Did you know that guests could once fly directly into Disneyland Resort from a California airport? This service transported countless Disney Park visitors until it was halted due to several tragic accidents.
TikTok user @mainstreetmagic1971 recently shared a video detailing the history of the Disneyland Heliport, which served its last guests in 1972:
“Disneyland is known for showcasing various modes of transportation, from the turn-of-the-century steam train to the Autopia cars and the former People Mover to the sleek Monorail gliding as the highway in the sky,” the TikToker began. “Disneyland has covered almost every option—except for flying to the park, right? Well, what if I told you that you could do that—or at least you used to be able to?”
The TikToker explained that the original Disneyland Heliport opened in 1956. Guests could board a Los Angeles Airways-operated helicopter flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to a landing pad just outside the Disneyland Railroad tracks near Tomorrowland. The Sikorsky S55 helicopter accommodated up to 12 Disneyland Resort guests.
“Just a year after opening, the original Heliport location closed due to the expansion of the Disneyland Railroad toward Harbor Boulevard, providing more room for Tomorrowland and the park to grow,” the TikToker continued. “A new Heliport was constructed in 1957, with service continuing on that same S55 helicopter.”
In 1960, Disneyland Resort relocated the Heliport again, this time to the site of a former orange grove near the Disneyland Hotel. Los Angeles Airways later upgraded the S55 helicopter to the Sikorsky S61L, boosting its capacity to 28 guests. However, trouble soon followed.
“The [Disneyland Heliport] could only turn a profit because of government subsidies and an Air Mail contract, despite being popular with guests,” the TikToker explained.
In 1968, tragedy struck. On May 22, a helicopter departing Disneyland Resort sent out a distress signal and crashed into a dairy farm, resulting in the deaths of all 20 Disney Park guests and three Los Angeles Airways crew members on board.
“That tragedy was the deadliest helicopter crash in the U.S. at the time,” the TikToker said. “Sadly, it wouldn’t be the last crash on the Disneyland helicopter route.”
Months later, on August 16, 1968, another helicopter leaving Disneyland Resort experienced a “massive mechanical failure,” crashing and instantly killing 18 guests and three Los Angeles Airways crew members.
Disneyland Heliport ceased operations until an official investigation into the crashes was complete. Regular service continued until 1971, when Los Angeles Airways went bankrupt. Golden West Airlines took over the route in 1972 but shut it down just five months later.
The Disneyland Heliport service has never returned to Southern California. All three landing and takeoff locations were demolished, now serving as Disneyland parking tram pickup and drop-off sites and Downtown Disney parking lots.
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