Dan Newcomb wrote:
Tourists? Vacation destination? Attractions? Large population near by with interstate access? Fantastic media coverage? Fabulous flying weather and great scenery? Huge aviation talent pool? Room for expansion? Active wing with some of the most popular aircraft in the CAF. Gee where oh where would that be?
DFW Area hands down.
Alliance - Huge airport/huge lots of undeveloped land surrounding said airport. Interstate Access. Big Race Track close by. Hillwood aka Ross Perot Jr. aka Aviation nut that can pull strings for CAF if this is the case.
McKinney - Easy Access from highway. Airport with land available for expansion. Really close to Dallas/Ft. Worth Area. Hop/skip/jump from Addison.
Denton - Previously been discussed - could be a target again.
Meacham
Not Addison - not enough space - and with city voting down the establishment of an air museum at the tax payers’ expense - maybe the one there is looking to move too? Just speculation on my part.
Not Dallas Love - too congested to get to/City of Dallas/ 'nuff said.
You have North Texas Regional (Perrin field/kgyi) up (not too far away) north for cheap(er) gas and training area.
With DFW International Airport and Dallas Love Field close by. You have a place where people from all over the world can fly into (nonstop in most cases) and get to the super air base with no problem. The DFW climate would not be as hard on the aircraft as other areas close to salt water (one of the big reasons the move to Midland was pitched).
It takes a lot of cash to hire someone like Jones Lang LaSalle unless they have a deal for nonprofits - consultants - oh I should have been one - I could be rich and spend all my money on warbirds!
I don't see why/how the CAF could move it's national offices to a large metropolotian airport and still keep AirSho in Midland? Why? Why fly all your airplanes from the Super Air Base to the "Museum" every year? Why continue to support and fund the traditional "AirSho" in a city where the National HQ isn't going to be? It doesn't make sense - unless it's just to appease the City of Midland for the time being.
One cannot help but question the true intentions of this move - the CAF is more famously known by it's EX members in making them mad and upset - because they believed they were betray'd and misled. I believe that Mr. Brown and the past few General Staff have saved the Organization from financial ruin.