Naples Municipal Airport

By Eric Tiansay, staff writer

As Naples resident Eddie Watson remembers it, the Naples airport started "growing" in the late '40s.

"They had a pretty big watermelon patch in between the runways back then," recalled the 79-year-old retired Naples realtor, who learned to fly at the airport at the time. "There was a farm out there, and they would sell these cannonball watermelons commercially. The airport was so seldom used; it didn't bother anybody. Naples and the airport were so small back then."

Today, the Naples Municpal Airport has grown from a secluded airstrip into a major commercial and general aviation facility.

The Naples Airport Authority recently decided to maintain the airport's current level of commercial service by turbo-prop aircraft after strong opposition against expansion of the airport, which is surrounded on three sides by residential development.

Ned Putzell, chairman of the airport authority, said it was the right choice for the 732-acre airport, which sits on the eastern edge of the city limits.

"My vision has always been responding to the needs of the community in a safe and minimal noise situation," said Putzell, who's serving his second sting with the airport authority. "I'm not for, and have never been for seeking a larger airport. I don't believe the Naples airport should be anything other than a commuter or feeder-type airport."

The beginnings of the Naples airport go back to 1941 when the City of Naples and Collier County jointly purchased 650 acres - about one square mile - from the Collier family. The price for theland on the Gordon River was $12,467, or about $19 per acre.

In 1942, the land was leased to the federal government as part of the war effort.

After World War II broke out, the government rushed workers to build the runways and service roads. Because limestone was expensive at the time, material from the ancient Indian shellmounds in Goodland was used for the runways. Workers were surprised when hardy Florida palmettos started sprouting through the asphalt before the work was completed.

During the war, the airport - then called Naples Airdome and operated by the Army Air Corps - was primarily built as a training base for fighter planes used in mock attacks against B-17 bombers stationed at Buckingham Air Field near Fort Myers.

American pilots crisscrossed the Everglades in P-51s and P-39s before leaving for Europe and the Pacific. Naples was the last stop before the fliers left for their combat missions.

Tragedy struck the airport on Jan. 22, 1944, when two military planes collided and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. In the worst aviation accident in county history, the crew of 10 in one of the bombers was killed.

In 1948, the airport was returned to the city and county. The former army air base soon reopened as the Naples Municipal Airport. The county transferred its share of ownership to the city in 1951.

In the1950s, the airport remained isolated and virtually private, used only be a few local pilots and seasonal residents.

That all changed in 1957, when John Van Arsdale arrived from Massachusetts looking to supplement his summer air business in Cape Cod. He helped usher the airport into the modern era with scheduled air service and a terminal building.

"When we came to town there were 3,000 people who lived here and 300 of those were real estate agents," Van Arsdale recalls. The "air force" broekrs showed prospective investors inaccessible acreage throughout the county, he said.

In 1960, Provincetown-Boston Airline Inc., also known as Naples Airlines, became the new operator of the airport with Van Arsdale as president.

On Sept. 10, 1960, Hurricane Donna battered Naples and the airport was especially hard hit.

"A hangar collapsed on 14 airplanes," Van Arsdale said. "Some planes were blown all the way across the field like toys. We didn't have electricity for a while, but we bounced back."

Indeed, for the next 15 years, PBA was the only commercial service to Naples until a variety of other commuter airlines began offering service to the county.

"The airport was a vital part of the growth of Naples in the '60s and '70s," Van Arsdale said. "It satisfied the demand of people to get here conveniently. Before the construction of I-75 and the jetport (Southwest Florida International Airport), we were the only show in town."

However, it all came to an end in 1987 when PBA decided to pull out of Naples and its numerous Florida flights.

Controversy touched down at the Naples airport with the introduction of jets in October 1985, triggering a rashof complaints from residents concerning the aircrafts' noise. Piedmont Airlines, which operated 60-passenger regional F-28 jets at the airport, ended the service in 1988.

In 1991, the airport authority decided against the idea of relocating the facility.

Through the years, the airport has seen several changes in its configuration. In 1981, construction of the $1.8 million airline terminal complex was completed. In 1993, the airport's control tower was built. Construction for a new general aviation terminal is scheduled for this year. Airport officials are also negotiating with the FAA to bring radar to the airport.