didn't even see any X's on the runway.
denverpilot
Tied Down
Have you noticed how youtube has changed. Its never the same list anymore. And they start up without you wanting them to. Where did THAT come from?
And they call this behavior "smart".
And they call this behavior "smart".
denverpilot
Tied Down
Smart for them. They'll claim you watched six more ads to their customers while you were really away from the computer taking a leak.
SkyHog
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Everything Offends Me
It is news to me, and I have been there a bunch of times. Crazy.
MAKG1
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MAKG
More amazingly, it's a STOLport.
Can you imagine the runway overruns if that thing were actually used? It seems few 172 drivers can reliably stop in under 3000 feet these days….
I'm sure the Mouse makes much more money on exorbitant parking fees than it ever would have with a STOLport.
Can you imagine the runway overruns if that thing were actually used? It seems few 172 drivers can reliably stop in under 3000 feet these days….
I'm sure the Mouse makes much more money on exorbitant parking fees than it ever would have with a STOLport.
lziegenhals
Pre-Flight
That's fascinating; I had no idea.
I just checked, and Paul Freeman has an entry for it on his Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields site. According to it, there was a short period when Shawnee Airlines actually had commercial service to the field.
I just checked, and Paul Freeman has an entry for it on his Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields site. According to it, there was a short period when Shawnee Airlines actually had commercial service to the field.
FloridaPilot
Pattern Altitude
FloridaPilot
Pattern Altitude
That would be cool to fly into Disney with the family. That beats going in and out of Orlando during rush hour!
dweyant
Pre-takeoff checklist
Kissimmee is the better choice for Disney, and Susie Kissimmee Jet center. Great service, and very low fees. We stayed with them for a week when we did Disney last spring.
-Dan
EminiTrader
Cleared for Takeoff
KISM for sure! I've always been happy with Signature at the base of the tower. Great people.
ahkahn
Line Up and Wait
We did KGIF, Winter Haven. Very nice airport with an onsite Enterprise. About the same distance to Disney from KISM, and much nicer fuel prices.
I have landed there back in the very early 80's.....
They closed it mainly because it was pointed straight at the Magic Kingdom and a departing plane would crash into Cindarella's Castle......
The airport was very active during construction of the mouse house in the 70's.. Mostly for Walt and the contractors building it...
Kritchlow
Final Approach
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It was never a public airport. I guess you had special permission?? I'm thinking of the orientation... I could be wrong but not sure how it lines it with Cinderella (not Cinderella's) castle. Again, I may be off in that.
I/WE had special permission and I even have a pic or 2 of me and N5416M sitting on the runway.....
Use Google Earth... Departing 34 leads you straight over the Magic Kingdom...
Kritchlow
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I do believe you... I also know there was some commercial traffic there. I figured you would need special permission, which apparently you did have.
Very nice!!
Everskyward
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That was interesting although I almost didn't get past the introduction and the guy's delivery...
Fact is......
The TFR never existed till EPCOT was finished and they started the Laser light show from the center lake.... Up until then we always did the "mouse house tour" using MCO approach for FF.. Then we had to miss the Laser show times ( 9PM) I think...
...At about the same time Sea World and Universal Studios were the new players in the Orlando market and were eating into Disney's gravy... Then the banner planes started to overfly the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT advertising Universal and Sea World...
That is when Disney pulled their politicians connections and got a perm TFR.. Day and night...
..And a few more fun facts about just how screwd Disney really is.
When they started Disney world they got the Florida Legislature to give them special rights to create their OWN community, police force and most importantly , Their OWN taxing authority so they could assess their property values and tax themselves... It is called the "Reedy Creek Improvement District" entity..
What a perfect scam on the rest of Florida taxpayers...
..Also.. Back then just about every small business have a 1-800 number for customers to call and order stuff..... Not cheap assed Disney...
If you watch all the commercials on TV you will see they advertise all their entertainment stuff and at the end of the commercial it says.... For reservations call 1-407-Disney..... Those cheap bastards actually get people convinced to pay their own long distance charges...
Kritchlow
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Maybe you're saying the same thing, but I always thought the TFR was a post (and because of) 9/11 thing.Fact is......
The TFR never existed till EPCOT was finished and they started the Laser light show from the center lake.... Up until then we always did the "mouse house tour" using MCO approach for FF.. Then we had to miss the Laser show times ( 9PM) I think...
At about the same time Sea World and Universal Studios were the new players in the Orlando market and were eating into Disney's gravy... Then the banner planes started to overfly the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT advertising Universal and Sea World...
That is when Disney pulled their politicians connections and got a perm TFR.. Day and night...
And a few more fun facts about just how screwd Disney really is.
