HISTORY OF AIRLINE SERVICE AT OCALA, FLORIDA
Ocala, Florida, located between Orlando and Gainesville, had scheduled airline service for longer than four decades. Here's a look back at the development of commercial aviation in this central Florida city.
Orlando Airlines was Ocala's first airline and began service in April 1945 using "3-passenger aircraft".
Orlando Airlines became Florida Airways in April 1946 and the light aircraft were replaced with new Beechcraft D-18s. Ocala was an intermediate stop along Orlando - Tallahassee and Orlando - Jacksonville routes.
Florida Airways' July 25, 1947 timetable shows 8 daily arrivals and departures at Ocala. From the collection of Björn Larsson.
Florida Airways was shut down by the Civil Aeronautics Board in 1949, temporarily leaving Ocala without air service. Eastern Air Lines was awarded a temporary certificate to take over the Orlando - Jacksonville and Orlando - Tallahassee routes and flights began on April 30, 1950. Permanent authorization to serve Ocala was granted in August 1950. This is an excerpt from Eastern's 1950 annual report.
Local officials and the Eastern Air Lines crew pose in front of a Douglas DC-3 for the inauguration of major airline service at Ocala on April 30, 1950.
A postcard view an Eastern Air Lines DC-3, the aircraft type initially flown at Ocala in 1950.
Eastern retired their last DC-3s in 1953, replacing them with brand new Martin 404s on the Ocala flights.
This detail from Eastern's July 1, 1954 timetable shows Ocala as one of several stops between Atlanta and Tampa / St. Petersburg. Two flights a day were operated in each direction using Martin 404s.
In anticipation of the coming "jet age", a new airport featuring a single runway and modern facilities was built west of town. This photo from August 1960 shows the newly paved runway, taxiways and ramps but no buildings. While the new runway was free of the obstructions that limited operations at the old airport, at 5,000 feet, it was still too short to safely accommodate jet airliners.
A March 1961 view of Ocala's modern new terminal under construction.
The completed terminal in 1962.
Ocala's new Jim Taylor Airport was formally dedicated February 18, 1962 although flights began several months earlier. The airport was named in honor of the late James J. Taylor who had allowed the city to use 167 acres of his land for the original airport. Mr. Taylor eventually donated 60 of those acres to the city.
Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based South Central Airlines moved their headquarters to Ocala in November 1963 and began service to points across Florida using Beech 18s. Photo courtesy of David H. Stringer.
This South Central Airlines timetable effective November 4, 1963 shows 15 daily departures from Ocala with nonstop and direct service to 20 cities across Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. The service was short-lived and the airline shut down on July 1, 1964. From the collection of Björn Larsson.
Eastern Convair 440 N9312 at Ocala in late 1964, painted in an early version of the "hockey stick" color scheme. By this time, service had been reduced to a single flight in each direction along a Miami - Vero Beach - Ocala - Gainesville - Jacksonville route and boardings had fallen to an average of one passenger per flight! Photo from the collection of Michael Anthony Sparkman.
With the deterioration of Eastern's service, the Marion County Chamber of Commerce began courting several air-taxi companies to bring higher frequency flights and improved connections with major airlines. Florida Air Taxi inaugurated Ocala flights on October 4, 1966 with service to Tampa and Gainesville. The airline became Florida Air Lines in 1967.
Shawnee Airlines was the next commuter airline to come to Ocala and flights began on March 24, 1969.
All Shawnee flights at Ocala were operated with Beech 99s.
Florida Air Lines introduced new 9-passenger Cessna 402s on Ocala flights on September 9, 1969. Embarrassingly, the only passenger on the inaugural flight was the airline's chairman of the board Lee Hill. At the brief inauguration ceremony Mr. Hill told the press that the company had recently purchased a DC-3 that was available for Ocala flights: "Again, all we need is the passengers and freight."
Florida Air Lines route map from August 10, 1969 showing Ocala as a stop on a Tampa - Jacksonville route.
A detail from the same August 10, 1969 timetable shows 3 daily arrivals.
Eastern Air Lines repeatedly petitioned to drop its unprofitable Ocala service throughout the late 1960s but was forced to continue by the Civil Aeronautics Board. When Eastern retired their Convair 440s in April 1969, they had no choice but to bring their large, 4-engine, 82-passenger Lockheed Electra L-188 turboprops to the city. While a big money loser for the airline, it was a welcome change for local travelers who appreciated the reduced flight times and spacious first class / coach cabin configuration. Eastern ended Ocala service on April 25, 1971, the same day that they introduced pure jet DC-9 service at Gainesville. Photo by Bob Garrard.
From 1969 to 1971 Ocala was served by three airlines simultaneously. The July 1, 1970 Official Airline Guide shows an average of 8 arrivals each day.
Shawnee's October 10, 1970 timetable shows 7 Ocala arrivals each weekday. The airline had high hopes for the direct service to Atlanta which offered connections to points across the country but quickly found that the B-99s could not compete with Eastern's flights on the Gainesville - Atlanta segment. Shawnee left Ocala in August 1971.
The departure of Eastern and Shawnee in 1971 left Florida Air Lines as the sole air carrier at Taylor Airport for the next 5 years. This advertisement from 1974 highlights "new improved DC-3 service".
