Watson Farm Airport (49FD): Gadsden County Farm Strip Near Quincy
Watson Farm Airport, registered as 49FD in Florida's aviation database, is a private agricultural airstrip serving a farm operation near Quincy in Gadsden County. The 49FD registration code places this facility within Florida's state aviation identification system, where private and agricultural strips receive alphanumeric codes that distinguish them from FAA-regulated public airports. Quincy, Gadsden County's largest city, sits in the heart of the county's shade tobacco and general farming region, surrounded by the red clay hills and mixed agricultural lands that characterize this part of the north Florida Panhandle.
Agricultural airports like Watson Farm 49FD are the working infrastructure of Florida's farming economy, providing pilots with direct access to crop and livestock operations on large landholdings where vehicle travel is time-consuming and impractical during busy planting and harvest periods. The Quincy area's proximity to Tallahassee (approximately 20 miles east) means that flights to the state capital for agricultural business, banking, or administrative purposes are brief and practical from a farm strip. FDOT maintains 49FD in its statewide inventory as part of Gadsden County's complete aviation picture.
What is the 49FD registration code for Watson Farm Airport?
The 49FD designation is a Florida DOT aviation facility code assigned to Watson Farm Airport near Quincy. This state registration system tracks private and agricultural airstrips separately from FAA-designated public airports, providing a comprehensive inventory of all aviation activity in Florida.
Is Watson Farm Airport 49FD open to the public?
Watson Farm Airport is a private agricultural facility. Access requires landowner permission and it is not available for public transient operations. Pilots should not attempt to land at 49FD without prior authorization from the Watson farm operators.
What crops or agricultural activities are associated with Watson Farm Airport?
Gadsden County's farm operations near Quincy have historically included shade-grown tobacco, but modern agricultural operations in the area may include livestock, hay production, row crops, and other enterprises. The specific agricultural activity at Watson Farm should be verified with the property operators.
Watson Farm Airport - 49Fd Contact Information
Address, Phone Number, and Hours for an Airports in Quincy, Florida.
| Name | Watson Farm Airport - 49Fd |
| Address | 3403 Solomon Dairy Road, Quincy FL 32352 Map |
| Phone | (850) 856-5515 |
| Website | |
| Hours |
Map of Watson Farm Airport - 49Fd
About Watson Farm Airport (49FD) in Quincy, Florida — Gadsden County Agricultural Aviation
Quincy is Gadsden County's commercial and governmental center, a city whose fortune was literally made by Coca-Cola — local banker Pat Munroe encouraged residents to buy Coca-Cola stock in the 1920s, and many families in Quincy became millionaires as the company's value grew, making the county extraordinarily prosperous relative to its size. This agricultural prosperity, combined with the labor-intensive shade tobacco operations that dominated the local economy, generated the wealth that built Quincy's notable collection of Victorian and Colonial Revival homes still visible today. Farm airports like Watson Farm 49FD are part of this agricultural economy's infrastructure.
Today Gadsden County's economy has diversified beyond tobacco, but agricultural aviation remains relevant for the farms, ranches, and timber operations that continue to occupy the county's landscape. Watson Farm Airport's 49FD registration reflects FDOT's comprehensive approach to tracking all aviation activity in the state — including the private farm strips that public airport directories don't include. For pilots, agricultural operators, and planners studying Gadsden County's aviation resources, the 49FD facility is one piece of the county's full aviation picture alongside Quincy Municipal Airport and the Tallahassee-area major airports.