Would Moore County Airport Benefit From a New Name?
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Moore County is blessed by a fine modern airport facility that successfully serves private aircraft, including many corporate jets, but it is cursed by an inability to convince a large commercial carrier to provide regular services here.
This hurts our resort industries and inconveniences travelers who have to drive to Raleigh, Charlotte or Fayetteville to begin their flights. As the economy reinvigorates, one wonders if our Airport Authority has the right marketing plan in place to entice an airline to revisit our airport.
The first question one might ask: Is Moore County Airport the best possible name for the facility?
In 1929, the Tufts family, operators of Pinehurst Resorts, joined others in forming the Knollwood Airport Corporation. The modest dirt runway affair accommodated the small planes of the day. The Great Depression ruined most small independent aviation enterprises - people could not afford to fly - and Knollwood was no exception.
In 1935, Moore County's government assumed control from Knollwood Development Corporation. During the war, the Army Air Force trained thousands of airmen here, including Capt. Glenn Miller and his famed bandsmen. Miller, an avid golf enthusiast, played Pinehurst courses whenever his duties allowed, particularly famed Pinehurst No. 2.
In 1945, the airport became "Pinehurst-Southern Pines Airport," with Piedmont offering passenger air service. In 1980, county politicos changed the name to the present-day innocuous "Moore County Airport." In 1991, CC Air, operating as USAir, provided service to and from Charlotte.
Two years later, the newly created Moore County Airport Authority assumed control of the facility. Before 9/11, airport usage ran to about 50,000 passengers a year. Five months after the attacks, CC Air discontinued service. A short-lived attempt by Delta to provide air service never really got off the ground.
Many travelers and aviators believe the name of the airport they fly in and out of is important. New York City offers three options, named after a colorful mayor (LaGuardia); a martyred president (John F. Kennedy, formerly Idlewild); and a city that's seen better days (Newark Liberty International).
Boston Airport is named after a Spanish-American War hero, Gen. Edward Lawrence Logan. Chicago's is named after Lt. Edward O'Hare, a naval hero awarded the Congressional Medal. Washington's National was renamed Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the Father of our Country getting second billing.
Atchison, Kan., calls its airport Amelia Earhart after aviation's most famous woman pilot, who flew into Pinehurst in both a LifeSaver Autogiro and a monoplane.
Houston Airport was renamed George Bush International Airport. San Diego International Airport rightly includes Charles Lindbergh Field. Aviation's pioneer brothers are appropriately featured at Dayton's Wright Brothers Airport and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
As a former advertising and marketing guy, I think the local Airport Authority would increase awareness by renaming Moore County Airport. Corporate jets unload avid golfers here every day for conventions or a quick round or two on Pinehurst and other Sandhills courses. A name tied to golf would have strong appeal.
With the field located so near Whispering Pines and Vass, residents of those communities might prefer seeing their town's name featured, just as Southern Pines and Pinehurst have already shared such an experience, but Marketing 101 teaches: Go for the brand name with the most sizzle.
My hunch is that focus groups would discover that the name Pinehurst Airport might be the most logical choice. Why? Because thanks to more than 100 years of historic ties to golf, the venerable name "Pinehurst" immediately connotes golf and hospitality as probably no other name can.
I remember wearing my Pinehurst-logo'd golf jacket in Banff right after the 1999 U.S. Open. Japanese tourists would come up, bow and say, "Ah, you are from Pinehurst; we watched the Open!" Of the names Vass, Whispering Pines and Southern Pines, none is an appellation offering an international cachet and immediate name recognition.
The better option might be to give the airport an even bolder and more all-encompassing designation, perhaps Pinehurst Golf Capitol Airport. This would connote that while Pinehurst Resort and its eight famous courses are here, there are also within the Sandhills many more marvelous golfing venues worth exploring.
If you were allowed to rename the airport, what would you call it?
Paul R. Dunn lives in Pinehurst. Contact him at paulandbj@nc.rr.com.
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Comments
chappell 2 years, 3 months ago
Ah, Paul! Happy to oblige with a suggestion or two. The first, and it seems to me, obvious name would be Southern Pines Airport -- That's because its long held official designation has been, and still is: SOP.
"SOP" has a fine ring to it, as it also represents "Standard Operating Procedure" and that sounds like a good thing.
However, we might consider "Knollwood Air Field" for historic as well as aesthetic reasons. Knollwood was where the late LTG Bill Yarborough checked out the jump suit he designed. It is where WWII test jumps convinced the Army that paratroopers were practical.
Last I heard, Pinehurst has been registered as a trade mark, and we could no more name it Pinehurst Airport than we could call it Coca Cola International.
