Western Carolina Regional Airport Explained

Western Carolina Regional Airport
Icao:KRHP
Faa:RHP
Type:Public
Owner:Cherokee County
Operator:Managing FBO Gayland Trull (70)
City-Served:Andrews, North Carolina
Elevation-F:1,697
Elevation-M:517
Coordinates:35.1953°N -83.8631°W
R1-Number:8/26
R1-Length-F:5,500
R1-Length-M:1,676
R1-Surface:Asphalt
Stat-Year:2020
Stat1-Header:Aircraft operations
Stat1-Data:20,500
Stat2-Header:Based aircraft
Stat2-Data:42
Footnotes:Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]
Pushpin Map:North Carolina
Pushpin Mapsize:250
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Western Carolina Regional Airport
Pushpin Label:RHP
Pushpin Label Position:bottom

Western Carolina Regional Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located 2miles west of the central business district of Andrews, in Cherokee County, North Carolina, United States.[2] [3] It was formerly known as Andrews-Murphy Airport.[4]

Although many U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, this facility is assigned RHP by the FAA and has no assignment from the IATA[5] (which assigned RHP to Ramechhap, Nepal[6]). The airport's ICAO identifier is KRHP.

Airport history

In May 1945, a meeting at the Cherokee County Courthouse about constructing an airport drew around 200 people. Sites considered for the airport included land in Peachtree and a strip along the Hiwassee River in Murphy, but Edgar Augustus Wood Sr.’s property in Marble was most highly recommended.[7] The airport was constructed in 1946 by Wood and colloquially known as Wood Field after its owner.[8] It opened with a grass runway.[9]

In the early 1960s, the airfield was regularly used by Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates, Burlington Industries, and the chicken industry. The U.S. Army and U.S. Forest Service used the airport as a base of operations for training and fire spotting respectively. In 1963 the road to the airport and parking lot were paved. In October of that year the first turboprop aircraft, a Grumman Gulfstream, landed at the airport.[10]

The airport was purchased by Cherokee County in 1969 and renamed Andrews-Murphy Airport. That year the runway was lit and paved to accommodate larger jets.[11] In 1999, the airport expanded, purchasing 18.1 acres from Robert and Evelyn Heaton for $252,000.[12] In 2009, the airport was again renamed Western Carolina Regional Airport. In 2017, the airport terminal was named after local US Navy aviation veteran and longtime airport manager, Mr. Richard Parker.[13]

As of 2023, Western Carolina Regional Airport supports 290 jobs and has a total annual economic output of more than $57 million. It results in personal income of more than $20 million per year in Cherokee and surrounding counties.

Facilities and aircraft

Western Carolina Regional Airport covers an area of 206acres at an elevation of 1,697 feet (517 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 8/26 with an asphalt surface measuring 5,500 by 100 feet (1,676 x 30 m).

For the 12-month period ending May 24, 2020, the airport had 20,500 aircraft operations, an average of 56 per day: 92% general aviation, 5% air taxi, and 2% military. At that time there were 43 aircraft based at this airport: 37 single-engine, 4 multi-engine and 1 helicopter.

There have been discussions about constructing a new terminal at the airport since at least 2014.[14]

Airport services

The KRHP service features tie-down and hangar space as well as fuel and service: 100LL, JET-A, JET-A1+.

Companies that regularly use the airport include NetJets, Snap-On, and Moog Inc. Chris Williams has been the airport’s manager since March 2023.

Incidents

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. , effective 2023-06-15.
  2. Book: FAA Form 5010 for RHP . Federal Aviation Administration . 2023.
  3. Web site: AirNav: KRHP - Western Carolina Regional Airport . 2023-07-01 . www.airnav.com.
  4. Web site: Andrews-Murphy Airport . Cherokee County . https://web.archive.org/web/20070928011542/http://www.cherokeecounty-nc.gov/departments/airport/ . 28 September 2007.
  5. Web site: Western Carolina Regional Airport (FAA: RHP, ICAO: KRHP) . Great Circle Mapper . 15 August 2010.
  6. Web site: Ramechhap, Nepal (IATA: RHP, ICAO: VNRC) . Great Circle Mapper . 15 August 2010.
  7. News: Commission recommends Marble site for airport . The Cherokee Scout . Murphy, NC . 1945-05-17 . A1 . Accessed January 12, 2024.
  8. Book: Sumpter, David W. . Resolution Renaming the Andrews-Murphy Airport . Cherokee County Board of Commissioners . 2009.
  9. News: Foster . Randy . Cherokee County's airport in preparations for takeoff . Cherokee Scout . Murphy, N.C. . Community Newspapers, Inc. . 2023-11-29 . 1,9,10 .
  10. News: Andrews-Murphy Airport Growth Furthers Economy of this Area . The Cherokee Scout and Clay County Progress . Murphy, NC . 1963-10-31 . 10 . Accessed January 12, 2024.
  11. News: Paving of Andrews-Murphy Airport Runway Completed . The Cherokee Scout and Clay County Progress . Murphy, NC . 1969-06-12 . A1 . Accessed January 12, 2024.
  12. News: Brown . David . 2024-05-22 . This Week in Local History . . . Murphy, NC . 9A.
  13. Web site: Sinclair . Samantha . March 4, 2020 . Airport planning ceremony to honor Parker .
  14. News: Brown . David . 2024-03-27 . This Week in Local History . 2024-03-31 . . . Murphy, NC.
  15. News: Two men killed in plane crash . The Cherokee Scout . Murphy, NC . A1 . 1948-05-06 . Accessed 11 January 2024.
  16. News: Ray . Penny . Plane crash kills two . Cherokee Scout . Murphy, NC . Community Newspapers, Inc. . 2021-10-05 . Accessed 11 January 2024.
  17. News: Ray . Penny . Plane crash victims identified . Cherokee Scout . Murphy, NC . Community Newspapers, Inc. . 2021-10-19 . Accessed 11 January 2024.
  18. News: Foster . Randy . Veteran pilot dies in plane crash . Cherokee Scout . Murphy, NC . Community Newspapers, Inc. . 2023-04-18 . Accessed 11 January 2024.
  19. News: Foster . Randy . ‘Emergency landing!’ . Cherokee Scout . Murphy, NC . Community Newspapers, Inc. . 2023-07-05 . . Accessed 11 January 2024.
  20. News: PRIVATE JET SLIDES OFF RUNWAY IN NORTH CAROLINA . TMZ . EHM PRODUCTIONS, INC. . 2023-06-30 . Accessed 11 January 2024.