Monorail driver rumor

[TerriBelle]

We rode in the front of the monorail this week and got the same story that has been reported here before. He told us that Disney had been planning to make a BIG transportation announcement but Disney stock fell so bad that they couldn't afford to start it now. The plan is to use some "old" airport as a new ticket and transportation center. This would have monorails to each of the parks and DTD. Then they would use people movers to bring people from the hotels to the transportation center. We were staying at the BCV so he explained that there may only be one station that would serve all the EPCOT resorts instead of a stop for each hotel.

Like I said nothing new just the same story.

 

[KNWVIKING]

Where is there an old airport on WDW property ?

 

[KidDurango]

The STOLport or Short Take-Off and Landing port is the long strip of concrete to the right hand across from the main car parking just before you get to the traffic light for Wilderness lodge. It is often used for special event and RV parking during peak periods.
Originally when the Magic Kingdom opened Eastern Airlines flew a few special flight on small planes into this airport. The thought was that this would someday become a regulaly scheduled service. However, the monorail beam to EPCOT made the runway unusable for airplanes due to its proximity to the end of the runway. In fact, when they brought Walt's Plane in for the Studios, they actually closed World Drive and landed it there instead of using the runway.

 

[TiggerFreak]

Wow Kid, that is some pretty esoteric trivia you dished up. How on earth did you know those little tidbits of Disney History?
Very impressive

 

[KNWVIKING]

I've always wondered what that ugly section was. The trailers they park back there make the area look very tacky,very un-Disney. If WDW did ever use that area as a new TnTC, then I'd be willing to bet the old TnTC would be razed and DVC Poly would be built.

 

[KidDurango]

Thank you very much. I grew up in the Orlando area and have always been a Disney nut. I'm told I was at the Magic Kingdom on October 3, 1971, though I don't remember it. I have also worked for many different divisions of the Company over the years. The landing of Walt's plane info comes from me standing on the roof of the Great Movie Ride watching it land.

 

[mrtoadslastride]

Wow I would love to see a picture of that!!!

I wasn't aware that the stip had been used. I had heard that it was something that Walt wanted in WDW and Roy had it installed, even thought he had no plans of using it.

Thanks for the trivia Kid!!!

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Originally posted by KidDurango
The landing of Walt's plane info comes from me standing on the roof of the Great Movie Ride watching it land.

Kid, I don't doubt what you are saying, but because I make my living as a pilot some questions spring to mind. First, what kind of airplane landed on WDW property? How long is this strip? Also, was Walt even alive when The Great Movie Ride was built? I will likely have follow up questions about the aviation end of this.

Thanx for the info!

 

[Miss Park Avenue]

Originally posted by KNWVIKING
I've always wondered what that ugly section was. The trailers they park back there make the area look very tacky,very un-Disney. If WDW did ever use that area as a new TnTC, then I'd be willing to bet the old TnTC would be razed and DVC Poly would be built.

How cool would that be! I love this rumour! Bout time a good one came on here! KMWVIKING, how I hope your prediction comes true!

Now if that stock would just go up.

 

[Werner Weiss]

Originally posted by Maistre Gracey
First, what kind of airplane landed on WDW property? How long is this strip? Also, was Walt even alive when The Great Movie Ride was built?

There's information about the former STOL airstrip at Walt Disney World at http://www.hiddenmickeys.org/WDW/Property/Secrets/Secrets.html (item 13).

The world lost Walt Disney over twenty years before The Great Movie Ride was built.

When you take the Backlot Tour at Disney-MGM Studio Theme Park, you see an old propeller airplane -- larger than a private plane and smaller than an airliner. The guide explains that Walt Disney flew over Central Florida in that plane in the 1960s -- as his company secretly acquired land for what is now Walt Disney World. So, yes, at some time around the opening of Disney-MGM, "Walt's plane" landed somewhere near Disney-MGM -- but not with Walt on it. I don't doubt that KidDurango saw it land from the roof of The Great Movie Ride. By that time, it was just a retired business aircraft of The Walt Disney Company.

