Smith Reynolds Airport

Smith Reynolds Airport 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.HistoryThe 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 500ft, 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 170acre and a fourth runway was added by 1938.