ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

FALCON FIELD:

A KEY PLAYER IN THE DEVELOPMENT

OF MESA, ARIZONA

RESEARCH PAPER

HISTORY OF METROPOLITAN PHOENIX

HST 498

LORI P. ROBERTS

TEMPE, ARIZONA

April 9, 2002

INTRODUCTION

The establishment and development of Falcon Field Airport was an enterprise that forever changed and continues to shape the development of Mesa, Arizona. This paper will briefly outline the key role of Falcon Field in the development of Mesa from 1940 to 2000 through descriptions of 4 main stages in the life of the Airport: (1) Formation and Establishment; (2) Training and Growth; (3) Considering the Future; (4) Falcon Field Today and Plans for the Future.

FORMATION AND ESTABLISHMENT

BACKGROUND

Outbreak of war in the Atlantic Theater during 1940 created a need for more British pilots. Fulfilling this need for was difficult however with a lack of trained pilots and a lack of safe airspace to train English pilots due to German air raids. “In order to solve this dilemma, the “Empire Air Training Scheme” was devised…whereby young Britons were sent overseas to receive their primary and advance flight training.”[1] The scheme’s early sites included areas in “Canada, South Africa and Rodesia”. The British soon negotiated with the United States Government and training was expanded to include sites in Texas, Florida, Arizona, Oklahoma, and two sites in California—with a total of six sites in all.[2] British Squadron Leader Stuart Mills, wounded in the Battle of Norway, was chosen by the British to determine exactly where the six sites mentioned previously would be located. One of the sites was “tentatively planned” for Mesa, Arizona.[3]

FORMATION

The decision to place one of the training airfields in Mesa came only after a series of events involving a complex set of partnerships between Great Britain and the United States on a national level and a partnership on the local level between Southwest Airways and the City of Mesa.

At the national level was General Henry H. (Hap) Arnold. In the 1930’s he presented an idea to “eight private flying school operators [regarding] the creation of civilian contract military training schools” for American pilot training. In the plan set forth, “operators of the schools would supply the instructors, mechanics, office staff, avgas, barracks and food. The Air Corps would supply the aircraft, the cadets and [payment to] the operators on a contractual basis.”[4] Arnold hoped with the contract schools, at least 2,400 American pilots a year would be trained. Initially, the United States Government did not approve this measure, and government money was not available for the establishing of these contract schools. In time however, Congress did approve the proposal and by 1945, 110,000 airmen received their training at contract schools.[5]

Southwest Airways was a privately funded company in the Valley of the Sun, and one of the private flying school operators chosen to train pilots under General Arnold’s plan. The company was created in hopes of taking advantage of the funds made available by Congress’ approval of contract pilot training. Founders, John (Jack) Connelly and Leland Hayward had a common interest in air travel and established a partnership based in Phoenix.

John Connelly was a Valley businessman, an “aircraft salesman”, and a “Civil Aviation Authority West Coast district inspector.” Leland Hayward was probably the better known of the two men, since his past included roles as Hollywood agent,[6] director and producer. Hayward was also “on the board of directors” at Transcontinental and Western Airlines (TWA), with previous flying experience with the U.S. Navy in World War I.[7] Leland Hayward’s ties to Hollywood were instrumental in obtaining funding for the company. “Financial backing” came from the company’s list of stockholders including movie stars such as “Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, Hoagy Carmichael, Ginger Rogers,” and more.[8]

Jack Connelly served as “president and chief executive” of Southwest Airways and Leland Hayward held the post of “director of all Southwest Airways’ operations.”[9] Together they were responsible of securing the military contracts that brought pilot training to the Valley and Falcon Field to Mesa.

