BLUE ANGELS TO PERFORM IN CAPE MAY 9-10

The Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, will schedule a repeat performance in Cape Girardeau May 9 and 10, airport officials announced Tuesday.

The squadron last performed at the Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport during Aviation Days in 1983, when the two-day crowd was estimated at 25,000 to 30,000.

Airport Manager Mark Seesing said at Tuesday's Airport Advisory Board meeting that Blue Angels representatives will hold a "pre-season" meeting in Cape Girardeau Dec. 13 to discuss the show.

Seesing said the city will have to borrow money to pay for the air show. The airport board recently requested a $50,000 loan from the Convention and Visitors Bureau to prepare for the show, with the condition that the money would be repaid after the show.

The board's request was one of 28 proposals recently submitted for use of the tourism funds. The city council solicited the proposals in an attempt to study the best use of the city's tourism fund.

"This is the only one that suggests it's a loan and not a `gimmee,'" Seesing said. "We're not interested in making a profit as much as we want to get the public interested in the airport."

The Blue Angels will charge $6,000 for the two-day show, but require aircraft arrestors at the end of the runways as a safety precaution. Seesing said the arrestors can be quite expensive.

But he said the Blue Angels might not require the equipment at Cape Girardeau if an area airport already has sufficient arrestors.

In other business, the board approved a recommendation that the city staff research the cost for transportation, installation and maintenance of a static-display aircraft at the airport.

U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson of Cape Girardeau has provided the city with information from a group that provides disarmed fighter aircraft free of charge. The city would be responsible for transportation costs, installation and mounting, and maintenance of the aircraft.

The board also approved a list of 12 priority airport improvement projects. At the top of the list is a project to improve the airport water system.

Some of the improvements will be done in conjunction with renovation of the airport terminal building.

Some of the other priority projects include: land acquisition; realignment of the airport entrance road and parking lot improvements; fuel depot relocation; extension of airport ramp and apron taxiways; and replacement of the airport's fire protection vehicle.

Most of the projects can be done with local funds and state and federal matching funds.

Seesing also reported that airport boardings through November still are lagging behind last year's pace, when the city barely met the Federal Aviation Administration's 10,000-annual-enplanement requirement.

If the city drops below the 10,000 boardings, it loses $300,000 in FAA entitlement funds for airport improvement projects.

Boardings this year now total only 8,082 through November, well behind last year's total through the month of 9,435.

Although the city will lose the federal entitlements, Seesing has said other state and federal grants are available for airport projects.