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Residents tell Moore County commissioners they oppose proposed commercial service at Whispering Pines airport
Summary
Two residents testified at the May 2025 Moore County meeting saying a proposed shift to commercial service at Whispering Pines would bring large jets, reduce quality of life and lower property values; commissioners heard a technical correction from staff and agreed to hear a consultant presentation later in the day.
Two residents told Moore County commissioners during public comment that a proposal to expand service at the Whispering Pines airport into commercial operations would harm the golf-and-residential community and lower property values.
"Those are not small, those are large commercial aircraft," resident Douglas Cote said, describing the aircraft cited in promotional material as "737s and Airbus a200s," and urging elected officials to engage with neighbors and scrutinize the plan. Cote said residents sometimes smell fuel burn-off near their homes and asked county leaders to represent homeowners' interests (SEG 463–548).
Kurt Thompson, a registered professional engineer who said he recently moved near the runway, criticized the airport analysis that has been circulated. He said the study relied on a catchment-area assumption that overstated potential traffic and did not adequately account for competition from Raleigh‑Durham International Airport and Fayetteville Regional Airport (SEG 550–659). Thompson said he prepared a critique and offered copies to commissioners.
An unnamed speaker later offered a technical correction to public characterizations of the proposal, saying the consultants are "talking about one flight a day with a 50-seat regional RJ from one airline," not daily 737 operations (SEG 665–672). Commissioners said they would hear a consultant presentation at the work session that followed this meeting.
Why it matters: The airport proposal intersects land-use planning, noise and property-value concerns for neighbors and could influence later vote and permitting steps. Commissioners signaled they will gather more information and hear the technical presentation before taking policy action.
What's next: Commissioners scheduled a consultant presentation later in the day and said they would consider public feedback after receiving full technical information. The public comment period at this meeting did not result in immediate action by the board.
Quote: "Come out and come for a day of golf and imagine a 737 coming over those residential houses," Douglas Cote said, describing how residents see the neighborhood now and how they contend with aircraft activity (public comment).