In March of 1941, Southwest Airways was given contracts to train American and Chinese cadets, which they did at their first field known as Thunderbird I, in Glendale.[10] By the wars end Southwest had become the “largest Contract Company in the nation” with a record 17,000 pilots from a total of 29 different countries trained in their several fields.[11]

SITE SELECTION and CONSTRUCTION

The establishment of an Air Training Base in Arizona was a natural choice due to the states “dry climate and wide open spaces,” as well as its distance from any combat zones.[12] Selection of the Mesa, Arizona site was made by joint efforts of the British, represented by Squadron Leader Stuart Mills, the American War department, American Government adjutant general, and “representatives of four branches of the air corps,” Southwest operators Connelly and Hayward, as well as the Mesa City Council and Chamber of Commerce all participated in the selection of a training site.[13]

With the federal government supplying contracts to private flight school operators and the possibility of locating one of them near Mesa, city council members and the chamber of commerce worked quickly to attempt to secure one or more bases close to the city. In January 1941, the Mesa (Arizona) Journal- Tribune wrote that the “chamber of commerce selected several sites some months ago acquired one section of land in [the] district, and prepared maps and other data for the war department,” as requested. Then, representatives of the air corps visited Mesa and inspected the several possible sites [14]

Inspections by federal departments and preparations by the City Council of Mesa and Chamber of Commerce eventually led to the formation of two fields close to Mesa, Higley training field, and another field under the care of Southwest Airways, later named Falcon Field.[15]

When British Stuart Mills arrived in Phoenix from his brief stay in New England, Southwest leaders Connelly, Hayward and Al Storrs (who eventually became director of training at Falcon Field), were there to greet him and guide him to the proposed location for the new training field. The proposed location was seven miles down a dirt road outside of Mesa’s eastern city limits. Mills recalled the locations features as “just desert” with an orange orchard and an upward slope in the land on the west and a mountain to the north. Mills joked with his “tour guides” stating that the “orange grove will have to be moved back, and that high ground will have to be leveled. I don’t think we’ll have to move the mountain though.”[16] Yet the field’s surroundings remained much the same as Mills first saw it, well into the history of the school.

In June of 1941, U.S. senator Carl Hayden of Arizona, announced approval by the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) of a training site for young British Royal Air Force Pilots (R.A.F.), on a site “18 miles east of Phoenix”, the same site that was seven miles east of Mesa.[17] Hayden continued, saying that the CAA approval “cleared the way for immediate plant expenditures in excess of $350,000, and the British had agreed to pay sixty percent of costs for the new training field.[18] Full costs for the field were expected to equal approximately “half a million dollars”. Southwest Airways planned to lease the property for training from the City of Mesa, yet the city had not yet obtained the property from its current owner on June 20, 1941. [19]

The 720 acres (about one square mile) that the City wanted to purchase belonged to farmer and rancher Elias Habeeb. By 27 June1941, Habeeb had agreed to sell his land to the City of Mesa for $28, 740, and both the city and farmer waited on decisions made concerning the service of utilities like water, electricity and gas to the field. [20] At the completion of real estate proceedings on the property, Mesa planned to lease the property to Southwest Airways for two dollars per acre each year.[21] Once all real estate questions were answered, Southwest Airways had only to construct the school on the desert landscape Mills described.

Groundbreaking for the Mesa military airport as well as the Southwest Airways Mesa field took place on Wednesday morning, June sixteenth, 1941. Individuals in attendance included Governor Sidney p. Osborn. During the ceremonies, held just about an hour apart, Mesa Mayor George N. Goodman “turned over land in which the city invested approximately $50,000 to the agencies which [would] train war eagles for America and for the United Kingdom.”[22]

MEANWHILE

British Pilots already approved for training from U.S. negotiations with England, were coming into Glendale’s Thunderbird Airport for primary air training. Mary Louise Bustrin recalled her service at the Thunderbird air school during the time RAF pilots trained there. Bustrin served in the flight accounting office keeping track of the hours the British pilots spent flying, acknowledging that Southwest Airways “wanted every minute recorded.”[23] The company’s desire for accurate records is understandable considering that the company’s “income was based on their actual flying time.”[24]

The cadets continued to train at Thunderbird Field while Falcon Field was under construction, until the day that “one cadet too many buzzed a farmer’s field,” which the offended farmer angrily claimed was the reason all his cows dried up. The farmer’s confrontation with command at the air base meant “the British were ordered off the field the next day, even though Falcon was far from finished.”[25]

TRANSITIONING

Cadets, instructors and staff all recalled the unfinished state of Falcon’s facilities at their arrival. One of the navigation instructors, H. Dean Page, recalled that everyone quickly became “habitual milk drinkers” since water was impossible to obtain through pipes constantly under construction. “Plumbers were continually testing the water mains. At most, you could expect a light orange dribble out of the faucets, and ordinarily all you could get would be a momentary gurgle, followed by a dry discouraging hiss.”[26]

