Fedex and Fort Worth Alliance

[highflying]

Whats it the deal with Fedex and AFW (Fort Worth Alliacne airport) Is it a base or do they just do lots of flying in and out of there??

 

[Wankel7]

Maintenance I believe

 

[seefive]

Sort facility. Was planned for a lot more flying than is done out of there, however when FedEx got the US Postal contract in 2001, it changed the dynamics of domestic routes. FedEx AFW flying has diminished ever since.

 

[bobs98tlr]

Not a MX base.......but they have the room to do whatever they want. Nice facility and area.

 

[Coool Hand Luke]

I'm based out of AFW. FedEx has been here since late 1997. They grew the operation over the years then cut back some after 9/11. They are growing again. Right now the airport is expanding the main runway (16L/34R) out to 11,000 or 11,500 with plans for more if needed, this is so that FedEx can fly the big birds overseas during the day (AFW has a day sort too) non-stop and also because the airport (privately managed -a Perot company - but owned by the City of Fort Worth) wants to attract other cargo carriers.

 

[LOBO98]

And their are extending the runway due to Perot's new business venture as well:

Alliance Aviation Center of Excellence (AACE) Program

Instructing UAE students before they goto Tuscon to learn to fly the Block 60 Viper

 

[Coool Hand Luke]

Hey Lobo (you one of those "XL" guys?). Yea, I heard about that over a year ago but not anything recently. Something about using F-5's if I remember. I don't dismiss it, as far fetched as it seems, ol' Perot always seems to make the impossible possible. Now if I could just get him to let me take his Stearman or T-38 out for a spin....

 

[LOBO98]

F-5's are purchased and are waiting to be assembled.(Purchased from Norway's AF, I think)

Lockheed Martin is the contractor that is doing the hiring. ( I cant remember who has the MX contract)

The new building on the South West sideof the airport is where they are planning on staging out of.

This program was suppose to start this past Jan but it has been getting pushed to the right due to legislation and other factors. I think they are looking at a start date of Jan '08 right now. The applications for instructors are still on Lockheed website.

 

[Coool Hand Luke]

Nice! You have a separation date yet? LOL. Seriously though, that would be a cool IP job, with all the Muslum holy days there seem be I doubt you would ever end up working more than 3-days a week. Sweet!

 

[highflying]

so it is a base? How many pilots are based out of there and is it junior or senior? Someone just told me about it being a base and it was the first I have heard of it. When I look on airlinepilotcentral it doesnt say anything about it. I guess the internet isnt always 100%

 

[kc10/c130]

Fedex Does NOT have a pilot base there. It is a sorting facility and they do a fair amount of flying but no pilot base. Many people wish it were, as well as Indy, but to no avail.

 

[Coool Hand Luke]

Fedex Does NOT have a pilot base there. It is a sorting facility and they do a fair amount of flying but no pilot base. Many people wish it were, as well as Indy, but to no avail.

Since when is Indy not a crew base? I used to know the (former?) Chief Pilot up there...Bob Kelly (Kelley).

 

[bobs98tlr]

Some of the feeder companys are based out of AFW..


Does Perot have his own T-38? Is it painted red/white/blue? Just curious i think ive seen it but i had no idea Perot had any aiplanes like that. I grew up about 10 minutes from the aiport and spent a lot of time out at AFW. Wish i could come back.

 

[talondriver]

Does Perot have his own T-38? Is it painted red/white/blue? Just curious i think ive seen it but i had no idea Perot had any aiplanes like that. I grew up about 10 minutes from the aiport and spent a lot of time out at AFW. Wish i could come back.

He does. One of the reserve T-38 guys up at Sheppard is his "seeing eye" pilot for it. It's painted up like a T-chicken. Very nice looking jet.

 

[Suzuki300]

FEDEX Indy;

FEDEX has NEVER had a crew base in Indianapolis, or Alliance!!!

 

[Coool Hand Luke]

He does. One of the reserve T-38 guys up at Sheppard is his "seeing eye" pilot for it. It's painted up like a T-chicken. Very nice looking jet.

