It would be unthinkable that Schiphol would now present plans to open an additional airport in the middle of the Veluwe. In America, especially in the 1960s, they were slightly less critical of nature reserves. There is a huge patch of asphalt in the swampy Everglades National Park, which should actually have been much larger. In fact, it should have been part of the largest airport in the world.
If you look at the map where the Everglades Jetport should have been located, you don't understand what they were thinking at the time. Until you read the name carefully again: Jetport. In the 1960s, the Concorde was preparing for its first flight and Boeing was also busy working on a supersonic aircraft. The middle of nowhere was perfect for the noise pollution. Moreover, the airport was relatively close to the sea and the sonic boom would take place over the ocean.
Almost four times as big as Schiphol
Dade County Port Authority purchased more than 10,000 acres of land for the largest airport in the world. Schiphol's terrain is 2,787 hectares, for comparison. There would be six runways and you could go to the Gulf of Mexico or to Miami via a monorail. Of course, the location did not matter at all for transfers.
Only after construction had already started in 1968 did people start to wonder whether it was such a good idea to plow up a nature park. A year later, a study was published showing how bad a huge airport is for a nature park. Gosh. With only one runway completed, the project was scrapped and the dream fell apart. That 3.2 kilometer track is still there today.
The supersonic era never really came
In the end, maybe it was a good thing. The supersonic era never really got off the ground. Boeing canceled the supersonic 2707 before it was ready and a large portion of Concorde reservations were cancelled. By the way, NASA is now again conducting research into a passenger plane that is twice as fast as the Concorde.
The asphalt that was laid was not in vain. Today you will find the Dade-Collier Airport in the Everglades. There is only an office building where according to CNN about four people work. Trainings are given at the airport and you can land there with your private jet. Unfortunately, Transavia does not fly there.
This article is still somewhat about cars
The 3.2 kilometer stretch of asphalt is of course also ideal for drag races. Every now and then, car events are (or were, we couldn't find anything recently) organized on the runway. Drivers with enough courage can reach a top speed of 400 km/h. You can see the video of the Top Gun event below.
If you are curious, you should take route 41 from Miami. As soon as you leave the last part of society behind you, it is another hour of straight, non-stop driving. Typically a place where you can save some travel time yourself, but we obviously advise against doing that. For example, there are tours of the Everglades that gather there.
#interesting #story #enormous #piece #asphalt #middle #swamp
