City commissioners were joined by Airport Advisory Board Chair Jim Dempsey during last night’s regular meeting to read a proclamation celebrating 75 years of civilian flight operations at New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport, also known as Jack Bolt Field.
At the start of World War II, it became imperative that the U.S. military find suitable airfields for training. At the time, the airport site was a grass strip in an orange grove that also served as the local golf course. The location was selected to serve as an auxiliary field for advanced naval flight training operations under the name Navy Outlying Field New Smyrna Beach. By 1945, the field hosted five barracks, a mess hall, pump house, armory, administration building, officer quarters, recreation center, and a radio tower.
After the war, the War Assets Administration was tasked with clearing surplus government-owned property and material, leading to the field being officially deeded to the City of New Smyrna Beach on April 10, 1947.
In 2005, the field was renamed New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport / Jack Bolt Field in honor of retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel John “Jack” Bolt, a long-time New Smyrna Beach resident notable for being one of only seven aviators to earn the designation of double “ace” for shooting down five or more enemy aircraft in both World War II and the Korean War. To this day, he remains the only Marine Corps jet-powered ace. Learn more about Bolt’s military service and life in New Smyrna Beach here.
Today, the airport continues to provide aviation services to southeast Volusia County while generating $171.9 million in total annual economic activity for New Smyrna Beach and its surrounding communities.
Would you like to know more? Learn about drone safety, flight services, noise abatement procedures, renting hangar space, and more here or call the airport office at (386) 410-2680.
Original source can be found here.
