 The airport opened in the early 1960s, replacing the previous Taylor Field just southwest of Ocala.Its 5000-ft runway was served by Eastern Airlines, with one Convair 440 flight a day with a routing of Jacksonville (JAX) - Gainesville (GNV) - Ocala (OCF) - Vero Beach (VRB) - Miami (MIA) and return.Eastern later operated Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop service with the last Electra flight leaving Ocala in 1972.