Bartow Executive Airport

Bartow Executive Airport (IATA: BOW, ICAO: KBOW, FAA LID: BOW) is a public airport four miles (6 km) northeast of Bartow, in Polk County, Florida. It is owned by the Bartow Airport Authority.

The airport covers 1,846 acres (747 ha) and has three asphalt runways:

Bartow Executive is a controlled airport with an FAA Level I contract Air Traffic Control Tower in daily operation 0730 to 1730 local time.

In the year ending July 15, 2002, the airport had 49,368 aircraft operations, average 135 per day: 100% general aviation and <1% military. 115 aircraft are based at this airport: 82% single engine, 9% multi-engine, 4% jet aircraft and 5% helicopters.

100LL Full Service / 100 LL Self Service / JetA with Prist additive / JetA

In 1941 Bartow Mayor C.E. Williams spearheaded the city's initial land acquisition for what would become the Bartow Municipal Airport. In 1942 the US Government took over the site and later developed it into a training field for the U.S. Army Air Forces. Through World War II the field was used for pilot training.

The base was ordered deactivated on 25 October 1945 and it closed by the end of the year. The airport was then returned to the City of Bartow by the General Services Administration (GSA). GSA required that the airport be used as an airport, and if not, that it be returned to the U.S. Government. In 1945–1950 a fixed-base operator (FBO) ran the airfield and flight line, while the large complex of support buildings that had been built by the Federal Government was used by industry and for storage.

In 1946 about 32 former military barracks were converted into apartments for returning military veterans.