One of the flight mechanics, Marvin Meier, recalled the field’s invasion on the once empty desert took some adjusting by desert creatures. As the maintenance crew worked in the plane hangars at night, the light within attracted crickets in so numerous quantities that “they piled up in the corners of the hangar four or five inches deep” and had to be shoveled out of the way, and one was always wary of rattlesnakes as well.[27]

TRAINING AND GROWTH

Falcon Field was in an operational stage in early September as cadets moved onto the field from Thunderbird, yet there was much work still to complete before the school was fully functional. Falcon Field officially became operational at six-o-clock in the morning on September 27, 1941 as a “Boeing PT-17 “Kaydet” lifted off.”[28] The British training schedule and coursework for British cadets was similar to that of American pilot programs. A need for instructors, staff and maintenance crews were instrumental in providing many jobs for individuals in Mesa and surrounding communities.

(Bus lines, grounds crews, secretarial)

After the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, civilian work at Falcon Airfield functioned as insurance against a draft into the war. “Maintenance people were warned not to quit if they wished to retain their deferment” status, even though they “could probably have made more money on the West Coast working in shipyards or aircraft factories,” they stayed on at Falcon Field. Civilian Labor at contract schools was valuable to the federal government in part because payment to civilians was cheaper for the government than running training bases themselves would have been. Chief of maintenance at Falcon, Joe Wischler claimed that maintenance crews on the field did their jobs for “one third the cost that the government estimated.” Wischler continued, “Only the crew foreman was certified, and at one time, 60 percent of our mechanics were women.” Maintenance crews involved 90 or more people and Falcon had a “staff of 18 gardeners, just taking care of the grounds.”[29]

The economy and development were highly in need of development with large expected numbers predicted to settle in the valley. Stuart Mills wrote his early appraisal of the small town of Mesa, when he came to help select the site for Falcon, included a “furniture store, food store and a couple of service stations and not much more.”[30] Falcon Field Magazine further described the small town and rural atmosphere of Mesa into the 1940’s as “the hub of the entire citrus industry in Arizona, providing the major part of the oranges and grapefruit grown in the state.”[31] Thus, early Mesa industry revolved around production of citrus. The introduction of an airport was a catalyst for change and an opportunity for growth in the rural community of Mesa.

One Mesa(Arizona) Journal-Tribune article described the far reaching impacts of the economic impact of Falcon Field and other military training bases on the community of Mesa. The article described the five million dollars that the United States Government was expected to put into building the military bases of the Phoenix Valley. The news brief also enumerated the benefits projected payroll amounts were expected to produce in the community of Mesa as long as military men stayed in the valley. “One month’s payroll at the basic training school near Higley alone will amount to several times the sum mesa has invested to provide land for the fields.”[32] No surprise arises then regarding Mesa’s issue of “general obligation bonds to finance the purchase of land for the two big aviation bases in the local district.”[33] Along with expected payroll spending by the field’s airmen, Mesa expected an increased demand for housing and increased business in their city.

Secretary of the Mesa chamber of commerce advocated that Mesa and the surrounding area would “get just as much benefit from the military airports and other defense work nearby as it [was] willing to step out and get,” with new business and residential opportunities listed among those benefits.[34]

Barracks at Falcon Field were reserved for only air cadets. The other 400 staff, instructors and officers and their families were expected to find homes in areas close by.[35] In 1941 homes in Mesa were not widely available. In expectation of the influx of people due to the establishment of Falcon airfield, the Chamber of Commerce began a list of available homes furnished or unfurnished, and army officers encouraged citizens of the community to add to the list as possible.[36]

Molly Turner, wife of Falcon Field RAF navigation officer Laurie Turner, recalled sharing a home with another army couple in downtown Mesa, due to the lack of available homes in the community. She believed that the shortage of homes increased a tendency by Mesa businessmen to overcharge officers seeking housing.[37] Shortage of homes often caused officers to find homes outside of Mesa, or Mesa homeowners to raise the price of rental to take advantage of the demand for housing.