When they started Disney world they got the Florida Legislature to give them special rights to create their OWN community, police force and most importantly , Their OWN taxing authority so they could assess their property values and tax themselves... It is called the "Reedy Creek Improvement District" entity..
What a perfect scam on the rest of Florida taxpayers...
Also.. Back then just about every small business have a 1-800 number for customers to call and order stuff..... Not cheap assed Disney...
If you watch all the commercials on TV you will see they advertise all their entertainment stuff and at the end of the commercial it says.... For reservations call 1-407-Disney..... Those cheap bastards actually get people convinced to pay their own long distance charges...
Either way, if you have business with Orlando approach or Kissimmee tower, you are cleared through it. It's just the loitering and sightseeing that has ended.
....Which is GOOD..especially for the tourists in the parks.
I'm no Disney defender, but:
1--The last time I looked, the Disney TFR was rather small in radius and short in height. It might stop the tow planes from making their banners legible from the ground, but it doesn't seem to stop the sky writers.
2--I really don't see a big problem with the RCID. I'm sure that Florida in general and Orlando in particular would be much better off if Disney wasn't even there (riiiiight!)
3--Disney does have toll-free numbers, but who pays long distance charges now anyway? The cost of toll-free calls to any business is and always has been paid by the same people: the customers. Disney draws many international travelers, for whom the toll-free numbers are useless, and I would guess that many domestic travelers never book their trip through Disney anyway.
Disney has generated a lot of dirty laundry, especially in recent years, but one thing I'll give them is that they know their audience and run the parks very well considering the size and volume of visitors. And yes, I know that they staff the operation largely with college slave labor, but most of those "slaves" compete like crazy to be there.
I've enjoyed visiting the Disney parks with my kids, but am constantly fearful that they're going to get a wee bit too greedy (or overtly politically correct) and screw it all up. The Starbucks that replaced the Disney bakery on "Main Street" in the Magic Kingdom the last time I was there is one example of something which is not a good sign.
JKG
1--The last time I looked, the Disney TFR was rather small in radius and short in height. It might stop the tow planes from making their banners legible from the ground, but it doesn't seem to stop the sky writers.
2--I really don't see a big problem with the RCID. I'm sure that Florida in general and Orlando in particular would be much better off if Disney wasn't even there (riiiiight!)
3--Disney does have toll-free numbers, but who pays long distance charges now anyway? The cost of toll-free calls to any business is and always has been paid by the same people: the customers. Disney draws many international travelers, for whom the toll-free numbers are useless, and I would guess that many domestic travelers never book their trip through Disney anyway.
Disney has generated a lot of dirty laundry, especially in recent years, but one thing I'll give them is that they know their audience and run the parks very well considering the size and volume of visitors. And yes, I know that they staff the operation largely with college slave labor, but most of those "slaves" compete like crazy to be there.
I've enjoyed visiting the Disney parks with my kids, but am constantly fearful that they're going to get a wee bit too greedy (or overtly politically correct) and screw it all up. The Starbucks that replaced the Disney bakery on "Main Street" in the Magic Kingdom the last time I was there is one example of something which is not a good sign.
JKG
I'm no Disney defender, but:
1--The last time I looked, the Disney TFR was rather small in radius and short in height. It might stop the tow planes from making their banners legible from the ground, but it doesn't seem to stop the sky writers.
2--I really don't see a big problem with the RCID. I'm sure that Florida in general and Orlando in particular would be much better off if Disney wasn't even there (riiiiight!)
3--Disney does have toll-free numbers, but who pays long distance charges now anyway? The cost of toll-free calls to any business is and always has been paid by the same people: the customers. Disney draws many international travelers, for whom the toll-free numbers are useless, and I would guess that many domestic travelers never book their trip through Disney anyway.
Disney has generated a lot of dirty laundry, especially in recent years, but one thing I'll give them is that they know their audience and run the parks very well considering the size and volume of visitors. And yes, I know that they staff the operation largely with college slave labor, but most of those "slaves" compete like crazy to be there.
I've enjoyed visiting the Disney parks with my kids, but am constantly fearful that they're going to get a wee bit too greedy (or overtly politically correct) and screw it all up. The Starbucks that replaced the Disney bakery on "Main Street" in the Magic Kingdom the last time I was there is one example of something which is not a good sign.
JKG
Another fun fact......
Back when I lived in Apopka Fla ( suburb of Orlando) alot of my neighbors worked at the mouse house.... To present their operation as a clean cut theme park Disney had VERY conservative dress and grooming codes...Girls had to conform to strict jewelry regs like no bracelets , just one ring on each hand, conservative hair styles, proper dress, etc etc...
Guys had similar regulations, ie, no visible tattoos, short hair cuts, conservative clothing and a biggie.... NO facial hair,,, Beards , long sideburns and absolutely NO mustaches...
..Hmmm..