 

[airlarry!]

Isn't Kid referring to the airplane that brought Walt's stuff for the display at WDW...the 'special' stuff from 'Walt's office' at DL?

I also remember an old story from the guidebooks that said that a private pilot once landed at the airport, and they made him disassemble his plane and cart it out...

 

[RoutemanDan]

Originally posted by airlarry!
Isn't Kid referring to the airplane that brought Walt's stuff for the display at WDW...the 'special' stuff from 'Walt's office' at DL?

No,not the way I read it.He is talking about the plane on display in the backlot tour.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Originally posted by Werner Weiss

The world lost Walt Disney over twenty years before The Great Movie Ride was built.

When you take the Backlot Tour at Disney-MGM Studio Theme Park, you see an old propeller airplane -- larger than a private plane and smaller than an airliner. The guide explains that Walt Disney flew over Central Florida in that plane in the 1960s -- as his company secretly acquired land for what is now Walt Disney World. So, yes, at some time around the opening of Disney-MGM, "Walt's plane" landed somewhere near Disney-MGM -- but not with Walt on it. I don't doubt that KidDurango saw it land from the roof of The Great Movie Ride. By that time, it was just a retired business aircraft of The Walt Disney Company.

Thanx, Werner. That clears up a lot. I was very confused, as I was aware of the year of Walt's passing vs. the year The Great Movie Ride was built.

 

[Lisa P.]

Is this the same landing strip where there was an emergency landing of a small craft a few years ago... mid- to late-90's? I recall a lot of discussion about it on the newsgroup, R.A.D.P.

 

[KidDurango]

Yes, I was talking about the "234 Mickey Mouse" that is currently on display on the backlot tour. It is a Turbo Prop, I want to say a GulfStream, but don't quote me on that. It landed on World Drive and then a crane lifted it up and over the berm and into the park. This was a couple years after the Studios opened, but before the Osceola Parkway was built. There were several marks visible on World Drive for several years just north of the 192 intersection that were used as approach and distance marks for the pilot. The plane itself was Walts while he was alive and was even outfitted with an extra set of guages (altimeter and such) next to the rear most seat where Walt liked to ride, so that he could see what was going on.
In reference to the plane that landed at WDW and had to be trucked off, that was in the mid-eighties. A pilot had some engine trouble and emergecy landed in the Epcot parking lot. He landed safely, but did damage several cars. Almost every manager available was standing in front of the park asking every family as they exited which lot they had parked in. If they were parked in the appropriate lot they were taken aside for more thorough questioning, and those that did have there vehicles damaged were informed before they reached their cars. Not sure what compensation was offered. Though I am sure the pilot's insurance took a pretty big hit that day.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Thanx, KidDurango. I remember the aircraft on the BL Tour, and if I remember correctly, it is a Gulfstream 1 (G-1). Thanx for the interesting post!

I never heard about the small plane landing at EPCOT parking lot, but if nobody was hurt, then kudos to the pilot! Damage can always be fixed.

 

[RoqueC]

It'd be a good idea, but we can't even be sure if its true yet. I'd sure like to see it happen...

 

[eclipseSD]

People movers?

*Sees visions of TRON*

 

[SeaDog]

Actually, the incident in the Epoct parking lot wasn't a landing but rather a crash... 3 fatalities... if memory serves me correctly it was a gentleman giving his family a view of the park and he ran out of gas... tried to land in the p-lot, clipped a light pole and that was it... pretty bad scene for sure...,


A few years after that one of the ultralights from an Epcot show crashed pretty hard... I believe the pilot was killed... I remember he tried to deploy an emergency chute on the aircraft and it didn't deploy...

There was an emergency landing of an old Stearman (sp?) bi plane that lunched a motor... one of those give a tourist a ride type planes... he developed some sort of a vibration and was going to try to make it back to Kissimme but when things started to go sour he set it down on the grass strip next to the monorail track within site of the small runway...

That is all...

 

[Jeanny]

if you read Kid's post, he never said Walt was on the plane, he said "when they brought Walt's plane"....