Major B. A. Bridget, an officer in command at Higley recognized this tendency of real estate scalpers and listed how much officers of different ranking could normally afford to pay each month in rent. The underlying message of his statement recommended that communities should not expect to charge more. Major Bridget continued in describing the potential for growth and potential spending by the families of commissioned officers in Mesa and surrounding communities if only they could find homes there. “Mesa business will have a tremendous shot in the arm if the officers and enlisted men with families make their homes here [since] virtually all an officer’s income is spent in the town where he resides.”[38] The projected income of $30,000 or more a month meant that “some quick action [needed to occur] to provide housing,” for the officers.[39] Mesa City officials scrambled to meet the needs of their growing population.

A Mesa Journal article appearing in August of 1941 proclaimed that carpenters were kept busy to meet the demands of the new influx of people caused by the establishment of both the Mesa military airport near Higley and Falcon Field. The article declared “It’s busy times for carpenters and a new era of progress for the Mesa local of the carpenters’ union,” that added members “at the rate of up to 10 men daily,” to keep up with the federal government projects contracted to the carpenter unions.

(Reconnaissance Survey of Pre-1955 Development in the City of Mesa Arizona Jan 1999).

Other projects were headed by the Works Project Administration (WPA), in conjunction with the city of Mesa and other federal government agencies during this time of growth in Mesa. In July of 1941, Mesa announced the construction of a sewage disposal plant in conjunction with utility work being done for Falcon and Higley fields. With $35,000 Mesa barrowed from the federal government, and as promise of $46,688 by the WPA, Mesa began their construction of a new plant, with an estimated cost of $80,000. Their previous plant was “condemned by health authorities” for its practice of dumping sewage into the Salt River and reform was definitely needed. Mesa planned to repay their loan from the government at the completion of the project by charging 50 cents a month for sewer treatment to each household serviced by the new plant.

Independent firms able to come up with the lowest bid handled much of the growth that took place during this period, of rapid construction in the 1940’s. A bid for work on the “Mesa military airport, army air corps basic training field,” was opened on June 28, and contractors wanting the work had to be prepared to start the projects on July 1. Work projects available were “estimated to involve $4,784,000.”[40]

At the end of the war, the need for civilly operated pilot training bases greatly diminished, since the need for trained military pilots had also diminished. In a letter to Governor of Arizona, Sidney P. Osborn, Wing Commander, and commanding officer at No. 4 B.F.T.S. (Falcon Field), A.V. Rogers wrote that after attending “a conference at [his] Headquarters in Washington, D.C.,” he was “authorized” to notify the Governor that training would end November 3, 1945.[41] Indeed, Falcon Field was closed in November of 1945, and the field was “turned over to the city of Mesa for one dollar.”[42]

CONSIDERING THE FUTURE

Records show that British cadets trained a Falcon Field had fond memories of their stay in Arizona. Many cadets, instructors or staff of Falcon chose to remain or eventually return to the valley after training ended. This meant housing was still needed for the people who chose to remain behind or return at a later date. The surge of people to Mesa during the Formation and Establishment Phases as well as the Training stage of Falcon Field made an impact of Mesa that changed their outlook on city planning. The shortage of housing and other issues had been a real problem for city planners, and a series of studies made researched the future needs of the City of Mesa. This research is visible from records still available in records and archives.

In March of 1946, several months after training ceased at Falcon Airfield, the “Civvil Aeronautics board informed the city that the field [was] declared surplus by the government,” and Mesa acted promptly to acquire the “$300,000 dollars worth of improvements” the federal War Assets Corporation now handled. Application by the city of Mesa requested that the city would be able to assume control of “the 5,000 foot asphalt runway, two large wooden hangars, a control tower, administration building, and two classroom buildings.”[43] The government’s end of the deal asked that the city use the property for a public airport and grant no “exclusive use permits,” a clause that would “not exclude commercial businesses.”[44]

Previous to this last application, the City of Mesa had sought to acquire “six frame dormitory-barracks, a kitchen, dining room, recreation hall, hospital building and swimming pool on the grounds.”[45] As war veterans returned home from the war, the city hoped to use these requested facilities to care for the anticipated needs of these men. The City of Mesa still held title to the 760 acre land site and the two wells that had existed on the property when they had purchased the land from Mr. Habeeb, then leased it to Southwest Airways for their cadet training. The U.S. government had taken over the property “when the war began.”[46]

Even as Mesa anticipated the return of World War II veterans, they mourned the economic losses they felt resulting from the departure of pilot training schools and the revenue they brought to the city. Mesa’s Postmaster, Grant Macdonald, reported the loss of postal revenue at “difference of more than $6,000” dollars. He could think of no reason that revenue would drop so sharply without blaming the closure of Falcon Field. The boon to Mesa’s economy with the existence of Falcon Field was clearly visible by the cessation of training there. The City must revive the field!