Personally, I prefer Southern Pines. That's where it is, after all, unless Whispering Pines whispered it away.
runorbike 2 years, 3 months ago
Enough about Pinehurst already, can I get an AMEN for POVERTY HILL AIRPORT? :)
jkrahnert3 2 years, 3 months ago
Runorbike wins
justjoe 2 years, 3 months ago
Ah yes, more Pinehurst. Just what we don't need. If we follow Mr. Dunn's suggestion, let's get real and rename it "Snob Field".
Airport1 2 years, 3 months ago
During my career of over 37 years in the airport management and development businees I have been involved in several airport name changes. In each case the name change was made to better market the airport. In each case the old name was only was only recognized by local people. Although the airport policy makers are local, they should really be trying to attract flyers from outside the region or state, and not just appease local whims. They need to create an airport name for people outside the region to easily identify with the primary destination or attraction. Names of locally famous people or counties don't meet that requirement for most communities (except for large airports in large cities, as your article explains). "Pinehurst and Southern Pines Airport" is easier to market, and will attract more business than "Moore County Airport" or "Carthage". BTW, the airport in Houston you referenced is really named George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH, where I work). But then, whats in a name? ......Everything!
dustyrhoades 2 years, 3 months ago
Mos Eisley.
JS 2 years, 3 months ago
Most of us who fly into Pinehurst (and/or) live here have been asking ourselves this question for years. The name "Moore County" does nothing to identify the airport, and the FAA identifier is actual SOP. The FAA publications list the airport as Pinehurst/Southern Pines/Moore County (in that order). The flight charts list it as Southern Pines. I think Pinehurst would agree to the use of their name if the airport authority requested. Might want to conduct a poll of pilots when they land at the airport here. Pinehurst Golf Capital gets my vote.
None 2 years, 3 months ago
How about "spurce goose" or "lame duck"? Or, perhaps, We're Rich, and need an airport to land our planes close to home? Not speaking for most of M/C's who don't own a plane or fly one, who cares?
Woody 2 years, 3 months ago
There will NEVER be commercial airline service in Moore County again. Delta was subsidized to the tune of a million dollars by the taxpayers of Moore County during their short service here. That inconvenient truth was covered up by the County Commissioners and the Airport Authority.
Griff 2 years, 3 months ago
Tell you a good name. (MONEY PIT)
JohnQCitizen 2 years, 3 months ago
Pinehurst...Again. Good grief don't they have enough?. If you let them put thier name on it there will be all sorts of stupid rules..ie planes have to be a certain color of green, they can only be so big, they can't be stored where they can be seen from the road, golf carts need to be able to drive up to the terminals, ect ect ect......
witchywoman 2 years, 3 months ago
Actually chappell, the airport is in Whispering Pines. It sits in their ETJ, (extra-territorial jurisdiction), and it is also in the Whispering Pines fire district.
witchywoman 2 years, 3 months ago
Birnster, I hope you are joking. Calling it the WASP Airport could have some negative and unintended consequences.
curly 2 years, 3 months ago
The Airport should be renamed Whispering Pines Airport. It’s next to Whispering Pines and in its ETJ. Most of the landings fly over Whispering Pines and afford the passengers a beautiful view of the three lovely golf courses in Whispering Pines, but probably most of the passengers think they are flying over Pinehurst. It’s the residents of Whispering Pines who have suffered for years from the noise, the possibility of the Airport taking some of their homes, and the inconvenience of having roads moved to accommodate commercial flights which actually ended before the road work was finished. It’s about time the Village of Whispering Pines derives some benefit from its neighbor, the airport. Name it for Whispering Pines and put Whispering Pines on the map.
CSmithson 2 years, 3 months ago
Curly,
The airport was founded 30 years before Whispering Pines. If anyone in Whispering Pines "suffers" from the airport, it is not because the airport came along AFTER they bought their house.
GoldenDreams 2 years, 3 months ago
Two comments, Paul. I like JS's suggestion about taking a poll of the pilots who land at the airport and see what they would like to name it. Another suggestion is the Sandhills Airport, with the idea being it encompasses all of the Sandhills, not just Whispering Pines or Southern Pines.
tarheels2 2 years, 3 months ago
How about John Edward airport. That name is an attention grabber
Woody 2 years, 3 months ago
CSmithson, Right on!!!!!
runorbike 2 years, 3 months ago
Gosh, I have a great idea!! How about Moore County Airport?? It is what it is. A fine, but functional little county airport that provides a runway for corporations to land their jets so their execs can get in a round of golf and for the aviators with their own private planes to fly in and out at their whim.