History
Gray's Creek Airport was founded in 1984 by a man named Dale Smith when he began dusting crops in and around the local area. The airport originally consisted of a dirt strip that was less than 2,000 feet long, but in 1987 power lines on the north side of the runway were moved further north and the runway length was extended to 3,500 feet.
Alongside his crop dusting operation, Dale bought a Cessna 150 and began a small flight instructing operation based at the airport.
Gray's Creek Today
Today, the airport has several hangars on the field serving more than thirty tenants that live in the Fayetteville area. The runway remains 3,500 feet long and is 30 feet wide.
Dale's son Scot joined the family business after attending North Carolina State University. He now oversees all aircraft maintenance at Gray's Creek Airport and teaches classes to A&P mechanics and students. Scot recently obtained his Commercial-Multi Engine Pilot License and is currently working on his Flight Instructor rating.
Meet the Team
Our team truly is our family and we invite you to be a part of it.
Below are a few tid-bits about the folks that make our flight school what it is today.
Dale & Cindy Smith
Founder &
Operator of Gray's Creek's On-Site CATS Testing Center
Dale Smith is the man that started it all in 1984. He now lives on the field with his wife Cindy and enjoys giving feedback on people's landings. Cindy runs the CATS Testing Center located on the south side of the grounds of Gray's Creek Airport.
Scot Smith
Owner
A&P IA
Scot learned how to fly at Gray's Creek Airport as a kid and now oversees all operations on the field. He is the airport's resident A&P Mechanic with an IA rating.
Elayne Humphrey
Flight School Manager &
Instrument Ground Instructor (IGI)
Elayne manages the day-to-day operations of the flight school and is responsible for everything from on-boarding new students to billing.
Troy Gammon
Flight Instructor (CFI, CFI-I)
Troy joined Cape Fear Aviation as a CFI in 2016. He is a full-time manager at the Lumberton Regional Airport (LBT) and retired from the U.S. Army in 2014.
Matt Denton
A&P Mechanic
Matt joined Scot's maintenance operation at Cape Fear Aviation in 2018 as an A&P Mechanic. He was an Aviation Mechanic in the U.S. Army.
Dave Herwig
Chief Flight Instructor (Gold Seal CFI, CFI-I, MEI, AGI) & ATP Rated Pilot
Dave is our Chief Flight Instructor. He jumped for twelve years with the U.S. Army Parachute Team, Golden Knight.
Connor Levens
Flight Instructor (CFI, AGI, IGI)
Connor is originally from New York and moved to North Carolina in January 2019 to obtain his Flight Instructor Rating. He became a flight instructor in March 2019.
Hideshi Sasaki
Flight Instructor (CFI)
Hideshi joined Cape Fear Aviation in January 2019 and recently moved to Fayetteville from San Diego. He retired from the U.S. Army in 2010 as a Command Sergeant Major.
Kyle Pflaume
Mechanic
Kyle joined Scot's maintenance operation at Cape Fear Aviation in 2018 and is currently in pursuit of an A&P Certificate. Like Matt, he too was an Aviation Mechanic in the U.S. Army.
Vic Carnevale
Flight Instructor (CFI, CFI-I, MEI) &
Retired 737 Captain
Vic retired from American Airlines as a Boeing 737 Captain and now works part-time as a Flight Instructor at Cape Fear Aviation.
Dale Long
Flight Instructor (CFI, CFI-I, MEI)
Dale joined Cape Fear Aviation as a CFI in 2016. He is a part-time instructor with the Civil Air Patrol and works full-time in IT on Fort Bragg.
Interested in flying with us?
Speak with any of our Certificated Flight Instructors today and ask about an Introductory Flight!