Charles McGhee Tyson: The Story Behind the Name of the Knoxville Airport

When checking the status of a flight or whether you are heading out of town or waiting on a family member or friend to arrive, it’s handy to know the three-digit code for the Knoxville airport. Those three letters—T Y S —stand for Tyson, or more specifically, McGhee Tyson, for whom the airport is named.Even though it’s not even located in Knox County—and most people have no idea why the Knoxville airport has that unusual name. Its story weaves together the family history of the prominent Tyson family and their efforts to establish Tyson Park on Kingston Pike in memory of their son. It’s also linked to the history of Knoxville’s first airport, Aviation Field, in Bearden, and finally, in 1939, its successor, the airport that we know today as  McGhee Tyson airport.Written by Paul James and Jack Neely and read by Jeremy Kourvelas.Special thanks to producer Pete Carty. Knoxville Chronicles is brought to you by the nonprofit Knoxville History Project.Funding for this episode has been kindly provided by the City of Knoxville and Friends of the Knoxville History Project as well as donors from National Giving Day 2025, including: Karen Callaway, Steve and Lisa Davis, David Headrick, John and Katherine McCarty, John and Lillian Mashburn, Susan Davenport, Katharine Capito Torbett & Howard Capito, Anne Young, and Christopher Manning.Learn more at KnoxvilleHistoryProject.org