Moore County pilot's '3rd career' set for takeoff after earning doctorate at 72

Aviation has always been a gentleman's pursuit, and that's true for Jones, who wore a suit on the runway at the Moore County Airport although Friday was one of the hottest days of the year. The heat doesn't dampen his spirit when talking about his Cessna 210 plane that he's owned for over 20 years or the prospects for expanding the airport, a topic he often discusses as the chairman of the Moore County Airport Authority.

That exuberance also applies to his desire to learn.

Jones is set to get his doctorate in business administration from the University of Florida. On Aug. 11, he'll receive his diploma. It's been 45 years in the making after he told his wife he had a goal on their first date.

"Without a moment's hesitation, I will say this has been a lifelong dream of mine. I love going to school," Jones said. "I love learning new things. I love the challenge of learning new things."

Jones attended Grove City College in Grove City, Pa., before getting a master's degree from Columbia University and serving in the Air Force. Decades later, the academic world has changed and so has Jones, but he found the journey a worthwhile exercise after what he called "an absolute grueling four years" of scholarly texts and analysis.

"I get down to Florida, and I am by far the oldest person in the classroom," Jones said. "In fact, I'm older than all of the professors."

Jones said the University of Florida registrar told him he's the oldest person to earn a doctorate from the university, though that's hard to confirm, given that UF is around 170 years old. Still, the point stands that a lifelong passion for cultivating knowledge has led to something that could make Moore County a better place.

Born and raised in Connecticut, Jones worked in New York City in telecommunications and worked with his family's business in sales for decades. Soon, he'll be Dr. Jones, but that doesn't mean he's not grounded. He still pushes himself, cognitively through academics and physically by going to the gym every day.

Jones used his Cessna to commute back and forth to Gainesville for his classes, a commute which he said only takes about 2.5 hours in the sky and would take about 11 hours to drive.

Jones said this latest degree can help him foster a new career as an airport consultant. For his dissertation, he took economic impact studies from NC State University and the Department of Transportation in Florida and predicted the economic impact of an airport based on how the facility was managed and other criteria.

"Using publicly available information, I could determine whether it was a well-managed airport or a poorly managed airport," Jones said. "Airports that had the property management structure outperformed the poorly-structured airports by as much as 20 times."

Jones has a commercial pilot license and just got back from the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, one of the largest air shows in the world.

"Flying this airplane skillfully and safely is probably the single accomplishment of which I'm most proud," Jones said. "It's hard to do. There's a physical eye-hand coordination aspect to it. There's the intellectual coordination, understanding the rules, understanding how a wing works. You put it all together and yesterday I flew 1,000 miles in this airplane in four hours. It's just thrilling."

His dissertation contains 180 pages of insight and research on what makes a well-run airport.

Jones considers the Moore County Airport successful and estimates about 30,000 planes come through a year – some of them military exercises from Fort Liberty and others the golfing community who come in for tournaments in Pinehurst. Two flight schools allow for training classes. Pictures line the walls of some historical figures who've flown to the airport, like Arnold Palmer and Annie Oakley. Even Amelia Earhart would fly with her husband to visit friends.

The future lies in making sure it's a viable point of pride for the area and a beacon of economic prosperity for the county.

"We put heads on pillows and seats on golf carts," Jones said. "It's building jobs and building careers."

Historically, the airport is full of interesting artifacts and trivia. An original hanger remains as a tribute to Knollwood Airport, which was built in 1929 by the Tufts family of Pinehurst. The Knollwood Maneuver in December of 1943 was a historic and monumental driver for airborne operations in improving communications and support between air and ground units.

The airport's legacy is in good hands with people like Jones at the controls. Embarking on what he calls his 'third career,' it's an attempt at helping airports pump money back into their communities and carry a broader impact.

"Can I do it for three more years? Can I do it five years or until I'm 80?" Jones speculated. "They say 80 is the new 60. And I think I'm making an attempt to show that's true."