Bartow Army Airfield
Bartow Municipal Airport
Bartow, Florida 33831
Polk County
(863) 533-1195
This site is located in the central region of the state.
DIRECTIONS
The Bartow Municipal Airport is located approximately six miles north of the City of Bartow on U.S. Highway 17.
Site of the Bartow Municipal Airport in early 1942, the Army was persuaded by local officials to develop a facility at this site. Designated an Army Auxiliary Field, the Third Air Force established a training program here in 1942. Fighter pilots trained here using the Stearman biplane. With the decrease in demand for pilots as the war wound down, Bartow Field served MacDill Army Air Base in Tampa as an emergency field until closed and returned to the city.
Today the Bartow Municipal Airport & Industrial Park are located on this site. A WWII Memorial, which includes historical narrative and photographs, is present in the flight operations lobby (Building #420).
