Dorado Wings
Encyclopedia
Dorado Wings was a small airline that operated from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
in San Juan, Puerto Rico
to Dorado Airport
in the tourist center of Dorado
. Dorado Wings was the only commercial operator at Dorado Airport. Dorado Wings existed from 1964 to 1982. In early 1982, the airline was purchased and its name was changed to Crown Air which operated until 1988. Aircraft operated were 13 BN-2A (Britten Norman Islanders), 3 Handley Page Jetstreams, 5 DHC-6-300 (Twin Otters), 1 Piper Navajo, and 1 Metroliner.
Flights from San Juan to Dorado took a mere 15 minutes. Because of the shortness of their flights, Dorado Wings airplanes were a constant sight every day at many airports throughout this part of the Caribbean. Airports served in Puerto Rico were San Juan International (SJU), Isla Grande (SIG), Dorado Beach (DBA), Mayagüez (MAZ), Palmas Del Mar (PDM), and Aguadilla (BQN) (former Ramey Airforce Base). Other airports served were St. Thomas (STT), St. Croix (STX), Tortola/Beef Island BVI (EIS), Virgin Gorda BVI (VIJ), St. Kitts (SKB), St. Maarten/St. Martin (PJM), St. Barts, and Anguilla (AXA). Still more airports were served on a charter basis.
Pilots (there were 900 to 1,000 of them during the history of the company) have wonderful memories of the good times and say it was the best jobs they ever had in aviation. No mortgage, car payments, worries or cares mostly.
The airline was, at the time, part of a group of smaller Puerto Rican
airlines that were seen commonly at San Juan's international airport. These also included Flamenco Airways, Prinair
, Oceanair
and Vieques Air Link
, of which, as of 2010, only Vieques Air Link, Flamenco Airways, and Prinair survive.
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico, three miles southeast of San Juan. Over 4 million passengers board a plane at the airport per year according to FAA reports . It is owned and managed by the Puerto Rico Ports...
in San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
to Dorado Airport
Dorado Airport
Dorado Airport or Dorado Beach Airport was a small single runway airport in Dorado, Puerto Rico.Clara Livingston, at the time owner of the property, had order the strip to be built, and her friend, Amelia Earhart, may have used the facility as well...
in the tourist center of Dorado
Dorado, Puerto Rico
Dorado is a small tourist town in the northern coast of Puerto Rico, west of San Juan and is located in the northern region of the island, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Toa Alta, east of Vega Alta, and west of Toa Baja. Dorado is spread over five barrios and Dorado Pueblo...
. Dorado Wings was the only commercial operator at Dorado Airport. Dorado Wings existed from 1964 to 1982. In early 1982, the airline was purchased and its name was changed to Crown Air which operated until 1988. Aircraft operated were 13 BN-2A (Britten Norman Islanders), 3 Handley Page Jetstreams, 5 DHC-6-300 (Twin Otters), 1 Piper Navajo, and 1 Metroliner.
Flights from San Juan to Dorado took a mere 15 minutes. Because of the shortness of their flights, Dorado Wings airplanes were a constant sight every day at many airports throughout this part of the Caribbean. Airports served in Puerto Rico were San Juan International (SJU), Isla Grande (SIG), Dorado Beach (DBA), Mayagüez (MAZ), Palmas Del Mar (PDM), and Aguadilla (BQN) (former Ramey Airforce Base). Other airports served were St. Thomas (STT), St. Croix (STX), Tortola/Beef Island BVI (EIS), Virgin Gorda BVI (VIJ), St. Kitts (SKB), St. Maarten/St. Martin (PJM), St. Barts, and Anguilla (AXA). Still more airports were served on a charter basis.
Pilots (there were 900 to 1,000 of them during the history of the company) have wonderful memories of the good times and say it was the best jobs they ever had in aviation. No mortgage, car payments, worries or cares mostly.
Incidents and accidents
In 1981, a Dorado Wings airplane suffered an accident on a Non Revenue flight after take off at San Juan airport. There were no major injuries or fatalities, though the aircraft was totaled.The airline was, at the time, part of a group of smaller Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
airlines that were seen commonly at San Juan's international airport. These also included Flamenco Airways, Prinair
Prinair
Prinair was a Puerto Rican airline. It was Puerto Rico's domestic and international flag carrier airline for almost two decades.- History :Services began in 1966, under the name Aerolíneas de Ponce , with Aero Commanders...
, Oceanair
Oceanair
Oceanair was an airline that used to fly out of Puerto Rico. It competed on domestic routes with Prinair, and on routes to the Virgin Islands with Prinair, and with Aero Virgin Islands, using propeller airplanes....
and Vieques Air Link
Vieques Air Link
Vieques Air Link is a small Puerto Rican airline company that links Vieques with Culebra and mainland Puerto Rico.- History :Operations began on 1965, with owner Osvaldo "Val" Gonzalez-Duriex piloting a plane with three passengers from Vieques to Humacao...
, of which, as of 2010, only Vieques Air Link, Flamenco Airways, and Prinair survive.