Ross has a former T-Bird guy that works for him (M. Bird I think) that he lets fly the T-38 (and the Stearman).

 

[Coool Hand Luke]

And their are extending the runway due to Perot's new business venture as well:

Alliance Aviation Center of Excellence (AACE) Program

Instructing UAE students before they goto Tuscon to learn to fly the Block 60 Viper

If you are still around Lobo this was in last weeks Ft. Worth newspaper:

Foreign military pilots could train at Alliance
BILL TEETER Star-Telegram Staff Writer


FORT WORTH — Residents in several far north Fort Worth neighborhoods hope to halt an Air Force proposal to train foreign fighter pilots at Alliance Airport. The Air Force is studying whether to train pilots from the United Arab Emirates air force in F-5 fighters at Alliance, said Mike Briggs, an Air Force spokesman.

Residents are primarily concerned about the increase in noise, said Rob Beauseau, who lives on Stedman Trail in the Heritage neighborhood, about five miles southeast of the airport runway.

Some also said they don't understand why military training would be conducted at the industrial airport and why military pilots from an Arab nation would be allowed to train in the U.S.

Military flights have been commonplace at Alliance for at least 10 years, said David Pelletier, spokesman for Hillwood Corp., a contractor that operates the city-owned airport. A new noise study is under way at Alliance, he said.

Residents have until Dec. 31 to comment on the proposal. The Air Force will decide early next year whether to proceed, Briggs said.

The Air Force completed an environmental assessment that showed that the project would increase air operations at Alliance about 8 percent and that the area affected by airport noise would increase slightly, Briggs said.

The training is to be conducted by Lockheed Martin in F-5s owned by a private contractor, Briggs said.

'It's a roar'

Colleen Demel, executive director of the North Fort Worth Alliance, which represents several neighborhood associations in far north Fort Worth, said the group has not taken a position on the training. She has been e-mailing residents about the proposal.

"People are concerned and want to know more," she said. "It's kind of like, 'Whoa, wait a minute. What's going on up here?' It is just kind of a shock for them."

Frank Annerino, who lives in the Villages of Woodland Springs, about three miles from the runway, said he is concerned about the military flights and is already disturbed by regular traffic at Alliance.

"It's a roar. We kind of kid each other. It sounds like they are going to land in the back yard," Annerino said. "The F-5 is very old, 1960s and '70s technology, so I don't have any idea what the noise would be."

Beauseau said cargo flights raise the noise level in his area to 80 decibels. He has been asking the city and the airport to shift the flight paths of larger planes to the west to reduce the noise, to no avail.

Fort Worth Assistant City Manager Marc Ott said the airport has been operating since before most of the houses in the area were built.

"The city is not unempathetic with people that live near airports. We certainly understand, and we are always open to listen to them, and if we can do something to make their situation better, we take those actions," he said. "But it is an airport, and there are limitations to what we can do."

Training obligation

Beauseau said he wonders whether there are extra security concerns about pilots from an Arab nation flying military jets here. He is also bothered by military use of the commercial airport.

"This is fighter training," Beauseau said. "There's quite a few of us who are up in arms, mainly because Alliance was built to be an industrial airport and not a military base."

The pilots would train in two-seat and single-seat planes, Briggs said.

F-5 fighters are commonly flown by foreign air force personnel, who often train in the U.S., he said.

Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls trains pilots from several European nations, he said. The United Arab Emirates is a U.S. ally, and the training is part of an obligation to assist with military readiness, Briggs said.

Air Force seeks comments

Residents have until Dec. 31 to comment on the Air Force proposal to train military pilots from the United Arab Emirates in F-5 fighters at Alliance Airport. Comments should be submitted in writing to Ron Voorhees, HQ AETC/A7CPP, Randolph Air Force Base, TX 78150-4319.

A draft environmental impact assessment about the proposed program is available for public viewing at the Fort Worth Public Library, 500 W. Third St. 817-871-7706.