Falcon Field apparently got the last F-16 fighter that will be released for public display, airport manager Jim Savage told the Airport Authority Wednesday.

After almost two years of negotiations, the retired Arizona Air National Guard fighter arrived at the field Monday from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. It will be set on a pedestal in the grass island nearest the Falcon Field Aviation Center, Savage said.

The plane, known as the "Fighting Falcon" or "Viper," has been a mainstay for the U.S. Air Force and 18 other countries for 25 years. More than 4,000 of the updated versions are flying worldwide, Savage said. The local display plane will be refurbished, painted and cleared of rust and corrosion by a volunteer group led by Gary Rower, former F-16 pilot now flying for Delta Air Lines.

Rower says he welcomes volunteer help from anyone with an aviation background, particularly military aviation. He says he's excited about having the plane here, but sorry it can't be flown, "because I would love to give a demonstration during the next air show," the second "Wings Over Dixie" planned in September. Rower can be reached at 770-487-8721.

The authority members already are looking for help in paying for the display stand and for donations to contribute to the authenticity of the airplane, said Chairman Bob Patterson. He said he may have a good contact for dummy missiles to mount on the F-16.

The authority also agreed to give the Dixie Wing of the Confederate Air Force a home at Falcon Field's Annex Hangar, better known as the "blimp hangar." The authority approved expenditure of about $50,000 for a new door on the hangar, which David Good said would be needed to eventually attract a business jet owner to base an aircraft in the hangar. The CAF, moving from a Clayton County facility, will locate two or three airplanes at Falcon Field but will have to occupy a corner of the FBO hangar until the new door is installed on the blimp hangar, said Jim Friday with the CAF.

The CAF agreement calls for a lease payment of $1,000 a month, with the authority paying for heat and the CAF paying electricity.