Airport closure — Billy Mitchell (KHSE), from August 17, 2026. KHSE is closed from August 17, 2026 for a runway pavement rehabilitation project and is expected to remain closed until mid-November 2026. The information below describes the field in normal operation. First Flight (FFA) and Ocracoke Island (W95) stay open throughout. Source: National Park Service, Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Always check current NOTAMs.

KHSE

Billy Mitchell Airstrip (KHSE) – Frisco, NC

Runway 7/25: 3,002 x 75 ft. Unattended.

Closest airport to Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Billy Mitchell Airstrip (KHSE) sits in Frisco on Hatteras Island, just minutes from the iconic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States. For pilots whose destination is the southern Outer Banks, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, or the surf and sport-fishing beaches between Avon and Hatteras Village, KHSE is the only airport on the island and the obvious choice.

That lighthouse is also the finale of Shifting Sands, a self-guided treasure hunt about the 2,900-foot move that saved it — $29 a team.

Runway and field info

The field has a single 3,002 ft × 75 ft asphalt runway (07/25). There is no fuel available on field and no staffed FBO — bring enough fuel to depart, or stop at KMQI in Manteo on the way south. Use CTAF; watch for flocks of seagulls on and near the field, and for high-speed, low-level military traffic in the area.

Named for Brigadier General Billy Mitchell

The airstrip is named for Billy Mitchell, the pioneering U.S. Army Air Service officer who in September 1923 led bombing tests that sank two obsolete U.S. battleships, the Virginia and the New Jersey, anchored about 20 miles off Hatteras Island, helping prove the strategic value of air power. The site is operated by the National Park Service as part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Related Pages on First Flight Airport

• First Flight Airport (KFFA) Pilot Information
• Outer Banks Airports for Pilots
• First Flight Airport FAQ
• Visiting First Flight Airport

How KHSE compares to KFFA

Billy Mitchell Airstrip (KHSE), First Flight Airport (KFFA) and Ocracoke Island Airport (W95) are the three National Park Service–owned public-use airports on the Outer Banks; KHSE and W95 are co-managed with the NCDOT Division of Aviation. Both are 3,000-foot daytime-VFR strips with no fuel and no tower. KFFA puts you at the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kill Devil Hills; KHSE puts you near Cape Hatteras Lighthouse on Hatteras Island, about 47 nm south. Pilots who want both experiences often plan a single trip that lands at each. See our full airport comparison for routing.