Kinston Regional Jetport
Encyclopedia
Kinston Regional Jetport , also known as Stallings Field, is a public airport
located three miles (5 km) northwest of the central business district
(CBD) of Kinston
, a city in Lenoir County
, North Carolina
, USA
. The airport has a single runway that is one of the longest in the southeastern United States. It is mostly used for general aviation
. The airport is used by charters for college teams traveling to and from East Carolina University
in nearby Greenville
for athletic events due to Greenville's short runways.
The Kinston Regional Jetport features free parking as well as free wireless Internet access in its terminal. The Jetport's terminal also houses several businesses, including Philbros Gift and Coffee Shop as well as Robert Franchise Transportation, a commercial transportation service. Rental car agencies are located in the terminal.
One of the central features of the Kinston Regional Jetport is the Global TransPark
(GTP), an industrial park adjoining the airport. It was built to bring high-tech industry and economic development to eastern North Carolina.
Spirit AeroSystems will be manufacturing parts of the new Airbus A350
at its new Kinston facility at GTP.
. It opened in October as a United States Marine Corps
flying training airfield known as Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Kinston, being an auxiliary to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
. Naval Aviation Cadets received V-5 flight training along with basic flying indoctrination at the airfield until the facility was closed on 31 October 1945.
As a result of the Cold War
and the expansion of the United States Air Force
, Kinston Air Base* was reopened on 17 October 1950 by the USAF Air Training Command
, as a contract flying training school with T-34 Mentor
, T-6 Texan
and T-28 Trojan
aircraft. In May 1952, the Air Force renamed Kinston Airfield as Stallings Air Base in memory of Kinston natives Lt Bruce Stallings, a P-51 Mustang
pilot killed in March 1945, and his brother, Lt Harry Stallings, a B-29 Superfortress
navigator killed in April 1945.
In April 1957, ATC proposed that the contract training program at Stallings AB be closed. The recommendation was approved in September and on 1 October, flying training ended at Stallings. The base was formally inactivated on 27 November 1957.
Piedmont Airlines provided service from Kinston (ISO) to various destinations in North Carolina, Virginia and the District of Columbia from the early 1950s until 1995. Aircraft varied from the DC-3, to the Martin 404 and the YS-11. Jet service featured the Boeing 727-100, Boeing 737-200 and finally the Fokker 100. The present air terminal opened in July 1978.
Delta Air Lines
briefly served Kinston in the 2000s, as did Allegiant Air.
football team that had departed from the airport after a game against ECU.
The 2006 movie We Are Marshall
focuses on the aftermath of that crash.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located three miles (5 km) northwest of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
(CBD) of Kinston
Kinston, North Carolina
Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 23,688 at the 2000 census. The population was estimated at 22,360 in 2008. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791 . Kinston is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks...
, a city in Lenoir County
Lenoir County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of 2005, there were 57,961 people, 23,862 households, and 16,178 families residing in the county. The population density was 149.2 people per square mile . There were 27,940 housing units at an average density of 68 per square mile...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The airport has a single runway that is one of the longest in the southeastern United States. It is mostly used for general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
. The airport is used by charters for college teams traveling to and from East Carolina University
East Carolina University
East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in...
in nearby Greenville
Greenville, North Carolina
Greenville is the county seat of Pitt County and principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area. Greenville is the health, entertainment, and educational hub of North Carolina's Tidewater and Coastal Plain and in 2008 was listed as the Tenth Largest City in North Carolina...
for athletic events due to Greenville's short runways.
The Kinston Regional Jetport features free parking as well as free wireless Internet access in its terminal. The Jetport's terminal also houses several businesses, including Philbros Gift and Coffee Shop as well as Robert Franchise Transportation, a commercial transportation service. Rental car agencies are located in the terminal.
One of the central features of the Kinston Regional Jetport is the Global TransPark
Global TransPark
The North Carolina Global TransPark is a 2,500 acre, multi-modal industrial/airport site in Eastern North Carolina. As an agency of the State of North Carolina, the GTP is considered a key engine for driving the economic of Eastern North Carolina. The park offers access to multi-modal...
(GTP), an industrial park adjoining the airport. It was built to bring high-tech industry and economic development to eastern North Carolina.
Spirit AeroSystems will be manufacturing parts of the new Airbus A350
Airbus A350
The Airbus A350 is a family of long-range, wide-body jet airliners under development by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.A consortium originally comprising European aerospace companies from the UK, France, Spain and West Germany, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known...
at its new Kinston facility at GTP.
Cargo
- FedEx Express (Greensboro, Manteo/Dare County)
- Ram Air FreightRam Air FreightRam Air Freight is a cargo airline based in Morrisville, North Carolina, USA. It specializes in prompt freight transportation. The airline has its main base at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport.-Destinations:...
(Charlotte, Concord, Jacksonville (NC), Raleigh-Durham, Rocky Mount-Wilson)
History
Kinston Jetport originally was built in 1944 by the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. It opened in October as a United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
flying training airfield known as Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Kinston, being an auxiliary to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point or MCAS Cherry Point is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina, USA, in the eastern part of the state...
. Naval Aviation Cadets received V-5 flight training along with basic flying indoctrination at the airfield until the facility was closed on 31 October 1945.
As a result of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and the expansion of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, Kinston Air Base* was reopened on 17 October 1950 by the USAF Air Training Command
Air Training Command
Air Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...
, as a contract flying training school with T-34 Mentor
T-34 Mentor
The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is a propeller-driven, single-engined, military trainer aircraft derived from the Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza. The earlier versions of the T-34, dating from around the late 1940s to the 1950s, were piston-engined. These were eventually succeeded by the upgraded T-34C...
, T-6 Texan
T-6 Texan
The North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s...
and T-28 Trojan
T-28 Trojan
The North American Aviation T-28 Trojan is a piston-engined military trainer aircraft used by the United States Air Force and United States Navy beginning in the 1950s...
aircraft. In May 1952, the Air Force renamed Kinston Airfield as Stallings Air Base in memory of Kinston natives Lt Bruce Stallings, a P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
pilot killed in March 1945, and his brother, Lt Harry Stallings, a B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
navigator killed in April 1945.
In April 1957, ATC proposed that the contract training program at Stallings AB be closed. The recommendation was approved in September and on 1 October, flying training ended at Stallings. The base was formally inactivated on 27 November 1957.
Piedmont Airlines provided service from Kinston (ISO) to various destinations in North Carolina, Virginia and the District of Columbia from the early 1950s until 1995. Aircraft varied from the DC-3, to the Martin 404 and the YS-11. Jet service featured the Boeing 727-100, Boeing 737-200 and finally the Fokker 100. The present air terminal opened in July 1978.
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
briefly served Kinston in the 2000s, as did Allegiant Air.
Marshall University Football Team Crash
On November 14, 1970, Southern Airways Flight 932 crashed while carrying the Marshall UniversityMarshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
football team that had departed from the airport after a game against ECU.
The 2006 movie We Are Marshall
We Are Marshall
We Are Marshall is a 2006 American drama film directed by Joseph McGinty Nichol about the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that killed 37 football players on the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team as well as five coaches, two athletic trainers, the athletic director, 25 boosters and...
focuses on the aftermath of that crash.
External links
- North Carolina Global TransPark
- NCDOT Airport Information: