From
www.ajc.com
Project is like a flight back in time
Museum will feature 1920s-style airfield
By DAVE HIRSCHMAN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/03/06
Ron Alexander was born a few decades late.
Ever since he started flying as an Indiana teenager in the late 1950s, the now-retired Delta Air Lines pilot has been drawn to aircraft from the 1920s and '30s — considered aviation's "golden era." He's restored and flown dozens of antiques from that period and founded a company, Alexander Aeroplane, that sold parts and supplies to fellow enthusiasts.
Retired Delta pilot Ron Alexander, a vintage aircraft enthusiast, is creating a complex in Williamson that will look like Atlanta's old Candler Field — right down to period clothing.
Now, Alexander is about to start building an aviation field of dreams and flying museum meant to give vintage airplanes — and their enthusiasts — a permanent home.
Peachstate Aerodrome, in rural Williamson about 40 miles south of Atlanta, won't just recall a bygone era, Alexander said. He wants to re-create the look and feel of Candler Field — Atlanta's original airport — circa 1933.
"It's more than just old airplanes," said Alexander, 64, a Vietnam veteran who joined Delta in 1969. "This place is going to be like walking into the 1920s or 1930s. There's going to be old cars and tractors, period clothing. Visitors will feel like they've stepped into another era."
Anyone old enough to remember Candler Field — precursor to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the world's busiest passenger hub — will get a sense of déjà vu if Alexander's plans pan out.
The first of three main buildings at Peachstate Aerodrome replicates a wooden Eastern Airlines hangar. It is scheduled for completion this year and will be followed by an art-deco passenger terminal, an American Airways hangar and four other buildings.
Alexander said the project will take about 10 years and $5 million to finish. It will be open to the public throughout the building process.
"Atlanta has a tremendously rich aviation heritage, and I've felt a need for a long time to create a museum to encompass some of it," he said. "The more I learned about Candler Field, the more intrigued I got. Re-creating it will create something unique. It will become an aviation destination in its own right."
Alexander met with Patrick Pagano, grandson of former Candler Field manager Jack Gray, and delved into the archives of the dusty auto race track that eventually morphed into Hartsfield-Jackson, Alexander's home base during the more than three decades he was with Delta.
"My grandfather kept pictures, tidbits and memorabilia from the 33 years he managed the airport," said Pagano, 39, a Cumming insurance broker. "I shared all that and will happily do anything else I can to help."
Alexander said he narrowed his research to the late 1920s and early 1930s, a period just before the airport's dramatic World War II-era boom.
"There's no shortage of information about the old airfield," said Alexander, whose main business, Atlanta Aerospace Composites, tests and repairs components for airliners, corporate jets and manufacturers. "The problem is that it evolved so fast. It's been constantly evolving over time."
Developer Greg Blosser plans to build homes on 29 lots surrounding the museum, and property covenants aim to create an old-time flavor and flight-centered community. Future homes on 100 acres will have their own hangars and taxiways that connect them to Peachstate's turf runway. The runway won't be paved or stretched to attract corporate planes.
"The runway will always remain a grass strip," Alexander said.
Antique airplanes with soft, balloon tires were designed to take off and land on turf, and a few museum airplanes have wooden tail skids unsuitable for pavement.
There are numerous "air parks," particularly south and west of Atlanta, where homes are clustered around grass landing strips. Peachstate is unusual because its grass strip is open to the public and has been for about 40 years. Blosser said lot prices range from $85,000 to $185,000 and home prices will range from $250,000 to $450,000.
No public money is being used.
About 30 airplanes are currently based at Peachstate, and Alexander said that number will climb to more than 100 when residences are complete. The museum will house Alexander's personal airplane collection, which includes a pair of vintage Stearman biplanes and a DC-3 — a workhorse airliner of its day.
Alexander said the museum will host regular flying events so visitors will be able to see the planes come and go. He also envisions a series of traveling exhibits that will move between Peachstate and other aviation museums.
Alexander intends to seek corporate backing for portions of the museum but has no sponsors yet. His business plan calls for renting the terminal for parties and special events. He said he's used his own money to buy the land and start construction, however, because he wants to have something tangible to show potential investors.
Alexander bought 125 acres, then sold the bulk of it to developer Blosser so that he could concentrate on building the museum.
"Right now, it's just a dream," he said. "It takes more of a physical presence before people will really be able to see the possibilities."
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If we could just get Ron to charge the "period" price for av gas-------well anyway, its going to be pretty cool project.
Robbie
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