By Dr. Dan Eichenbaum, Guest Columnist
This past weekend marked the 75th anniversary of our local airport, now known as Western Carolina Regional Airport. Aviation is closely aligned with the history of the 20th century, and the airport in Andrews was heavily involved.
It all began in 1903, when two North Carolinians, Wilbur and Orville Wright, were the first to achieve flight with a self-powered, manned, heavier-than-air aircraft. The flight lasted for 12 seconds and reached an altitude of 120 feet above ground.
Only 11 years later, biplanes with cloth-covered wings took part in World War I battles that included hand-dropped bombs and daring dogfights in the air. After centuries of travel on horseback or in horse-drawn carriages, people and cargo could be moved long distances much faster than ever before.
That’s where our airport’s history begins. Barnstorming biplane pilots began performing air shows all around the country, including in Andrews. In 1922, Col. Roscoe Turner, a decorated pilot from WWI, was the first plane to land in Cover Pasture behind the tannery in Andrews. Can you imagine the sight of daring pilots performing acrobatic feats in airplanes in front of excited crowds that came on horseback to watch?
The grass strip in Cover Pasture quickly became too small to accommodate the planes and crowds. That’s when Edgar Wood Sr., owner of Wood Farm, invited the barnstorming pilots to his farm. He transformed his cornfield into a grass strip for the very popular air shows. Wood also understood that an airport would be a great asset for economic development for our isolated rural area. The 4,500-foot-long grass strip, now known as Wood Field, officially opened in 1947.
During World War II, Wood’s son, Edgar, joined the Air Force, learned to fly and became a B-25 Bomber flight instructor. When he returned home, he founded Wood Flying Service to train veterans to be pilots under the G.I. Bill. Richard Parker was one of the first 20 veterans to enroll and learn to fly at Wood Field.
After the war, the air traffic at Wood Field increased tremendously as the U.S. economy flourished. Local businessmen like Herman West, Charles West and Chuck West purchased airplanes to expand their businesses outside the county. Cherokee County – with a large non-union workforce, a low tax rate and an airport – was discovered to be an ideal place for new businesses. Companies like Berkshire, American Thread, Clifton Precision, Baker Furniture, Levi Strauss and Burlington Industries started businesses in our county – all because we had an airport.
As airplanes continued to increase in size and weight, the grass strip was inadequate to handle corporate aircraft. In 1970, the Wood family sold the airport to the county so the runway could be paved. Using funding from the Federal Aviation Administration, local businesses and private individuals, the grass strip known as Wood Field was replaced by today’s 5,500-foot paved runway.
Pilots know that one of the great advantages of private aviation and general aviation airports is the ability to fly directly anywhere, no matter how remote, in order to conduct business. The presence of Western Carolina Regional Airport has proven itself to be critically important to the overall economic growth and development of our county.
The writer is chairman of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners.