North Carolina airport prepares for golf championship

The countdown is moving quickly for the June 13-16, 2024, U.S. Open Golf Championship on Pinehurst, North Carolina’s famed No. 2 course.

The same goes for preparations at Moore County Airport (KSOP), the primary airport for the thousands of aircraft arrivals and departures expected during the week of the tournament.

“We’re pretty far along in preparations for the Open,” Moore County Airport Director Rick Cloutier said about a month before the big event.

He expects that from June 8 through June 18 airport traffic will total more than 3,000 arrivals and departures, carrying an estimated 5,000 passengers from around the world. That is in addition to regular traffic at the airport generated by the 150 aircraft based at the field.

Normal traffic for the entire month of June at the airport is around 3,000 operations, Cloutier noted.

“In 2014 at our last U.S. Open here we had 2,900 arrivals and departures during that time,” he continued. “We anticipate this will increase this year due to the popularity of the game of golf and the fact that the U.S. Golf Association has recently established its secondary headquarters right here in Pinehurst, and the return of the World Golf Hall of Fame to the Pinehurst community.”

The most significant change for the airport during the tournament time period is a requirement for arrival and departure reservations. Additionally, all non-Moore County-based aircraft will be charged landing and departure fees, plus parking fees.

“The fees will offset the extensive expenses required for the airport operations,” Cloutier said.

Fees range from $75 per operation for a single engine aircraft to $700 per operation for an extra-large jet. Overnight tie-downs begin at $100 increasing to $600 for an extra-large jet or $1,000 nightly for a commercial jet.

The reservation form and a schedule of all fees is on the KSOP website at MooreCountyAirport.com/US-Open.

Aircraft expected to fly in for the golf tournament include everything up to a Boeing 737, Cloutier said.

“We have completed all requirements and anticipate a Temporary Part 139 exemption certificate for that period, which would allow some scheduled airline service,” he said.

A temporary air control tower manned by FAA controllers will start operating June 8 and go through June 18. The tower will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day.

“We will have a reservation system in place and everybody will be required to have one during that period,” he said, noting that includes aircraft based at the airport.

However, tenant-based aircraft at KSOP are not subject to operations fees.

“During that time we expect mostly larger corporate traffic,” Cloutier said. “We expect players and their families, corporate clients, and golf fans.”

He added a NOTAM will be posted prior to June 8 with required procedures.

According to Airport Operations Director Paul Puszynski, the mobile tower for the FAA controllers was in place and being readied for service as of mid-May. He was confident everything would be set well before the June 8 starting date.

Continuing preparation work for the tower includes putting in direct lines to center controllers and the installation of backup generators to ensure uninterrupted electrical service.

According to Cloutier, pilots based at KSOP and on-the-field businesses understand the impact of the tournament and the U.S. Golf Association decision to hold the Open every five years at Pinehurst for the next 25 years. The next Open after 2024 will be in 2029 and will include back-to-back Women’s and Men’s Open Championships.

“Our local pilots anticipate it and we will work with them on the impact as much as we can,” Cloutier said. “We anticipate there could be delays for departures and arrivals, especially if the weather is bad, but we are doing everything possible in advance to assure smooth airport operations.”

Ken Haenlein, owner of Tango Sierra, an aircraft management company based at the airport, said his firm would work around the increased traffic and deal with the reservation system.

“My operation is basically corporate flying,” said Haenlein, who is also a member of the Moore County Airport Authority. “Sometimes we just don’t know when we are flying until late, but we will work around this. The ones that are affected the most are the flight schools.”

Sovereign Aerospace Chief Executive Officer Slim Thompson said his firm’s Sandhill Fliers Flight School will be negatively impacted by the flight restrictions.

“Basically with something this big there are going to be winners and economic losers,” Thompson said. “The airport will be a big winner and the hotels. But it’s going to cost me $30,000 plus or minus $5,000 for that 10-day period. We can’t relocate our planes and instructors for that period and with flight training we can’t get out of here with an exact time for flight departures. We have a full motion Redbird flight simulator and we will try to do some ground training there. But normal daily local flying will not happen.”

Tim Grant, one of the owners of the Total Air Solutions Flight School at the airport, said his instructors and students would continue flight training.

“We will still take off and land here, but we will go to a different airport to do our landings and emergency maneuvers,” he said. “We will get in line like everybody else. It will be like a towered airport, just a very busy airport. We will think of it as a Class C airport. It will be good training.”

When Cloutier assumed the post of airport director in October 2023, he was aware of what he would face with a prestigious national event. He said his experience as director at Concord-Padgett Regional Airport (KJQF) in Concord, North Carolina, in 2012 at the time of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte helped him prepare for and understand the impact of the tournament on the airport and the local community.

“There are always surprises,” Cloutier said. “We try to anticipate every issue that we can think of, but there will be something that comes up that we have to handle. We have a great team in place — our staff, plus the FAA, and support staff.”

Cloutier, originally from Maine, holds a private pilot’s certificate.

“I haven’t flown in many years,” he said. “I got too busy with life and children. One of the reasons for coming back to a general aviation airport was the hope to rekindle that flying.”

He began in aviation as a flightline mechanic and crew chief on Marine CH-46 helicopters. He also earned a degree from the University of Maine in Public Administration and worked at a small airport in Maine. Before taking over the top spot at KSOP he served as executive director of the Idaho Falls Regional Airport (KIDA).

Cloutier noted that the communities surrounding Moore County Airport — Carthage, Southern Pines and Whispering Pines — support the airport and are eager for it to continue growing.

“The airport is self-sufficient,” he added. “We take no local tax dollars from the county or community.”

The airport does receive state and federal aviation grants, including a recent $5 million grant from the North Carolina Division of Aviation to expand airport facilities. Part of that is funding a new hangar that’s now under construction.

Senator Tom McInnis, who represents the region in the North Carolina Legislature, estimated the economic impact of the airport at $107 million in 2023.

For more information: MooreCountyAirport.com