The tragic collision of two historic planes leading to the death of six men this past weekend has led to more attention being drawn to the Dallas Executive Airport, which is where the Commemorative Air Force Wings Over Dallas Air Show took place.
Dallas Executive Airport is located less than 10 miles from downtown Dallas. The airport occupies over 1000 acres of land and is within minutes of some of Dallas’ main attractions, such as the Fortune 500 business district, North Park Center, and the AT&T Performing Arts Center.
The airport also features 480 acres of developable land. That’s more than any other regional general aviation airport. Dallas Executive Airport has a full-service restaurant, administrative offices, and a business conference center.
The airport acts as a reliever airport for Dallas Love Field, meaning that when Love Field is at capacity, Dallas Executive Airport provides additional space.
According to the airport’s website, the Dallas Executive Airport is “fully equipped with an air traffic control tower, a full instrument landing system, all of the necessary aeronautical lighting, airport markings and air navigation radio aids … Two full-service fixed-based operators provide a range of amenities including meeting rooms, pilot lounge areas and sleeping quarters, car rentals, fuel maintenance, hangar rentals, and charters.”
The Dallas Police Department also operates its helicopters out of Dallas Executive Airport.
The airport has also been the headquarters of the Commemorative Air Force since 2016, which has a museum located on-sight.
The Commemorative Air Force technically ranks as one of the largest air forces in the world, with a fleet of more than 175 aircraft, representing more than 60 different types — including planes from several foreign countries and other military conflicts since World War II.
The organization has approximately 13,000 members, with members in every state plus 28 foreign countries. The Commemorative Air Force helped organize the Wings Over Dallas air show, which was the show where the tragic accident occurred Saturday.
“Both planes were making circles,” Darrell Washington, a spectator watching the air show, told The Dallas Express.
“We saw the big one sitting on the runway, and he took off and made about six rounds in the air, and when he was coming in, a small plane showed up in the air, and he came around was going so fast and couldn’t stop and just smashed right into the big one and exploded right in front of our eyes,” Washington explained.
