Michael J. Smith Field

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Coordinates: 34°44′01″N 076°39′38″W / 34.73361, -76.66056

Michael J. Smith Field
IATA: none – ICAO: KMRH – FAA: MRH
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		Beaufort-Morehead City Airport Authority
Serves		Beaufort, North Carolina
Elevation AMSL		11 ft / 3 m
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
3/21	4,191	1,277	Asphalt
8/26	4,249	1,295	Asphalt
14/32	4,000	1,219	Asphalt
Statistics (2006)
Aircraft operations			43,800
Based aircraft			75
Source: Federal Aviation Administration^[1]

Michael J. Smith Field (ICAO: KMRH, FAA LID: MRH) is a public airport located one mile (2 km) north of the central business district of Beaufort and northeast of Morehead City, in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. It is owned by the Beaufort-Morehead City Airport Authority.^[1]

The airport is named in memory of astronaut Michael J. Smith, a native of Beaufort who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster^[2]. It was formerly known as Beaufort-Morehead City Airport^[3].

Although most U.S. airports are assigned the same three-letter location identifier by the FAA and IATA, Michael J. Smith Field is assigned MRH by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA^[4] (which assigned MRH to May River Airport in Papua New Guinea^[5]^[6]).

[edit] Facilities and aircraft

Michael J. Smith Field covers an area of 400 acres (162 ha) which contains three asphalt paved runways: 3/21 measuring 4,191 x 150 ft. (1,277 x 46 m), 8/26 at 4,249 x 100 ft. (1,295 x 30 m), and 14/32 at 4,000 x 100 ft. (1,219 x 30 m).^[1]

For the 12-month period ending September 7, 2006, the airport had 43,800 aircraft operations, an average of 120 per day: 85% general aviation, 9% air taxi and 6% military. At that time there were 75 aircraft based at this airport: 93% single-engine and 7% multi-engine.^[1]