DALLAS – The Dallas City Council voted unanimously to approve an incentive package for the Commemorative Air Force’s move to Dallas Executive Airport.
“This decision enables the relocation of our national headquarters, and brings us one step closer to creating a world-class visitor attraction for the Dallas community,” said Stephan Brown, president and CEO of the Commemorative Air Force.
A long term lease provides the CAF with 43 acres of land at Dallas Executive Airport, a 14,000-square-foot aircraft hangar, and an office building to house the CAF headquarters staff.
Supported by a series of grants totaling $700,000, the CAF will enact plans to move people, equipment, aircraft and selected museum artifacts from Midland, Texas, to Dallas.
Work will also proceed on design and fundraising for a visitor attraction to be constructed on the site. Aimed at a broad family audience, it will focus on aviation in World War II using interactive exhibits, live demonstrations, and a state-of-the-art 4D theater that showcases the story of the Tuskegee Airmen.
The Dallas City Council has approved a reimbursement grant of $2 million to support the first phase of this project and, at a future date, will consider a further matching grant of up to $6 million.
“This is a welcome addition to the museum and educational community of Dallas,” said Mayor Mike Rawlings, who led the city’s efforts to attract the CAF. “It will also provide a welcome boost to tourism, and the economy of southern Dallas.”
The CAF’s lease also includes a provision for up to three major airshows per year, using the entire airport. The first of these is expected to take place in 2016.
This may be one place ADS-B costs are relatively insignificant. Five grand probably won’t carry one of these birds Verny far anyway. It’s paying five grand to fly a twenty grand seven gallon an hour single that’s got me down.
O.K. now who is going to pay to have all of those WWII aircraft have ADSB equipment installed by 2020? Don’t they know that the Class B ADSB “veil” will include that airport?