FALCON FIELD TODAY

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

SOURCES CONSULTED

Arizona Republic (Phoenix). “British Air School Slated for Valley.” 13 June 1941.

“Aviation Related Businesses at Falcon Field Airport.” City of Mesa. 8 January 2002. http://www.ci.mesa.az.us/airport/business.htm (8 March 2002).

Coffman Associates. “Mesa-Falcon Field Airport Master Plan: Executive Summary.” Phoenix, Arizona, 1992.

Exhibits of Southwest Airways Co. before the Civil Aeronautics Board. Washington D.C., Docket No. 2221, Arizona-New Mexico Case. (Docket No. 968 et. Al.) Yr?

“Falcon Field/ City of Mesa Planning Division.” City of Mesa Planning Division, Mesa, Arizona, 2000.

“Falcon Field Airport.” Videorecording. Mesa, Arizona. City of Mesa Video Production, 1996.

“Falcon Field Airport: Flight Path.” City of Mesa 1, no. 1 (Winter 1999); no. 2 (Spring 1999); no. 3 (Winter 2000); (Summer 2001).

“Falcon Field Airport History.” City of Mesa. 2 October 2001. http://www.ci.mesa.az.us/airport/history.htm (26 February 2002).

“Falcon Field Airport Land Use Compatibility Guidelines.” Mesa City Council, Mesa, Arizona, March 1983.

“Falcon Field- East Mesa Area Development Policies.” City of Mesa Planning Department, Revised 6 August 1979.

Federal Aviation Administration. “Program History,” http://www.faa.gov/arp/app500/annrep94/appendix.htm (4 April 2002).

Harriman, Margaret Case. Take Them Up Tenderly: A Collection of Profiles. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1945.

Hyer, Charles. “Falcon Field Beginnings,” AAHS Journal. American Aviation Historical Society 3, no. 3 (Fall 1985): 175. 17 May 2001. http://www.ci.mesa.az.us/airport/falcon_field_beginnings.htm (8 March 2002)

Letter from A.V. Rogers, Wing Commander, Officer Commanding, No. 4 B.F.T.S., Mesa Arizona, to Governor Sidney P. Osborn, 16 July 1945, Box 30, Office of the governor, SG 14, RG 1, History and Archives Division, Arizona Department of Library, Archives and Public Records, Phoenix.

Letter from Air Marshal Douglas Colyer, British Joint Staff Mission, Offices of the Combined Chiefs of Staff, Washington D.C., to Governor Sidney P. Osborn, 19 September 1945, Box 30, Office of the Governor, SG 14, RG 1, History and Archives Division, Arizona Department of Library, Archives and Public Records, Phoenix.

Letter from Mr. Harold C. Giss, The Emporium Department Store in Yuma, Arizona, to Governor Sidney P. Osborn, 16 March 1945, Box 30, Office of the Governor, SG14, RG 1, History and Archives Division, Arizona Department of Library, Archives and Public Records, Phoenix.

Letter from Peter Regge R.A.F. to Governor Sidney P. Osborne, 24 August 1945, Box 30, Office of the Governor, SG 14, RG1, History and Archives Division, Arizona Department of Library, Archives and Public Records, Phoenix.

Mesa (Arizona) Journal-Tribune. 1 January 1941- 14 November 1946.

Mesa Tribune. “A Major City Asset.” 10 June 1963. http://www.ci.mesa.az.us/airport/a_major_city_asset.htm (8 March 2002).

Turner, F/Lt. C.L., ed., The Falcon, The Magazine of No. 4 British Flying Training School, Mesa, Arizona, 29 July 1943.

Turner, Molly. Interview by Hope Mitchell. Videotape Recording. Mesa Public Schools, Mesa, Arizona, 1998. Mesa Public Library.

Turner, Molly. Interview by Larry J. Simmons. Videotape Recording. Mesa, Arizona, 6 Ocober 1999. Mesa Public Library.

