Small airport, big impact

A detailed look at the local airport, page 10A.

Andrews Western Carolina Regional Airport is a general aviation airport owned by Cherokee County government that draws a wide range of answers from local residents when asked, what do you think about the airport: A taxpayer-funded rich person’s club, or a vital economic engine for Cherokee County?

Think what you will, but here are the numbers.

Western Carolina Regional Airport supports 290 jobs and results in personal income of $20.07 million annually in Cherokee and surrounding counties, according to an N.C. Department of Transportation study released in January. State and local taxes total $2.36 million per year, and the airport has a total annual economic output of $57.24 million.

Here’s how it compares with other general aviation airports in far-western North Carolina:

• Macon County Airport (Franklin): 100 jobs, $6.53 million in personal income, $1.566 million in state and local taxes, $18.54 million in economic output.

• Jackson County Airport (Sylva): 20 jobs, $1.25 million in personal income, $179,000 in state and local taxes, $3.81 million in economic output.

Airports with economic impact statistics comparable to Western Carolina Regional Airport include Shelby-Cleveland County Regional Airport in Shelby, Raleigh Executive Jetport at Sanford-Lee County in Sanford and Raleigh Regional Airport in Roxboro.

‘State of Aviation’

The report, “North Carolina: The State of Aviation,” highlights the economic impacts of the state’s public airports and related aviation and aerospace assets that support North Carolina’s aviation economy. The general aviation airport analysis quantified the impact of jobs supported by the airport directly, jobs supported by businesses that rely on the airport, and the impact of visitors.

Western Carolina Regional Airport (which goes by the three-letter code RHP) is a general aviation airport, meaning you’re not going to catch a regularly scheduled commercial flight, there is no ticket counter and no rental car agencies. For that, you’ll have to travel to Asheville, Atlanta, Asheville or other places that serve commercial airlines.

There’s no restaurant at Western Carolina Regional Airport, either, although you can choose from a limited selection of snacks, soft drinks and hot coffee. Payment is on the honor system.

N.C. State University’s Institute for Transportation Research & Education analyzed data from 2021, the most recent year complete data is available, primarily provided by the state’s 72 public service airports and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The commercial service airport analysis quantified the impacts of leisure and business travelers to North Carolina and business travelers from North Carolina, on-airport contributions (jobs, income and spending by tenants such as airlines, rental car companies and airport security) and the impact of airport capital projects and operations (construction, facility maintenance and operational services).

General aviation operations account for 93 percent of operations at the airport, according to the study. The remaining operations consist of air taxi, commuter and military operations. Just over 40 aircraft are based at the airport.

An estimated inventory of transient operations at the airport showed jet operations by a variety of recreation and business purposes. One business that completes a large amount of operations is NetJets, which operates an assortment of jets about 72 times per year.

Wells & West Inc. of Murphy operates an Aero Commander 500 about 96 times per year, according to the study, while Snap-on Inc. of Murphy operates a Cessna Citation Excel/XLS about 24 times per year. Wheels Up Partners LLC (a private jet charter company) operates a King Air 350 about 48 times per year, while MineCo Holdings Inc. of Marble occasionally operates an Embraer Phenom 100.

Other companies that use the airport for business purposes include Moog Inc. in Peachtree, Industrial Opportunities Enterprises Inc. in Andrews and Team Industries in Marble.

In addition to transient jet operations, the airport serves as an important resource to the military, U.S. Forest Service and helicopter operators. The military performs touch-and-go operations and training exercises at the airport. The Forest Service uses the airport as a staging area for fighting wildfires and managing controlled burns. Med-Trans Corp. operates an average of 12 times per day providing medical flights. Helicopter Express also occasionally operates there.

A bumpy road

Western Carolina Regional Airport got its start in 1946 as a private airfield with a grass runway. Cherokee County purchased the airfield in 1969, and the facility has experienced ups and downs during the ensuing years.

Assistant county manager Maria Hass was appointed to look after interests at the airport in 2011.

“I immediately began educating myself about the history of the airport, as well as studying and familiarizing myself with FAA guidelines and regulations and grant assurances,” she said. “I also began building a rapport and relationship with our state and federal aviation folks, State Historic Preservation Office, the airport’s contracted consultants, and our representatives in D.C. and Raleigh.”

In her role, Hass heard complaints from tenants and non-based pilots about how the airport was managed.

