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Vero Beach Airport (KVRB)
A history of airline service at Vero Beach, Florida
Vero
Beach Airport has a long history of airline
service which began in 1935 and continued until 1996. Here's a
look back at the many airlines that served Vero Beach through the years.
Eastern Airlines began using the airport as a refueling stop in 1932 and began full fledged passenger service in 1935. The following photos from the LIFE archives were taken by Ralph Morse in June 1949 and show typical "day in the life" scenes of Eastern Air Lines DC-3 operations at Vero Beach. This first photo shows a cockpit view of DC-3 NC19963 on approach to runway 29 (now 29L).
A view of the terminal from inside the plane.
Passengers were treated to refreshments on the ramp.
Loading luggage and freight onto NC19963. This particular aircraft was delivered to Eastern in 1940 and was one of the few DC-3s not pressed into wartime service.
A full view of NC19963, serial number 2260. Six weeks later, on July 20, 1949, this aircraft was destroyed in a mid-air collision with a US Navy Grumman Hellcat that was performing aerobatic maneuvers over Chesterfield, NJ.
This detail of an Eastern Air Lines route map from 1961 shows Vero Beach as one of many intermediate stops between Miami and Jacksonville. Eastern continued to serve the airport through 1972.
DC-3 service returned when New Jersey based Monmouth Airlines opened a southern division named Vero Monmouth in 1973. The airline used DC-3s, a de Havilland Heron and Piper Aztecs on routes to Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Melbourne, Florida. This is Vero Monmouth's DC-3 N2VM.
Vero Monmouth Airlines route map from Summer 1974. The airline ended all scheduled Florida flights in mid 1975.
In early 1976, Shawnee Airlines opened a route between Vero Beach and Tampa. This excerpt from the March 1, 1976 timetable shows 2 daily flights which were operated with a combination of DC-3s and Cessna 402s. Shawnee's service to Vero was discontinued a few months later. Vero Beach was without scheduled airline service for the next two and a half years.
Chautauqua Airlines, operating as Allegheny Commuter, began flights to Vero Beach on February 22, 1979 using 15-passenger Beechcraft B-99s. The service proved successful and continued for 12 years, ending in early 1991.
Beechcraft B-99 N99GH of Chautauqua / Allegheny Commuter.
Slocum Air served Vero Beach for a few months during late 1981 and early 1982 using Britten-Norman Islanders on a Vero - Miami - Ft. Lauderdale route.
After the departure of Chautauqua Airlines in 1991, Gulfstream International Airlines took over the Vero Beach - Orlando route, but passenger totals were disappointing and the carrier left in early 1992. Within a few months, Mesa Airlines subsidiary Florida Gulf, operating as USAir Express, began flying between Vero and Orlando with most of the flights making an intermediate stop in Melbourne. Mesa used Beechcraft 1900s on the routes. Again, passenger totals were low and Mesa ended the flights in late 1993. It would be another two years until the city would receive airline service. Here's a look at USAir Express service from July 1993. MCO is the airport code for Orlando and MLB is Melbourne.
In early 1996, American Eagle affiliate Flagship Airlines made a brief attempt at Vero Beach - Miami service but dropped the route after only a few weeks. DOT records show the airline carried a total of less than 100 passengers to and from the airport. To my knowledge, this was the last scheduled airline service at Vero Beach.
Several airlines have also served nearby Ft. Pierce, Titusville, and Stuart. Today, the closest commercial airport is Melbourne.
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I need your help! If you would like to share photos, stories or additional information about Vero Beach Airport, or any other airport in Florida or Georgia that no longer has airline service, please CONTACT ME I would love to hear from you!
Updated January 6, 2011
historic history vintage