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Josh Waters’ fascination with aviation began when he was a child. At eight years old, he rode in an airplane for the first time to grab lunch. The plane took off from the very airport he manages today, Washington-Warren Airport. 

If you had told eight-year-old Waters that he would one day manage an airport, he may have had difficulty wrapping his head around the idea, he said. 

Waters was officially named the Washington-Warren Airport Manager in September, replacing former director Earl Malpass. Malpass left the airport in Waters’ hands to take a job at an airport in Anchorage, Alaska where he previously worked and lived. 

Waters, a Beaufort County native, has worked at Washington-Warren for nearly ten years. 

At the airport, he has welcomed Grady-White owner and CEO Eddie Smith, former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and even “Margaritaville” singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett who on several occasions ordered lunch from Backwater Jacks Tikki Bar and Grill for airport employees. 

In addition, he has witnessed many improvements to the airport in recent years. Starting in 2022, Washington-Warren was awarded a $20 million grant from the North Carolina General Assembly with assistance from Representative Keith Kidwell. The grant paid for capital improvement projects to the airport’s infrastructure. This included upgrading the airfield drainage system which had never been done since the airfield was constructed in 1942. 

Last summer, many drain culverts were replaced to better control erosion and drainage off of the airfield. More work on the drainage system will begin in March, Waters said. 

Another project starting this year is called Northern GA. This project will extend the airport’s driveway and add several hangars for drone operations. However, the hangars will accommodate various types of aircraft so that they can be dual-purpose. Meaning, if drone operations at Washington-Wareen were to ever cease, the hangars could still be used. 

The project may include building a box hangar and a set of T-hangars as long as construction bids are within budget, Waters said. Bids for hangar construction will be sent out this month, he added. 

The airport later received an additional $13.5 million grant from the General Assembly for additional capital improvement projects. 

As capital improvement projects advance the airport into the future, one may wonder how much of an economic impact the airport will have on the city. According to a recent report published by the North Carolina Department of Transportation called, “The State of Aviation,” Washington-Warren Airport has created 185 jobs, and has had an economic output of $38.2 million. 

The economic output refers to businesses in the area that operate because of Washington-Warren Airport like Metro Aviation. Metro Aviation takes care of heavy maintenance on EastCare helicopters, or helicopters operated by ECUHealth. This also refers to city and county taxes as well as money spent on dining and shopping in Beaufort County by people utilizing the airport. 

The airport could generate greater economic output, if it is able to construct an industrial park aerospace companies can move into. Aerospace-related industrial parks in the Triangle area are running out of room, Water said; therefore, need to look at areas like Washington and Kinston for further expansion. 

“We have the space. We have the infrastructure for aviation side and that’s initially what we are after – is developing an industrial park for aerospace purposes,” Waters said. He continued to explain that the industrial park could be modeled after Research Triangle Park near Durham. 

Business development at Washington-Warren is one of Waters’ top priorities in addition to making the airport self-sufficient. Based on projected numbers, it is possible that the airport could be self-sufficient in the next year. Self-sufficiency for the airport means that it is no longer subsidized by the City of Washington. 

Washington-Warren is subsidized by the City of Washington and every year, the airport works to lower the amount of money it depends on from the city. Waters did not share how much money it would take for the airport to no longer be subsidized.  

“The goal is to grow the business side steadily and shrink the amount that the airport is subsidized,” Waters said. 

What’s helping to make the airport self-sufficient are hangar rentals, new tenants purchasing fuel and county taxes paid by aircraft owners.