Quote:
Originally Posted by Shimpy
MCO is a designation left over from it used to be an Air Force SAC (strategic air command) base.
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Until 1975 OIA was known as McCoy Air Force Base AFB, and the identifier was MCO.
I never flew out of McCoy but in 1970 I flew out of Tampa. The terminal was one large building and the passenger boarding areas were outside under a roof with a chain link fence between the ramp and the gates. For boarding you walked out onto the ramp and up portable stairs.
My trip in 1970 happened during the renovation. They had a single north/south runway and the terminal sat in the southeast corner. During my year away, they built a parallel Runway 18/36 to the west and built the existing new terminal with the skyrails taking passengers to the planes between the two runways. When I returned in Dec 1971 it was a major difference when I arrived at TPA.
Before
After