ORLANDO, Fla. — When flying to Orlando, most people use Orlando International Airport. But, as most astute travelers know, the airport’s International Air Transport Association (IATA) code is MCO, a nod to the airfield’s past.
What is today Orlando International Airport traces its history to McCoy Air Force Base, established in 1940.
Interestingly, the ORL code is used by Orlando Executive Airport. This general aviation airport is located a few miles east of downtown Orlando and less than 10 miles north of the city’s international airport.
For anyone interested in checking out Orlando Executive Airport, but who isn’t taking a corporate jet or flying a personal aircraft, should visit Colonel Joe Kittinger Park.
This 5.5-acre park was first created in 1992, but eliminated as part of an expansion of Florida State Road 408. An upgraded park was opened in March 2011 during a ceremony that honored the park’s namesake.Kittinger, an Air Force officer and fighter pilot during Vietnam, was the first man to travel at the speed of sound without a plane or spacecraft.
“I hope that future pilots and astronauts find inspiration in soaring to the heavens by having fun at this park,” Kittinger said in a March 2011 news release.
The park offers great views of arriving and departing aircraft, and a pavilion features a built in radio scanner, allowing guests to listen to the tower’s communications with pilots. The park’s playground equipment makes it a great stop for children.
When not gazing upon aircraft landing or taking off, the park overlooks Lake Underhill and offers nice views of the wildlife that call the lake home.
Future plans call for an F-4 Phantom jet, the same type of aircraft that Kittinger piloted during the Vietnam War, to be displayed in the park.
Colonel Joe Kittinger Park is located at 305 South Crystal Lake Drive in Orlando.
Beyond the Theme Parks is an ongoing series about sights to see in Central Florida, excluding the world-famous theme parks that call the Orlando area home.
