An often forgotten piece of original Walt Disney World property, the Lake Buena Vista STOLport (Short Take-Off and Landing airport) was a privately owned airstrip located east of the Walt Disney World Speedway and south of the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake. Sometimes referred to as the Walt Disney World Airport, it was built in 1971 to connect guests and employees to the resort via commuter flights from Tampa, Orlando Jetport at McCoy (now Orlando International Airport), and other Florida cities.
The STOLport featured:
- A 2,000-foot runway suitable for STOL-capable aircraft like the de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter
- No hangars and ramp space for only four planes at a time
- Scheduled service by Shawnee Airlines and Executive Airlines, which ended on December 28, 1972
Though passenger service was short-lived, the runway remained intact into the 1980s. Its closure was hastened by the installation of monorail beams, which made continued aviation use impractical.
One of the STOLport’s most whimsical features was a set of grooved strips embedded in the runway. When driven over at approximately 45 mph, the grooves played “When You Wish Upon a Star”—a magical surprise for Disney bus drivers during training sessions. These musical grooves were removed in 2008, but the concept inspired similar “musical roads” around the world.
Following the September 11 attacks, Disney was granted a permanent no-fly zone over its Florida and California parks, designated TFR 9/4985 by the FAA. This restriction gives Cinderella Castle the same airspace protections as the White House, preventing any future aviation use of the STOLport.
Though no longer active, the runway and apron still exist and are visible from World Drive and Vista Boulevard. Today, the area is used for storage, construction staging, and backstage operations. It remains one of the few original pieces of Walt Disney World infrastructure still physically present, albeit in a very different role
