Williston Municipal Airport

Williston Municipal Airport
File:Williston Airport.jpg
IATA: none ICAO: none FAA LID: X60
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	City of Williston
Location	Williston, Florida
Opened	1974
Elevation AMSL	76 ft / 23.2 m
Coordinates	29°21′15″N 82°28′22″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 5/23 6,390 1,948 Asphalt 14/32 4,330 1,320 Asphalt

Williston Airport, 1949 (Formerly Montbrook AAF (Auxiliary)

Williston Municipal Airport (FAA LID: X60) is a general aviation airport located two miles (3 km) southwest of the central business district (CBD) of Williston, a city in Levy County, Florida, USA. 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.

History

Formerly known as Montbrook Army Air Field during World War II, the airfield was opened 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 Feb-14 Nov 1943 (B-25 Mitchell), (B-26 Marauder)
• 465th Bombardment Squadron, 19 Nov 1943-2 Mar 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.

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.

See also

• Florida World War II Army Airfields
• Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from 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 0892010924.
• Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0892010975
• 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.
• Airport Master Record (FAA Form 5010), also available as a printable form (PDF)
• Williston Municipal Airport (City of Williston web site)

External links

• Resources for this airport:
  • FAA airport information for X60
  • AirNav airport information for X60
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for X60