There were complaints about the physical appearance of airport property – “eyesores” on the property, people living in RVs and connected to county power, hangars being used to store junk and old cars instead of aircraft and aviation-related materials, abandoned vehicles, etc. There were also complaints about discrimination against some airport users.

“Around that time, our tax administrator notified me that his office needed to go up and measure buildings, so I went along to do a walk-through of the airport property,” Hass said. “I visited airport properties and tower locations with the fire marshal and building inspector. Several FAA violations and safety hazards were noted.”

She developed an action plan and met with the airport advisory board that existed at the time to assist her in getting the violations corrected.

“Unfortunately, those efforts failed, so I began documenting the findings and drafting a report to share with the board of commissioners,” Hass said.

That summer, the county’s general property and liability insurance representative was in town, so she asked if he would stop by the airport and do a walk-through of all the airport property “strictly from a property liability standpoint and to send me a report of findings,” Hass said.

She presented her findings to the board of commissioners. In response, the board dissolved the airport advisory board and directed Hass to oversee airport operations.

Overseeing improvements

Airport operations is just one of many hats Hass wears in her job. She’s also the assistant county manager and clerk to the board of commissioners, but she approached her new assignment with persistence.

A security camera system was installed, a new beacon tower constructed, the runway lights were upgraded to precision approach path lights, and self-service fuel pumps were installed. The airport even added a courtesy car for incoming pilots.

Some improvements far exceed airport-specific operations. The airport executed a ground lease to Med-Trans/Life Force, which provides life-flight helicopter services for Cherokee and surrounding counties.

Still, it was not all roses.

The county executed a Residential Through the Fence agreement with the Wood family, which once owned the airport and still owns agriculture land that surrounds the airport on three sides. Some airport equipment is still on Wood Farm.

The agreement got the airport in hot water with regulatory agencies. In late 2020, the board of commissioners received a notice of violation of grant assurances from the state.

In late 2022, the county terminated its fixed based operator agreement and continued to address lingering maintenance and operations issues at the airport. The process was not painless, and hardly a board of commissioners meeting took place without an airport user – or several – speaking out with complaints.

Poorly maintained lighting and navigation aids, a finicky weather status system, disagreements over a newly installed fence and a lockable gate on the public side of the airport terminal – even whether there was favoritism in a waiting list for hangar space.

Beginning in March, the public complaints suddenly stopped. Much of that was due to the work of Hass and county government bearing fruit, but there was one thing in specific that seemed to be behind the sudden change. His name is Chris Williams.

The new manager

Williams became airport manager in March, and he hit the ground running – everything from airport-related big issues to assisting pilots get their planes out of hangars and refilling the snack area – but one thing probably made an even bigger difference: public relations.

During an interview with the Cherokee Scout, Williams was driving the airport’s golf car on his rounds, during which time he encountered numerous airport users, many who have been vocal critics of airport issues. They treated Williams not just civilly, but like a godsend, a miracle maker, almost a celebrity.

Williams, who spent 30 years in the fire service in Florida and retired as a fire chief, also had 30 years of experience as an emergency medical technician. He is a U.S. Navy and National Guard veteran who suffered a compression injury while deployed to Iraq in 2003, for which he has endured numerous surgeries with more to come.

He brings with him a wealth of experience in technical and operational areas, plus one more: people skills. During the Scout’s interview, an airport user was overhead summing it up in a way that may be true figuratively, if not literally: “Chris just went out there and waved his wand and it started working,” he said.

Red flags that were interfering with the airport receiving grants to fix its infrastructure problems were cleared up. In August, the county received a Letter of No Objection from the N.C. Department of Administration and FAA, and immediately received notification that it was awarded a state grant to rehabilitate airport lighting.

The airport purchased a golf cart for tugging aircraft into and out of hangars, completed repairs to the taxiway, acquired a jet refuel truck, contracted with a new fuel vendor, upgraded fuel sump systems on Jet A and AV gas tanks, completed perimeter and gate fencing, and is in the process of upgrading the self-serve fuel system.

The fuel system accepts government cards, resulting in a return of military and other government flight operations at the airport, translating to increased revenues for the airport and, therefore, Cherokee County.

Hass, in a verbal report to county commissioners over the summer, said the goal is to create a professionally run, full-service airport. Her assessment of Williams was succinct: “The manager is doing a good job.”