- Williston Municipal Airport
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Williston Municipal Airport IATA: none – ICAO: none – FAA LID: X60 Summary Airport type Public Owner City of Williston Serves Williston, Florida Elevation AMSL 76 ft / 23 m Coordinates 29°21′21″N 082°28′18″W / 29.35583°N 82.47167°W Runways Direction Length Surface ft m 5/23 6,668 2,032 Concrete 14/32 4,399 1,341 Asphalt Statistics (2009) Aircraft operations 16,250 Based aircraft 52 Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] 
Williston MunicipalLocation of Williston Municipal Airport, Florida
Williston Airport, 1949 (Formerly Montbrook AAF (Auxiliary)
Williston Municipal Airport (FAA LID: X60) is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) southwest of the central business district of Williston, a city in Levy County, Florida, United States.[1] Commonly referred to as Williston Airport, it is located 23 miles (37 km) SW of Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV). Opened in 1974 for public use, it does not have a control tower.
Contents
History
Formerly known as Montbrook Army Air Field during World War II, the airfield was opened as a US Army Air Forces installation on 1 January 1942. Montbrook was a sub-base of Alachua AAF under the Air Technical Service Command. The airfield was very small with only a few personnel assigned. As part of the Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics, it was home to B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator and B-25 Mitchell bombers as part of the 99th Bombardment Squadron and P-40 Warhawk fighters as part of the 10th Fighter Squadron.
Known units assigned at Montbrook AAF were:
- 99th Bombardment Squadron, 5 February-14 November 1943 (B-25 Mitchell), (B-26 Marauder)
- 465th Bombardment Squadron, 19 November 1943-2 March 1944 (DB-7 (A-20) Havoc)
On 20 May 1944 the airfield was put on standby status and placed under the control of the 4318th Army Air Force Base Unit (Base Maintenance). It appears to have been closed by the end of 1944.[2][3][4][5][6]
In 1974, the facility was deeded to the City of Williston. It serves as a basic utility airport in Levy County for the City of Archer, City of Bronson, City of McIntosh, City of Reddick and the City of Williston. It is one of two airports in the county, serving alongside the George T. Lewis Airport in Cedar Key.
A planned upgrade of the airport slowly started with annexation of land in 1988. In 1992, it was selected as a preferred location for a regional airport within 20 miles (32 km). A second, larger, runway was completed by 2002 and allowed for jet aircraft to use the facility. An Automated Weather Observation Station (AWOS) was installed at the airport by the end of 2005. Future upgrades on the 2,000 acre (8 km²) site include additional hangars, a corporate hangar park and a new fixed base operator. As of 2006, the facility averaged only 44 flights per day.
Services available at the airport include painting, upholstery, turbine engine repair and helicopter sales. Within 5 miles (8 km) of the airport are the internationally known dive springs of Devil's Den and Blue Grotto.
Facilities and aircraft
Williston Municipal Airport covers an area of 1,600 acres (650 ha) at an elevation of 76 feet (23 m) above mean sea level. It has two runways: 5/23 is 6,668 by 100 feet (2,032 x 30 m) with a concrete surface; 14/32 is 4,399 by 100 feet (1,341 x 30 m) with an asphalt surface. [1]
For the 12-month period ending February 3, 2009, the airport had 16,250 general aviation aircraft operations, an average of 44 per day. At that time there were 52 aircraft based at this airport: 77% single-engine, 17% multi-engine, 2% helicopter and 4% ultralight.[1]
See also
- Florida World War II Army Airfields
- Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics
References
- ^ a b c d FAA Airport Master Record for X60 (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 8 April 2010.
- ^ [1]
- ^ USAFHRA Document 00156970
- ^ USAFHRA Document 00156169
- ^ USAFHRA Document 00175714
- ^ USAFHRA Document 00156123
Other sources
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.- Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0-89201-097-5
- Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History’s Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004.
External links
- Williston Municipal Airport at City of Williston web site
- Aerial image as of 5 January 1999 from USGS The National Map
- FAA Terminal Procedures for X60, effective 20 October 2011
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for X60
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for X60
Categories:- 1942 establishments
- Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Florida
- Airports in Florida
- Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics Airfields
- Transportation in Levy County, Florida
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