Guess what,, to conform to those dress codes .. Poor Walt Disney himself could not be employed at Walt Disney World because he had a mustache....And had one for years...
Kinda Ironic, ain't it...
mscard88
Touchdown! Greaser!
Guess what,, to conform to those dress codes .. Poor Walt Disney himself could not be employed at Walt Disney World because he had a mustache....And had one for years...
Kinda Ironic, ain't it...
Not really, he owned it! There's also an oval racetrack there, or used to be, that the Indy cars raced on about 20 years ago maybe?
The racetrack was built to attract racing fans and their families... It was not real successful at the beginning , but picked up momentum... Then two things happened... ABC Network was added into the Disney corp and they had a very serious Indy car crash which, IIRC paralyzed the driver... It was then the PR guys/gals at Disney decided that image is not what Disney wanted to portray so they minimized it's marketing.
Over the last 10 years or so they have started to ramp up it's use again and I think NASCAR has a racing date there with one of it's little league series.... Kool little track...... Also Richard Petty or Rusty Wallace, I can't remember which, had a " drivers experience" attraction there and that helps pay the bills on track maintenance..... But... Just recently there was a fatality and it will be interesting to see how Disney addresses that death..
Another fun fact......
Back when I lived in Apopka Fla ( suburb of Orlando) alot of my neighbors worked at the mouse house.... To present their operation as a clean cut theme park Disney had VERY conservative dress and grooming codes...Girls had to conform to strict jewelry regs like no bracelets , just one ring on each hand, conservative hair styles, proper dress, etc etc...
Guys had similar regulations, ie, no visible tattoos, short hair cuts, conservative clothing and a biggie.... NO facial hair,,, Beards , long sideburns and absolutely NO mustaches...
Hmmm..
Guess what,, to conform to those dress codes .. Poor Walt Disney himself could not be employed at Walt Disney World because he had a mustache....And had one for years...
Kinda Ironic, ain't it...
Not really. The dress code was and is there for a good reason, but they've relaxed it quite a bit for many workers; in my opinion, perhaps a bit too much. Some of the public-facing "cast members" have become sloppy looking since the relaxed dress code went into effect. I'm sorry, but I don't want to pay thousands to visit a park with my kids to see an employee with visible tattoos, a million body piercings, and/or ungroomed facial hair. There's enough of that in the real world, and the goal for the parks is to provide an idealistic "escape" from the real world. That's why the Starbucks on Main Street isn't a good sign.
JKG
Dennis McKim
Line Up and Wait
I doubt that Walt used it very much in the 70s. :wink2:
I don't remember the exact date he died, but.. The original idea was to make it available when he was alive and wanted to oversee the construction...
FloridaPilot
Pattern Altitude
Fact is......
The TFR never existed till EPCOT was finished and they started the Laser light show from the center lake.... Up until then we always did the "mouse house tour" using MCO approach for FF.. Then we had to miss the Laser show times ( 9PM) I think...
At about the same time Sea World and Universal Studios were the new players in the Orlando market and were eating into Disney's gravy... Then the banner planes started to overfly the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT advertising Universal and Sea World...
That is when Disney pulled their politicians connections and got a perm TFR.. Day and night...
And a few more fun facts about just how screwd Disney really is.
When they started Disney world they got the Florida Legislature to give them special rights to create their OWN community, police force and most importantly , Their OWN taxing authority so they could assess their property values and tax themselves... It is called the "Reedy Creek Improvement District" entity..
What a perfect scam on the rest of Florida taxpayers...
Also.. Back then just about every small business have a 1-800 number for customers to call and order stuff..... Not cheap assed Disney...
If you watch all the commercials on TV you will see they advertise all their entertainment stuff and at the end of the commercial it says.... For reservations call 1-407-Disney..... Those cheap bastards actually get people convinced to pay their own long distance charges...
I guess you don't stay in business for over 44 years without the tax payers paying SOMETHING!!
gms5002
Pre-Flight
Does anyone know how long the runaway is? Curious to know what qualifies as a "STOLport"
V1-Vr-V2
Pre-Flight
Wow, we own a Disney Vacation property less than a mile away that was go to a couple of times each year - having an airport that close, now THAT would have been convenient! 
I've noticed that parking lot from the monorail several times but never gave a second thought to it. The more you know...
They "addressed" it by closing then razing the track. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...y/os-disney-richard-petty-20150211-story.html When we were there last month it was basically an empty lot / construction site.
I've noticed that parking lot from the monorail several times but never gave a second thought to it. The more you know...But... Just recently there was a fatality and it will be interesting to see how Disney addresses that death..
They "addressed" it by closing then razing the track.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...y/os-disney-richard-petty-20150211-story.html When we were there last month it was basically an empty lot / construction site.
ollopa
Line Up and Wait
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ollopa