by Edward Ellis, Special Correspondent
Many folks recognize Coastal Carolina Regional Airport by the initials EWN. Over the years it’s been known by several names including Craven Regional Airport and New Bern Regional. The original moniker was intended to be Simmons Airport in honor of New Bern’s ultra-powerful politico and U.S. Senator Furnifold M. Simmons. But fate intervened.
With Simmons and a crowd of hundreds on hand for the air field’s dedication on November 21, 1931, U.S. Marine Lt. Joel Benedict Nott lost his life when his plane crashed. Nott and four fellow Marines from Quantico, Virginia were flying the type of performance that would one day be the art of the Navy’s Blue Angels. Inexplicably, during a five-plane loop, Nott’s Curtiss Hawk aircraft went out of control suddenly and augered into the field.
The crowd reacted with horror at the loss of the 26-year-old, recently–engaged former football team captain and honor student. The son of a New York City judge, Nott seemed destined for a stellar career at the time of his untimely death. The cause of the crash was never determined.
Following the tragedy, Senator Simmons agreed – insisted actually – that the young Marine flyer’s sacrifice be recognized by including his name at the airport. Thus, the field was Simmons-Nott Airport for the next fifty-seven years. Even after the many name changes, a bronze plaque on the terminal grounds commemorated both men.
For a brief span during World War II, Simmons-Nott Airport did duty as an outlying field for the nearby Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station with several squadrons stationed there. Called Camp Mitchell, it was also used as a base by the Army Air Corp to hunt Nazi subs off the Outer Banks.
Today, according to a current internet listing, eight airlines use the airport, which handles about ten flights daily. In the 12 months ending in 2019, more than a quarter of a million passengers moved through the local facility. Coastal Carolina Regional also serves general aviation customers and commercial carriers.
Eddie Ellis is the author of New Bern History 101 and other works about Craven County’s rich heritage. He can be reached at flexspace2@aol.com.