Nestled along the windswept shores of Hatteras Island in Frisco, North Carolina, Billy Mitchell Airport (HSE) stands as a testament to one of the most pivotal demonstrations in military aviation history. This modest 3,000-foot airstrip, owned by the National Park Service and operated through a partnership with the North Carolina Department of Transportation Division of Aviation, honors a man whose controversial vision of air power would ultimately reshape modern warfare.
Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell (1879-1936) is widely regarded as the father of the United States Air Force, though he never lived to see his dream of an independent air service realized. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mitchell became aviation's most outspoken advocate during the interwar period, insisting that aircraft would dominate future conflicts—a view that put him at odds with military leadership who remained committed to traditional naval power.
Mitchell's relentless advocacy for air power eventually led to his court-martial in 1925 for insubordination after he publicly accused military leaders of "treasonable administration of the national defense". He resigned from the Army in 1926 rather than accept his suspension. Though vindicated by history, Mitchell died in 1936, five years before Pearl Harbor would prove his predictions devastatingly accurate.
The airport's connection to the Outer Banks centers on a historic demonstration that took place on September 5, 1923, when Mitchell orchestrated a carefully planned operation to prove that battleships could be destroyed by long-range aerial bombing.
The Mission: Mitchell's bombers targeted two obsolete battleships—the USS Virginia and USS New Jersey—anchored 18 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras. These sister ships, commissioned between 1902 and 1906 at a cost of $6 million each, had been designated for scrapping under postwar naval limitation treaties.
The Innovation: This demonstration was far more ambitious than Mitchell's earlier 1921 test that sank the German battleship Ostfriesland off Virginia. Mitchell designed this operation to prove two revolutionary concepts: that high-altitude bombing could sink battleships, and that aircraft could be summoned from long distances to intercept hostile warships.
The Aircraft: Mitchell's primary weapon was the Martin MB-2 (NBS-1) bomber, the first U.S.-designed bomber produced in large numbers. These twin-engine aircraft, powered by Liberty 12-A engines producing 420 horsepower each, carried crews of four and could deliver up to 1,800 pounds of bombs internally or 2,000 pounds externally. With a wingspan of 74 feet and cruising speed of just 92 mph, these fabric-covered biplanes would forever change naval warfare.
The Results: The demonstration was devastating. The USS Virginia was sunk with thirteen 1,100-pound bombs dropped from 3,000 feet in just 30 minutes. That afternoon, bombers returned to send the USS New Jersey to the bottom in only a few minutes. The first wave of aircraft flew directly from Langley Airfield in Virginia—a distance of 175 miles—demonstrating the feasibility of long-range interception.
What makes this story even more remarkable is how the temporary airfield near Hatteras Village came to be. Responding to General Mitchell's urgent call for a local base of operations, Hatteras Island residents built a landing strip using the most basic tools available.
Working with shovels, hoes, horse-drawn carts, and a tractor pulling a weighted pallet, local workers filled holes, tidal pools, and marshy areas, packing the ground level by hand. Their quick work under challenging conditions helped ensure the success of Mitchell's demonstration. Maintaining the strip took constant effort, as Hatteras winds and rains continually uncovered ancient tree stumps and created potholes that had to be repaired.
Perhaps Mitchell's most chilling contribution came after a 1924 inspection tour of the Pacific. In a 328-page report that would be buried in classified files for decades, Mitchell wrote with eerie precision about a future Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
His exact words: "Attack will be launched as follows: Bombardment, attack to be made on Ford Island at 7:30 A.M.... Attack to be made on Clark Field at 10:40 A.M."
When the Japanese attacked on December 7, 1941, they struck Pearl Harbor at 7:55 AM—just 25 minutes off Mitchell's prediction—and Clark Field in the Philippines at 12:35 PM, roughly an hour later than he forecasted. Mitchell had written in 1924: "There is no adequate defense against air attack except an air force". Tragically, he died in 1936, five years before his warnings became reality.
In recognition of his contributions, Congress posthumously awarded Mitchell a Special Congressional Medal of Honor in 1946—the only one of its kind. The B-25 bomber that conducted the famous Doolittle Raid over Tokyo was named in his honor, making it the only U.S. military aircraft ever named after an individual.
The current Billy Mitchell Airport opened in the early 1960s, constructed by the North Carolina Department of Aviation and situated within Cape Hatteras National Seashore. While not at the exact location of Mitchell's temporary 1923 airfield, it carries his name to honor those historic demonstrations off the Hatteras coast.
Airport Specifications:
IATA Code: HNC
ICAO Code: KHSE
FAA LID: HSE
Runway: 07/25, measuring 3,002 feet by 75 feet of asphalt
Elevation: 16 feet above sea level
Operating Hours: Daylight only (30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset)
Facilities: The unattended airport offers minimal but functional amenities including two portable restrooms, a pilot operations room with courtesy telephone and Wi-Fi, and 39 tie-down locations (31 near the pilot facility and 8 mid-field). No fuel or water is available on-site, and the closest fuel is at Dare County Regional Airport (MQI).
The airport serves private pilots, emergency and medevac aircraft, and occasionally hosts military operations. Local flying services provide aerial tours of Hatteras Island, and visitors have reported seeing V-22 Ospreys practicing touch-and-go landings.
Just yards from the ocean dunes, Billy Mitchell Airport provides access to the spectacular 70-mile stretch of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Located in the Village of Frisco, the airport sits along Highway 12—the two-lane "Beach Road" that connects Hatteras Island's seven villages.
Visitors flying into HSE can explore:
The iconic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest brick lighthouse in America at 198.5 feet
World-class fishing and water sports along the "Graveyard of the Atlantic"
Pristine beaches perfect for swimming, surfing, and off-road driving
Rich maritime history at local museums and historic sites
Vacation rentals, restaurants, and camping throughout Hatteras Island
Billy Mitchell was brash, controversial, and often insubordinate. His outspoken nature cost him his military career. But his vision—that control of the skies would determine the outcome of future wars—proved prophetic. The demonstrations conducted off Cape Hatteras in 1923, supported by the hard work of local residents who built his temporary airfield, helped lay the groundwork for American air superiority in World War II.
Today, every pilot who touches down on the runway at Billy Mitchell Airport lands on a piece of living history—a reminder of one man's stubborn belief that the future of warfare belonged not to battleships, but to the aircraft soaring above them. His legacy, once dismissed as the ravings of an insubordinate officer, now shapes every aspect of modern military aviation.
Billy Mitchell Airport stands not just as a convenient airstrip for accessing the Outer Banks, but as a monument to vision, perseverance, and the courage to challenge conventional wisdom—even at great personal cost.