Historic Falcon Field hangars find new life

Two historic hangars at Mesa’s Falcon Field, the original ones used to train British pilots in World War II, have returned to their roots, once again serving as pilot training and aircraft refurbishing centers.

Nearly three years after the closing of the Champlin Fighter Museum, which occupied the buildings, 100 percent of the space has been leased by aviation businesses, said Corrine Nystrom, airport director.

“We’re pleased with the way that it’s turned out,” she said. “They are really historic hangars, and we hope we can keep them here for a long, long time. If aviation businesses continue to operate them, their long-term use is a sure thing.”

Although the hangars, which are located on Fighter Aces Drive, look unremarkable from the outside, they have witnessed plenty of interesting history. Falcon Field was built in 1941 and operated under government contract by Southwest Airways, a private company backed by Hollywood stars such as Henry Fonda, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart, according to the Mesa Web site.

The company operated several fields as World War II heated up, including Thunderbird in Glendale and Falcon, which was designated to train British pilots.

The field opened in September 1941, before Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entry into the war. It trained British pilots, and a few Americans, throughout the war.

After the war, the one-square-mile property bounded by McKellips, Greenfield, McDowell and Higley roads was deeded by the federal government to Mesa with the condition that it continue to be operated as an airport. Southwest Airways continued to run the field under contract with the city until Mesa took over the operation in the early 1960s.

Over the years, the city built numerous hangars and other facilities to modernize the airport but kept the original hangars in operating condition and rented them to maintenance, repair and flight instruction businesses. In the early 1980s, Doug Champlin, a collector of World War I and II airplanes, leased the hangars to display his collection to the public. He also built a hangar, offices and display space between the two original hangars, thereby expanding his museum.

Discouraged by low attendance, he sold the collection to a museum in Seattle, and the Champlin Fighter Museum closed in 2005.

The largest amount of space, encompassing the west hangar and the modern center section, is leased by Arizona Aircraft Accessories and Parts, which is modifying Vietnam-era Marine aircraft for the U.S. State Department. The planes are used for anti-drug spraying operations of poppy fields in South America, said Bruce Brown, Arizona Aircraft president.

“We put the spray systems on it, and we test them,” he said. “We do the (testing) spray runs with water in Coolidge.”

Brown is generally happy with the facility, although the 15-foot-high ceiling is barely enough for the completed airplanes with their antennas. Still, he said the company will stay in the space for the foreseeable future.

The east hangar has been leased by Desert Jet Center, which has subleased the building to three pilot-training companies. Desert Jet Center is developing 14 acres along McKellips Road around the landmark water tower for hangers and office space and decided to acquire the lease for the old hangar because some of its customers needed space immediately, said Alan House, developer of the center.

Deborah Kelly-Richardson, director of pilot mentoring for Premier Helicopters, which is leasing space in the east building from Desert Jet, said she is excited about historic associations of the structure.

“Just to be standing in there and imagining everything that has gone on there since World War II ... is incredible,” she said. “It’s in fantastic shape, and the history is fascinating. I hope other people can appreciate it, too.”