DC-3s became the primary aircraft type on Ocala flights in the mid 1970s.
Florida Air Lines' timetable effective July 1, 1974 shows 11 flights a day at Ocala. Despite the increased schedules, improved connections and larger aircraft, an average of only 7 passengers a day were boarded at Taylor Airport in 1975. Florida Air Lines dropped Ocala on June 18, 1976, leaving the city with no commercial airline service.
Gainesville-based CharterAir began flying to Ocala on June 15, 1977 using 8-passenger twin Cessnas. Wary of the lack of demand that doomed previous airlines, CharterAir tentatively started service on a trial basis with a single weekday flight in each direction along a Tampa -Ocala - Gainesville run. Unsurprisingly, traffic was nearly non-existent and the airline pulled out in November after boarding a little more than 110 passengers in 5 months.
After a 17-month gap, air service returned to Ocala when Chautauqua Airlines, operating as Allegheny Commuter, began flights on February 22, 1979. Unlike previous commuter carriers at Ocala, Chautauqua operated with the full support of a major airline. These high-frequency flights were scheduled to connect with Allegheny Airlines (which became USAir) at Orlando. Allegheny provided reservations, through-ticketing, advertising and connecting discount fares.
Chautauqua operated a trio of Beech 99s for their Florida service. N99TH, nicknamed "Turkey" by airline employees, made the inaugural Ocala flight.
N99TH leaves Ocala for the maiden voyage to Orlando.
Allegheny Commuter route map showing Chautauqua routes between Ocala, Orlando and Vero Beach.
Although the Allegheny Commuter service generated record boardings at Ocala, the average number of passengers per flight was only 4. This photo was taken by Todd Scher, who wrote, "N99GH (aka the Goose) at Ocala / Silver Springs airport. As can be seen by the outbound baggage, OCF - MCO was not a hugely popular route."
Taking inspiration from the Allegheny Commuter system, Air Florida assembled their own network of affiliated carriers - Air Florida Commuter. Skyway of Ocala was contracted to operate flights between Ocala, Gainesville and Tampa and later expanded to include nonstop flights between Ocala, Miami and Orlando. Service began on October 15, 1981 using 8-passenger Piper Chieftains. Beech 99s were soon added to the fleet. Skyway's Beechcraft 99 N66446 "City of Ocala" is shown in full Air Florida Commuter colors in 1984. Photo courtesy of John Young.
Air Florida route map from April 15, 1983 showing flights between Ocala, Gainesville, Orlando and Tampa, all operated by Skyway of Ocala.
Financially struggling Air Florida dismantled their commuter network in spring of 1984 and Skyway began flying under their own name on June 1, 1984. The airline left Ocala in early 1985 and went out of business in October of that year.
Following the demise of Skyway, Allegheny Commuter was once again Ocala's sole airline. Unfortunately, traffic steadily declined through the 1980s and by 1986 service had been reduced to 2 roundtrips to Orlando each weekday with an average of 2 passengers boarding each flight. In May 1987 the airline announced that it was discontinuing service to the city and the final flight departed on June 30, bringing an end to more than 4 decades of scheduled air service at Ocala.
Beech 99 N99GH (aka The Goose) is pictured at Ocala in December 1986. From the Gary Orlando collection.
Beech 99 N99GH (aka The Goose) is pictured at Ocala in December 1986. From the Gary Orlando collection.
Following the loss of scheduled airline service in 1987, Ocala immediately began an airport upgrade that included the extension of runway 18/36 from 5,000 feet to 6,900 feet and the addition of an automated weather observing system. These projects, completed in 1989, allowed the airport to accommodate large jet aircraft and were intended to attract new airline service and corporate jets to the airport. While scheduled flights never returned, charter flights with commercial jets became routine. In the 2000s a new control tower was built and the runway was extended to more than 7,400 feet, allowing all but the largest jets to use the airport.
Chartered Delta 757s regularly carried visiting teams playing against the University of Florida. N648DL is pictured with Ocala's new control tower. Credit: Ocala Airport Facebook page.
Chartered Delta 757s regularly carried visiting teams playing against the University of Florida. N648DL is pictured with Ocala's new control tower. Credit: Ocala Airport Facebook page.
John Travolta's classic 707, which was based at the nearby Jumbolair Airport, is seen departing runway 36. Credit: Ocala Airport Facebook page.
Kalitta Charters II vintage 727s were a common sight at Ocala in the 2010s and were used on equine transport flights. Credit: Ocala Airport Facebook page.
The original airport terminal, with its mid-century "Jetsons" roofline, survived 56 years before being demolished in late 2018. It's pictured here in 2012 with a crowd awaiting an Honor Flight of WWII veterans returning from Washington, DC. Credit: Ocala Airport Facebook page.
It has been nearly four decades since Ocala had regularly scheduled airline service. While intrastate commuter flights probably wouldn't be feasible, it's not difficult to imagine a low cost carrier like Breeze serving the city with flights to the northeast, similar to their service in Vero Beach. Any new developments will be posted here!
If you would like to contribute any photos or information about Ocala, please CONTACT ME. Your fellow readers and aviation enthusiasts will thank you!
If you would like to contribute any photos or information about Ocala, please CONTACT ME. Your fellow readers and aviation enthusiasts will thank you!