An airplane’s GPS system is pictured with JHW entered.

What does Jamestown’s airport identifier JHW mean? The “J” and the “W” could come from Jamestown but why is there an “H” in there? There is no “H” in Jamestown?!

Every airport has an identifier. Some are named after the city they serve. Buffalo is BUF, Erie is ERI, and Miami is MIA. Others are named for people such as JFK (John F. Kennedy) in New York and MCO (Col. Michael McCoy) in Orlando. Jamestown falls into the latter category JHW is referencing a name not the city of Jamestown.

The JHW letters are referring to the initials of John H. Wright. Wright who was born in 1867 in North East, Pennsylvania was the president of Jamestown Telephone Company, as well as three telephone companies in Pennsylvania.

He was also instrumental in the formation of our local airport.

Wright believed that Jamestown needed an airport to be able to grow as an industrial city and was a staunch advocate for it after construction.

He was one of many local business owners who donated money to originally develop the North Main Street site for the airport when the city residents vetoed a proposal for the city to construct it.

Wright earned his pilot license when he was 73 and logged 80,000 miles a year flying his private plane (a Beechcraft Staggerwing) when he was 74 and 75.

He continued to fly in his later years with his wife Lucile in the pilot’s seat. Lucile also served as the Chairman for the Airport Commission for many years.

Wright also organized the local Civil Air Patrol chapter in Jamestown and began the Jamestown Automobile Club.

John H. Wright died on February 16, 1951 at the age of 83, however, his legacy at the airport will always be remembered when any pilot plugs JHW into their GPS flight plan.