HISTORY: On December 17, 1903, Orville Wright piloted the first powered airplane 20 feet above a wind-swept beach in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (N.C.). The flight lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet. Three more flights were made that day with Orville’s brother Wilbur piloting the record flight lasting 59 seconds over a distance of 852 feet.
Matt Simpson, ERA Administration and Communications Specialist-North Carolina State University (NCSU) Office of Research and Innovation, wrote an article titled “Airports Help Support Rural North Carolina Communities”. The article explains how North Carolina historically became the home of the first airplane flight, and now 117 years later, the airport industry greatly supports its rural communities.
Since the Wright brothers’ first flight, aviation has played a defining role
in the history of North Carolina, and in recent history,
the aviation industry has played a major role i
N.C.’s ‘flight up the economic ladder’.
N.C. ECONOMIC REPORT:
North Carolina consistently ranks as one of the top states for business—No. 3 on CNBC’s “2019 ranking of America’s Top States for Business”. And, lawmakers know how important the aviation industry is to the state economy’s continued success—due in part to an economic report by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)—conducted by NC State University (NCSU)’s Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE).
ITRE and NCDOT first published a report on the economic impacts of aviation in N.C. in 2006, and the most recent update was published in January 2019. In turn, public airports have seen regular funding increases in the state budget, said Daniel Findley, Senior Research Associate-ITRE (with focus on economic and policy assessment) and lead author of the January 2019 Report.
72 N.C. AIRPORTS … 62 G.A. + 10 Commercial:
There are 72 public airports in the NCDOT‘s network, only ten of which are commercial airports (that offer regularly scheduled commercial flights, like Raleigh-Durham International Airport). The aviation and aerospace assets that rely on the public airports, help move North Carolina’s economy forward by creating jobs, supporting business growth and connecting people and companies to markets around the globe. Non-commercial, or general aviation, airports are smaller and often located in suburban or rural areas — but the role they play should not be overlooked.
“The 62 general aviation airports in
North Carolina play a critical role in driving economic
growth, investment, jobs, & tourism in the state.”
—Amanda Conner, Manager-Aviation Business Development-NCDOT
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & BENEFITS:
Conner said that general aviation airports are an “attractive leveraging tool” for recruiting and retaining businesses in the state because they’re less congested and allow convenient access to companies’ facilities. What’s more, these airports become crucial hubs after natural disasters and during other emergency-response situations. The bottom line is that general aviation airports can be a major benefit to their communities with the services they provide—especially in rural and “economically distressed” areas.
She said, “Air services are vital for delivering supplies and rescue services in North Carolina, as exemplified during recent hurricanes Florence and Dorian.”
Findley said, “We found that N.C.’s general aviation airports often serve as a focal point of economic development in their communities. Not only do they provide over 25,000 jobs and produce nearly $5 billion in economic output, they are especially important in the most economically distressed areas of our state—where they provide a salary that’s roughly $20,000 higher than the median annual per capita income.”
Over 90% of North Carolinians live within a 30-minute drive of a public airport. For business owners, these convenient connections allow their companies to grow while staying in and continuing to support the communities where they began. Not only do general aviation airports impact the economic livelihood of rural North Carolinians, but in some cases, they can quite literally be a lifesaver.
James Banner is Vice President, Human Resources, Risk, and Government Relations-Pike Enterprises, Inc., a nationwide provider of construction, engineering, and repair services for energy utilities. He stated, “The proximity of the airport has allowed Pike to provide excellent service to our over 300 utility, municipal, and cooperative customers across the nation—to assist with storm response by providing truck drivers to relocate specialized vehicles, provide mechanics and parts to repair damaged equipment, or fly our management team to meet with customers on short notice.” Founded in 1945, Pike Enterprises, Inc. has kept its headquarters in Mount Airy, N.C. The Mount Airy-Surry County Airport was built 23 years later in 1968, and it has been “invaluable” to Pike’s transportation needs!
Troy Lewis, Town Manager-Tarboro, NC said access to the Tarboro-Edgecombe Airport is an important tool for economic development, which “undoubtedly makes it easier to do business in Tarboro and Edgecombe County. The Tarboro-Edgecombe Airport is a lifeline for this rural area and literally saves lives by providing a link from the local hospital to medical centers in more metropolitan areas.”
Findley said the local property taxes paid on private aircraft housed at general aviation airports also make a difference—helping pay for teacher salaries in the county in which they reside. In economically distressed counties, Findley said this tax revenue covered the county portion of salary for nearly 1,500 teachers, a local supplement that is key to recruitment and retention. The general aviation airports in Rutherford and Franklin counties alone covered the county portion of 109 teachers’ salaries.
NCDOT AVIATION REPORT:
An article titled “Invest in Small Towns and Rural Communities, Gov. Cooper Urges” explained that as N.C. continues to grow, Gov. Cooper has made clear that he aims to make sure rural areas are not left behind. And future research may show that further investment in the state’s general aviation airports would be a sound investment in rural N.C.
Findley and his team have started work on the next edition of the NCDOT Aviation Report. They are also testing and developing methods to accurately measure the air traffic that comes through N.C.’s general aviation airports. General aviation airports don’t have an air traffic control tower, which means, among other things, no one is constantly and officially counting the number of planes taking off from and landing at the airport. Findley stated gathering these numbers is a logical next step to being able to provide data that relays information to decision-makers in a meaningful way.
“We definitely want to be able to learn more about the impacts general aviation airports have on rural communities. We recognize the value of using these kinds of economic assessments to communicate the real-world impact of transportation investments,” Findley said.
For the NCSU Office of Research and Innovation article titled “Airports Help Support Rural North Carolina Communities”, please go to: www.research.ncsu.edu/blog/2020/02/airports-help-support-rural-north-carolina-communities/?
For the NCDOT article titled “North Carolina: The State of Aviation”, please go to: www.ncdot.gov/divisions/aviation/Pages/state-of-aviation.aspx
For the EyeWitnesstoHistory.com page titled “Wright Brothers – First Flight 1903″ HISTORY PAGE, please go to: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/wright.htm
For the other links pertaining to this ISCP article, please go to:
NCSU‘s Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE), please go to: www.itre.ncsu.edu/focus/econ-policy/
Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) ARTICLE titled
“North Carolina Leaps to NO. 3 on CNBC’S Top States for Business List”, please go to: www.edpnc.com/north-carolina-rises-to-no-3-on-cnbc-top-states-for-business-list/
NCDOT‘s ECONOMIC REPORT, please go to:
www.ncdot.gov/divisions/aviation/Pages/state-of-aviation.aspx
NC AIRPORTS, including NC 2019-2020 AIRPORT GUIDE PDF and AERONAUTIC MAP(s), please click on image above, or go to: www.ncdot.gov/divisions/aviation/Pages/nc-airports.aspx
NC Governor Roy Cooper’s PRESS RELEASE titled “Invest in Small Towns and Rural Communities, Gov. Cooper Urges”, please go to: www.governor.nc.gov/news/invest-small-towns-and-rural-communities-gov-cooper-urges