Epcot Center Ultralight Flightpark
Epcot Center Ultralight Flightpark | |||||||||||
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 Epcot Center Ultralight Flightpark November 1999 | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Private | ||||||||||
| Owner | Walt Disney World Company | ||||||||||
| Serves | Lake Buena Vista, Florida | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 102 ft / 31 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 28°21′11″N 081°32′49″W / 28.35306°N 81.54694°W | ||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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Epcot Center Ultralight Flightpark (FAA LID: 44FD) was a private-use ultralight airport located in Osceola County, 13 nautical miles (24 km) northwest of the central business district of Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States.
History
[edit]It was privately owned by the Walt Disney World Company,[1] and was used to launch aircraft used in the "Skyleidoscope" (1985–1987) and "Surprise in the Skies" (1991–1992) shows at the Epcot theme park.[2][3]
Although still listed active in FAA records as recently as September 2010,[1] the facility closed for theme park use in 1992, when "Surprise in the Skies" ended. The land sat unused for nearly 10 years, when it was cleared for the second phase of Disney's Pop Century Resort, named the Legendary Years. Construction on the hotel was stopped after the September 11 attacks caused tourism to drop off, but development later resumed and the land of the former airfield is now the site of Disney's Art of Animation Resort, which opened in May 2012.
Incidents
[edit]On August 1, 1987, a 27-year-old male cast member from Winter Garden was killed when the ultralight aircraft he was flying crashed during a show rehearsal. The pilot was practicing for Epcot's "Skyleidoscope" show at an altitude of 500–1000 feet when the ultralight suffered catastrophic structural failure, nosediving into the ground about 150 yards from the flightpark and 1.5 miles from Epcot.[4]
Facilities and aircraft
[edit]Epcot Center Ultralight Flightpark had one circular runway designated "ALL/WAY" with a 424 × 424 ft (129 × 129 m) turf surface. There were 20 aircraft based at this airport: 50% single-engine and 50% ultralight.[1]
See also
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References
[edit]- ^ a b c d FAA Airport Form 5010 for 44FD PDF, effective 2008-04-10
- ^ "Skyleidoscope - Epcot Archives". allears.net. Archived from the original on 2007-02-09.
- ^ "Surprise in the Skies - Epcot Daytime Spectacular 1991". allears.net. Archived from the original on 2007-02-09.
- ^ Gandhi, Prakash (August 4, 1987). "Investigators: Wing Connector Broke Before Fatal Plane Crash". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
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