World's Largest Airport Located in Florida Closed and Abandoned Due to Too Many Alligators

Photo byGabriel SotoonUnsplash

The Everglades Jetport, also known as the Big Cypress Jetport or Big Cypress Swamp Jetport, was founded in 1968 with the goal of becoming the world's largest airport. World's Largest Airport in Florida Closed and Abandoned Because of Too Many Alligators

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.

Abandoned

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.

View of the runwayPhoto byDade-Collier Training and Transition Airport/Wikipedia

Big Cypress National Preserve

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.

Big Cypress National PreservePhoto byBig Cypress National Preserve/Wikipedia

Sources:

• https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/dadecollier-training-and-transition-airport
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dade-Collier_Training_and_Transition_Airport#Facilities_and_aircraft
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Cypress_National_Preserve