Cross City Airport is a public-use airport

Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

 located 1 miles (1.6 km) east of the central business district

Central business district

A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...

 of the town of Cross City

Cross City, Florida

Cross City is a town in Dixie County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,775 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 1,800...

 in Dixie County

Dixie County, Florida

Dixie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 13,827. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 14,647 . Its county seat is Cross City, Florida.- History :...

, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The airport is publicly owned. It was used by the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 under the name of Cross City Air Force Station

Cross City Air Force Station

Cross City Air Force Station is a former United States Air Force Station that operated under Air Defense Command. It was located just outside Cross City, Florida...

History

The airport was opened as a public airfield in April, 1940. In August 1942, the facility was requisitioned by the United States Army Air Forces

United States Army Air Forces

The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....

 as a World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 military airfield, and was named Cross City Army Airfield. The airfield was assigned as a training base to the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics (AAFSAT), 50th Fighter Group, headquartered at Orlando Army Air Base.

After the war, the airfield was returned to civil control. However, in the 1950s, the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 re-established a RADAR facility on the airport under the operational control of the 891st Radar Squadron of the Air Defense Command (ADC). This facility remained at Cross City Air Force Station and was part of the ADC's 20th Air Division from 1959 to 1969 when the facility was closed.