SO FLY
Disney World has a secret airport – and the runway played Pinocchio’s ‘When you wish upon a star’ when planes drove over it
DISNEY WORLD is so large it even has its own airport - that sings.
Walt Disney World Airport, which is also known as Lake Buena Vista Airport and Lake Buena Vista STOLport, operated until the 1980s, but it hasn't been used for commercial flights ever since.
According to , the small airfield and runway were built in 1971 to fly in Disney World guests and employees from Orlando International Airport, MCO) and Tampa International Airport (TPA), on a journey that lasted just a few minutes.
The short commute time was a big perk for guests able to afford the ticket price, but the best thing about landing at Lake Buena Vista Airport was the singing runway.
Built to surprise passengers, the runway had grooves built into it like the ones you find on the side of the motorway, which played When You Wish Upon A Star from Pinocchio when a vehicle drove over it at 40mph, although it has been reported that the grooves were removed in 2008.
The small runway meant that the only planes able to fly in were short take-off and landing (STOL) planes operated by Shawnee Airlines.
The airport, which sits south of the Magic Kingdom park and north of Epcot, next to World Drive, was only large enough to operate four planes at one time.
The idea was that the small airport would eventually make way for a much larger airport, but the idea never took off.
Lake Buena Vista STOLport was ultimately scrapped after the theme park built a Monorail close to the runway, which meant planes were no longer able to land.
However, the runway was reportedly used for Disney company executives until as late as 2006, however no planes are allowed to land there now as Disney World is in a "no-fly zone".
Nowadays it is used as a storage facility for buses, crates and trailers, although guests can still go and check it out.
The airport isn't the only thing that no longer exists at Disney World - mosquitoes have also been banned.
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That’s because Disney has a comprehensive programme for keeping the park mozzie-free called the Mosquito Surveillance Programme.
Click here to find out more about the new Disney World experiences for 2019 including Mickey and Minnie Mouse, The Incredibles and Monsters Inc, on top of the exciting new Star Wars Land that is slated for next autumn.