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Offered to the U.S. Navy by the City of DeLand in 1942, the municipal airport became NAS DeLand on November 17, 1942. The facility provided training in Lockheed PBO Ventura, Douglass SBD Dauntless dive bombers, and in 1944 in the F6F Hellcat carrier-based fighters. Advanced Carrier Navigation for pilots was provided later in the war as well. As many as 331 officers and 1,140 enlisted men were stationed at this site by early 1944. NAS DeLand maintained an outlying field at Spruce Creek for use in carrier landing training. Boat facilities were maintained on Crescent Lake and at DeLeon Springs for use in rescuing downed pilots. Generally, pilots in trouble would rather crash land on water than land. Nine Mile Point on Lake George was used as a bombing practice site with a Navy PBY stationed there as well Reverting back to the city after the war, the DeLand Municipal-Sidney H., Taylor Field Airport operates at this site. In addition, the DeLand NAS Museum is located at 910 Biscayne Boulevard on airport property. |
