Will the Dixie Wing of the Confederate Air Force find a home at Falcon Field?

Time and negotiation will answer the question, says Peachtree City Airport Authority Chairman Robert Patterson, but the Dixie Wing's commander says the group may not have much time.

Now housed temporarily in three locations, the Dixie Wing identifies with Peachtree City, says Col. Jim Friday. The wing's air show last September, "Wings Over Dixie," drew nearly 20,000 spectators to Falcon Field for two days of aerobatics and vintage aircraft displays.

Friday says some wing members are also looking at permanent arrangements with Tara Field in Clayton County, but "I think the community would like to see us up here at Falcon Field."

Friday's informal proposal to the authority at Wednesday's meeting drew some raised eyebrows but an expressed willingness to work with the CAF. The group is growing nationwide as more people become interested in the restoration and flying of old warplanes. The name "Confederate Air Force" was at first jokingly applied to people interested in outdated planes, but became a "formal" designation as the organization grew.

Friday asked that the authority rent the 10,000-square-foot facility known as the "blimp hangar" for "about $700 a month," with the CAF providing a new door for the hangar and paying utilities. Airport manager Jim Savage said that if filled to capacity with single-engine planes, the large hangar could potentially bring in $2000 to $3000 a month in rental fees.

However, Savage said he had one estimate of $250,000 to replace the worn-out door, but the building must have some engineering evaluation to determine what kind of door the structure can accommodate.

Authority member David Good pointed out that the Falcon Field supervisory group cannot afford more "loss leader rates" for hangar rentals, since the group is still deficit budgeting. Expenses exceed income sometimes as much as $20,000 a month, Good said, and the struggle toward self-sufficiency will take very close monitoring of expenditures. The authority receives some revenues from Peachtree City's hotel-motel taxes, but wants to become self-supporting, Savage said.

"I think we can work this out," Friday said. "I think we would definitely be an asset to Falcon Field."

The authority also confirmed its decision to continue as Falcon Field's fixed-base operator, and to expand services to include avionics maintenance and repair. A new 55-by-58-foot hangar was approved for David Milton on Lot D25.

Savage said that the field's long-anticipated F16 fighter will probably be shipped in for display preparation by mid-February. He said the staff is trying to obtain drawings for the pedestal and cradle used to display F16s in other locations. Patterson suggested contacting the Air Force Association and others for donations to help with the cost of the display.