With lighthouses dotting the shoreline, boats plying the waterways, and marshes and inlets carving rivulets into the landscape, the view on approach to MRH is unparalleled. And the residents of this coastal town can’t wait to share their slice of paradise with you.
Whether you fly, build, restore or simply enjoy airplanes and aviation, you are welcome to attend our events and join our Chapter.
We are a group of aviation enthusiasts, aircraft builders, and pilots who get together with like minded people to share ideas, exchange information, encourage safety, serve the local aviation community and have a lot of fun doing so. Please come to our next meeting or event as our guest.
Michael J. Smith Field History
In 1941, Carteret County acquired the land for the Beaufort-Morehead City Airport and on March 15 of that year, the Beaufort-Morehead City Airport Authority was created. The following year the Civil Air Patrol formed the Coastal Patrol Base 21.
In October 1943, the Federal Government leased the airport for national defense purposes. The Secretary of the Navy, Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of War determined that "the development and/or expansion of an airport, at or near the City of Beaufort, North Carolina, is necessary for National Defense." After the war, the lease was terminated and the airport was returned to the county in 1948.
The airport is named in memory of astronaut Michael J. Smith, a native of Beaufort who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986. It was formerly known as Beaufort-Morehead City Airport. The airport is now known as the Michael J. Smith Field Airport, Carteret County-Beaufort Airport Authority (KMRH
Growing up, Mike and his family lived right off the end of the runway. His family had a farm and locals use to buy vegetables and eggs from them. Robert Burrows, a local pilot and teacher, recalls when Mike asked Bob Burrows to teach him to fly, and his parents told him he could, but he had to earn his own money to pay for his lessons. Mike loved to fly so much that one time when he was playing in a high school football game in Havelock, he called a time out so he could watch a jet taking off from the runway at Cherry Point. Mike invited Bob and his wife to go to Florida to see the Challenger fly. Bob said him and his wife were talking to another one of the astronauts, and he said that Mike was the best pilot he had ever flown with.
Bob and his wife were standing in the family viewing area when the Challenger took off, and then it exploded. You knew what had happened, but you didn't want to believe it.
Bob never planned to become a teacher of pilots. His dream was to become a hotshot fighter pilot himself. He went on to become a civilian flight instructor, teaching hundreds of eager and not-so-eager young men to fight a war from the sky. He kept hoping he would one day follow them into battle.
There's a great painting of astronaut Mike Smith on the wall of the airport office. His memory and his spirit are alive everywhere you go around this little airport.
