Smith Reynolds Airport

Smith Reynolds Airport
IATA: INT – ICAO: KINT – FAA LID: INT
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Airport Commission of Forsyth County
Serves Greensboro & Winston-Salem
Location Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Elevation AMSL 969 ft / 295 m
Coordinates 36°08′01″N 80°13′19″W / 36.13361°N 80.22194°WCoordinates: 36°08′01″N 80°13′19″W / 36.13361°N 80.22194°W
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
15/33 6,655 2,028 Asphalt
4/22 3,938 1,200 Asphalt

Smith Reynolds Airport (IATA: INT, ICAO: KINT, FAA LID: INT) is a public airport located 3 miles (5 km) northeast of the city of Winston-Salem in Forsyth County, North Carolina, USA. The airport has two runways, and is used primarily for general aviation and flight training, although some passenger operations take place there. In addition, it is home to the Winston-Salem air show, which is usually held in September, and draws about 20,000 spectators.

History

The question of an airmail route and an airport for Winston-Salem was decided in the 1920s when land west of Greensboro was selected over a Winston-Salem tract, and Winston-Salem withdrew from the Tri-city Airport Commission.

A portion of land positioned off Walkertown Avenue (present-day Liberty Street) was located and determined to be the perfect site for a new airport. Clint Miller pledged $17,000 for the development of facilities at the new airfield, so when the new Airport Corporation met for the first time, they decided the new airfield would be named Miller Municipal Airport. Reynolds Aviation would be the main activity at Miller Field for its first five years. There were commuter flights to New York, Detroit, Philadelphia and Baltimore, and weekend taxi service to Wrightsville and Myrtle Beach. In 1932, when Dick Reynolds disbanded Reynolds Aviation, a group of local businessmen formed Camel City Flying Service. Camel City renovated the existing structures, strengthened field lights and installed a grandstand for aerial shows.

In 1933, the Civil Works Administration, a program developed by The New Deal, began extending each runway by 500 feet (150 m), lining the main hangar floors with concrete and relocating the field lighting system. Throughout the 1930s, Miller Airport was the recipient of many projects supported by the New Deal including a new administration building, a third runway, and a new field lighting system. The airport land was expanded to 170 acres (0.69 km2) and a fourth runway was added by 1938.

In 1940, Charles Norfleet, the president of the Airport Commission, contacted Eastern Airlines, requesting them to begin servicing Miller Airport. When Eastern Airlines agreed to add Miller Airport to its North-South route, Dick Reynolds and his sisters, trustees of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, donated funds from the Foundation to further modernize and expand the airport. In 1942, Miller Municipal Airport was renamed and dedicated to Smith Reynolds, a pioneer in aviation before his untimely death at the age of 20.

From 1942 until 1945, Smith Reynolds Airport served as a training base for military pilots in addition to its commercial and private airline services. Camel City Flying Services had become Piedmont Aviation, Inc. in 1940 and spent the 1940s building a base in flight training and airline sales. The company grew to over 80 employees by 1947 when the Civil Aeronautics Board awarded Piedmont Airlines a temporary certificate for regional air service. The company split into two divisions in order to continue the fixed base services, and service four feeder line routes extending from Wilmington, NC to Cincinnati, Ohio, servicing twenty-two airports with one of three of the original DC-3's affectionately known as the Pacemakers.

By 1953 Piedmont Airlines employed over 680 people and grossed over $5.3 million in gross revenue by covering almost 3,000 miles (4,800 km) on its route system. It grew into one of the nation's major airlines when it was merged into USAir in 1989. Although Piedmont's largest operation was at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, they had maintained a significant presence at INT. USAir (later US Airways) closed its INT crew base in 1991. Their heavy maintenance base was closed in September 1998, leaving only specialty maintenance shops, the last of which was closed in 2005. US Airways still maintains its largest reservations center in Winston-Salem.

Prior service

Capital, Eastern and Piedmont had flights until 1961; after that, just Piedmont and its successors. Nonstops may never have reached beyond Washington and Atlanta. By 1984 the only flights were props to Charlotte; US Airways Express carrier CCAir ended the Charlotte flights in January 2000 and Winston-Salem has not had airline flights since then. The airport maintains high volume and income with its private aircraft through Landmark Aviation.

Civil Air Patrol

The Smith Reynolds Airport is home to the Winston Salem Composite Squadron of Civil Air Patrol. The squadron meets weekly on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 at the North State Aviation Bldg, 4001 N Liberty St. Civil Air Patrol is a non-profit organization and the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force whose three missions are Cadet Programs, Emergency Services, and Aerospace Education. CAP is for youth ages 12–21 and for adults ages 18 and up.

Cadet programs

The Winston Salem Squadron Civil Air Patrol

Cadet Programs will involve things like teaching leadership, followership, discipline, integrity, responsibility, and respect to the youth of today. These things are taught in a variety of ways. Some highlights would be encampment, where cadets go to camp for a week and get to do a variety of activities while learning in a safe environment. Another activity to highlight would be the International Air Cadet Exchange (IACE) where a few select cadets out of the country are offered the chance to travel to another country and live with a family there for two and a half weeks, and you will only be required to pay a small amount considering the cost of the whole tri.

Emergency services

Emergency Services has a wide range of meanings. It can involve something like searching for a missing aircraft in the middle of the woods to something like taking aerial photos of disaster sites for the government and other agencies to use. CAP members learn valuable field survival and searching skills. Through Emergency Services, Civil Air Patrol saves real lives across the country.

Aerospace education

CAP is chartered by the US Congress to teach Aerospace Education to the general public and specifically to members of CAP. This can sometimes involve a hands-on approach such as building a small rocket that you will be allowed to launch into the air or it could involve a hands-off approach in the classroom where you can still learn a lot but in a controlled environment! Another perk that comes with being a member of CAP is they are allowed to fly with one of CAP’s many certified pilots 5 times at no cost to them outside of the annual membership fee which is paid each year.

More information

More information on CAP can be found at NC082.com, gocivilairpatrol.com, Civil Air Patrol, or by emailing mernc082@gmail.com.

See also

References

  1. ↑ FAA Airport Master Record for INT (Form 5010 PDF)
  2. ↑ Smith Reynolds Airport, official site

External links