U.S. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Introduction to the Airport Improvement Program (As Ammended in 1987, 1990, 1992). Office of Airport Planning and Programming. June 1993.

Walker, David A. “Where a Hollywood Contact Helped Win a War.” AOPA, April 1984. http://www.ci.mesa.az.us/airport/falcon-whereahollywood.htm (8 March 2002).

[1] Charles Hyer, “Falcon Field Beginnings,” AAHS Journal 30, no. 3 (1985): 175.

[4] David A. Walker. “Where a Hollywood Contact Helped Win a War.” AOPA. April 1984. <http://www.ci.mesa.az.us/airport/falcon_whereahollywood.htm> (8 March 2002).

[6] Margaret Case Harriman. Take Them Up Tenderly: A Collection of Profiles. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1945), 215-216. Records show that Leland Hayward had the prestige of making Fred Astaire his first client. Hayward created a contract very profitable for both of them at a nightclub called the Mirador in New York.

[7] David A. Walker. “Where a Hollywood Contact Helped Win a War.” AOPA. April 1984.

[8] Ibid. ; Perhaps mainly due to these Hollywood ties, Falcon Field was featured in the “20^th Century Fox” production called “Thunderbird”. Cadets of Falcon and the other fields were cast as extras in the movie. As thanks for the cadet’s participation, the pool installed at Falcon for filming was donated to the cadets. ___________.

[12] “Falcon Field Airport History.” City of Mesa, 2 October 2001. <http://www.ci.mesa.az.us/airport/history.htm> (26 February 2002).

[13] Charles Hyer. “Falcon Field Beginnings.”; Mesa (Arizona) Journal-Tribune, “Expect Decision Soon,” 24 January 1941.

[14] Mesa (Arizona) Journal-Tribune, “Expect Decision Soon,” 1941.

[15] Originally, John Connelly wanted to title all the Southwest Airfields with the Name Thunderbird Field I, II and so forth, however the idea did not appeal to British command. Eventually a contest was held to find a new name for the field. Names Submitted included Superstition Field, Saguaro Field and Sun Valley Field. Falcon Field was the winning submission by E.B. Tucker, a Mesa resident and city engineer that had been instrumental in the selection of the airfield’s site. A “Falcon”, Tucker said, was “symbolic of the famous English fighting spirit and is the name of their renowned fighting and hunting bird.” Incidentally, E.B. Tucker won the prize of a valley air tour for his submission. Mesa (Arizona) Journal-Tribune. “English Air Men Coming,” 1 August 1941.

[16] Charles Hyer. “Falcon Field Beginnings.”

[17] Arizona Republic (Phoenix). “British Air School Slated for Valley.” 13 June 1941.

[19] Mesa (Arizona) Journal-Tribune. “Site for Field is Sought,” 20 June 1941.

[20] Mesa (Arizona) Journal-Tribune. “Habeeb Property is Chosen,” 27 June 1941.

[22] Mesa (Arizona) Journal-Tribune. “Ground is Broken For…,” 18 July 1941.

[23] Mary Louise Bustrin. My Second Job. 1990, 6.

[26] Charles Hyer. “Falcon Field Beginnings.”

[28] Walker. “Where a Hollywood Contact Helped Win.”

[30] Charles Hyer, “Falcon Field Beginnings.”

[31] F/Lt. C.L. Turner, ed., “Mesa,” The Falcon, 29 July 1943.

[32] Mesa (Arizona) Journal-Tribune. “Will Issue Bonds to Finance Purchase of Sites for Airports,” 18 July 1941.

[34] Mesa (Arizona) Journal-Tribune. “Shortage of Homes Predicted,” 20 June 1941.

[36] Mesa (Arizona) Journal-Tribune. “Officers Look for Houses As Field Nears Completion,” 3 August 1941.

[37] Molly Turner, Interview by Larry J. Simmons, Videotape recording, Mesa, Arizona, 6 October 1999.

[38] Mesa (Arizona) Journal-Tribune. “Officers Look for Houses,” 3 August 1941.

[40] Mesa (Arizona) Journal-Tribune. “Want Bids By June 28,” 20 June, 1941.

[42] Charles Hyer, “Falcon Field Beginnings.”

[43] Mesa (Arizona) Journal-Tribune, “City Bids for Falcon Field Property Title,” 21 March 1946.