Mount Washington Regional Airport Taking Off With Improvements

WHITEFIELD, N.H. ­-- Tucked between a number of peaks in White Mountains, the long straight field was probably a lovely polo field 80 years ago.

But time has shown it has made a better airport.

Formerly the Whitefield Airport, it's now the Mount Washington Regional Airport and recently celebrated the completion of a $1.5 million expansion that lengthened the runway, resurfaced it, upgraded the lighting systems and some tree cutting allowing a safer approach to it.

"What we expect to see now is a higher rate of travel, especially with the drop in fuel prices," said Dave Willis of Littleton, a member of the airport commission.

The first planes began flying into Whitefield on a grass strip in the 1920s and for a time, largely because it was well situated to grand hotels like the Mountain View and the Mount Washington, it was the third busiest in all of New England.

Over the years, it has undergone a number of upgrades, from the first asphalt runway in the 1960s to the most recent renovation project.

A year ago, the airport closed for three months as the runway was lengthened from 3,495 feet to 4,001 feet. It was 97.5 percent funded by the Federal Aviation Administration's airport improvement trust. The town of Whitefield provided the sponsor's share of the funding.

"At 2.5 cents on the dollar, this represents a smart investment on the part of the town," he said. "Few, if any, investments pull in nearly $40 in outside funding for every local dollar spent."

A typical user of the airport comes from within a 150 mile radius and most likely on weekends. Some are second home owners in the area who come from as far away as New York and Connecticut; others come in with a picnic lunch for an afternoon in the mountains and still others are student pilots, such as those from Daniel Webster College in Nashua.

Charter flights began growing in popularity a few years ago, especially when the Mount Washington Hotel opened year-round and the Mountain View Grand was preparing to reopen after being closed for nearly two decades.

Corporate travel is also a growing component of planes flying in and out of the airport, Willis said.

Bruce Hutchings, another airport commissioner who volunteers most mornings at the airport as manager, said air traffic was up about 20 percent this summer.

"Fuel prices near $4.50 per gallon did not prevent folks from visiting the area," Hutchings said. "The airport has seen the most visitors to the region in more than four years. The longer runway has opened the door for larger, corporate aircraft to use the Whitefield airport. Between visitors traveling to the Mount Washington Hotel, the Mountain View Grand and other attractions, and construction projects in the region, the airport has seen two or three charter flights a week through the summer."

The airport is supported by revenue from hangar leases, fuel sales, airplane tie-down fees, state and FAA resources, local donations and annual contributions from Whitefield and neighboring communities, at 75 cents per capita.

For 2006, this municipal funding came from Dalton, Franconia, Jefferson, Lancaster, Littleton, Randolph and Whitefield.

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