Historical Article

A MAJOR CITY ASSET
MESA TRIBUNE - JUNE 10, 1963

Relatively few Mesa citizens were aware, until the past weekend, of one of the city's major assets, municipally -owned Falcon Field.

This piece of City property came into being during World War II days when it was the training place for hundreds of British pilots.

Through postwar years, it has had a varied history until a few years ago when it became the location of what is now Rocket Power, Inc., and Talley Industries, who make important contributions toward this nation's air and space projects.

From the standpoint of an airport, however, Falcon Field, didn't really amount to much until a group of local air enthusiasts banded together in the Mesa Aviation Development Association.

This group, working in cooperation with the city, the Chamber of Commerce, state and federal aviation officials, Rocket Power, who holds the aviation operations lease as a part of its industrial lease, and whoever else would listen, has stood by until some much needed improvements were pushed through.

Completing the job, over the weekend the organization and other groups and agencies staged a dedication program and airshow to attract several thousand people to the field so that Mesans would have a better idea of what was out there.

Many who had not visited the field in some time were amazed at the improvements that have been made and the scope of the private aviation operations carried on there.

With the new improvements, and others in the future, Falcon can become the major private aviation field of the entire valley area.

The field is already a major industrial factor in the economy of this area, with several hundred persons employed in the various industries already located there.

The people responsible for having brought about improvements in the aviation operations are to be congratulated for insuring that Falcon's aviation operations will keep pace with its industrial uses