The Everglades Jetport, also known as the Big Cypress Jetport or Big Cypress Swamp Jetport, was founded in 1968 to become the world's largest airport.
Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport is located in the Florida Everglades. Miami-Dade County owns it and operates it through the Miami-Dade Aviation Department. The airport is located on the border of Dade and Collier counties in central South Florida on the Tamiami Trail.
Covering an area of 39 square miles and featuring six runways, its purpose was to establish a connection between metropolitan Miami and the Gulf of Mexico via an expressway and monorail line.
When the Boeing 2707 was being developed and supersonic flight was expected to become commonplace, South Florida was suggested as the best site for an intercontinental SST hub because these planes needed to cross water.
Construction at the site was suspended in 1970 due to environmental concerns and the demise of the 2707 program, leaving only one 10,500' runway built. The unused land was later repurposed and is now known as the Big Cypress National Reserve.
The preserve has a high level of biological diversity, with a predominance of wet cypress forests. Although only a few gigantic cypresses remain, dwarf pond cypresses cover almost one-third of the swamp.
The park is teeming with wildlife, with the most visible and commonly spotted inhabitants being American alligators, which can grow to be 12 feet long.
This vibrant ecosystem is home to a diverse range of flora and animals, including mangroves, orchids, alligators, crocodiles, and a variety of bird species. River otters, deer, bobcats, coyotes, black bears, and cougars are among its residents. The preserve also provides habitat for federally listed endangered species such as the eastern indigo snake and the Florida sandhill crane.
Training airport
The airport was left unfinished and abandoned, but the local authorities kept it for use as a general aviation and training airfield.
Dade-Collier Airport was formerly used by Pan Am and Eastern Airlines as a vital training base. Large aircraft such as Boeing 747s could land on its extended runway, and its state-of-the-art instrument landing system allowed pilot training in inclement weather.
Because of its seclusion, the airport was able to conduct round-the-clock training without interfering with Miami International traffic. Dade-Collier's use has decreased, nevertheless, as the popularity of flight simulators has made training flights less economical. Despite being less used now, general aviation is still able to use the airport.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Most Popular
Comments / 0