Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2019 2:08:27 GMT -5
Some days ago I went through lists of abandoned and closed airports, as some could be reactivated for classic era. One of them is Dorado Airport or Dorado Beach Airport at Puerto Rico. Here what I found about this former airfield:
A woman named Clara Livingston (1900–1992) was the 200th licensed female pilot and 11th female helicopter pilot in the world. Clara made her first airplane trip in 1927. At the age of 25, her father, Alfred Livingston, died and she managed his grapfruit plantation in Dorado, Puerto Rico, for the next two decades. She built her own landing strip, known as Dorado Airport, on this 1,700 acres property. In 1937, Amelia Earhart, who was a friend of Clara's, made a stop during her last flight at the Isla Grande airport and stayed overnight at Clara's. Her home is well recognized in a community known as Dorado Beach for being a historical house which she rebuilt in 1928.
During the 1940s Clara enlisted in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) to help the war effort. She was making flights for the US Army Air Corps, mostly ferry flights. She allowed the Air Corps to build an airstrip at her property in Dorado. where she opened up a flight school. Much later on, Caribair began flights there. When this airline became part of Eastern, flights to Dorado Airport were suspended.
By mid 1960s, Dorado was served by Dorado Wings, a small airline that operated charter flights between Dorado Airport and Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan. The airline operated propeller airplanes. Dorado Airport was closed sometime shortly after 1982, and curiously the runway is still included as "XX02" in default FS9.
A woman named Clara Livingston (1900–1992) was the 200th licensed female pilot and 11th female helicopter pilot in the world. Clara made her first airplane trip in 1927. At the age of 25, her father, Alfred Livingston, died and she managed his grapfruit plantation in Dorado, Puerto Rico, for the next two decades. She built her own landing strip, known as Dorado Airport, on this 1,700 acres property. In 1937, Amelia Earhart, who was a friend of Clara's, made a stop during her last flight at the Isla Grande airport and stayed overnight at Clara's. Her home is well recognized in a community known as Dorado Beach for being a historical house which she rebuilt in 1928.
During the 1940s Clara enlisted in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) to help the war effort. She was making flights for the US Army Air Corps, mostly ferry flights. She allowed the Air Corps to build an airstrip at her property in Dorado. where she opened up a flight school. Much later on, Caribair began flights there. When this airline became part of Eastern, flights to Dorado Airport were suspended.
By mid 1960s, Dorado was served by Dorado Wings, a small airline that operated charter flights between Dorado Airport and Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan. The airline operated propeller airplanes. Dorado Airport was closed sometime shortly after 1982, and curiously the runway is still included as "XX02" in default FS9.
