Grand Prairie Daily News from Grand Prairie, Texas • Page 1

Lone F-8 remains at NAS By MARK MANROE Staff Writer The old F-8H Crusader now sits alone and lifeless, pushed off into a corner of the Dallas Naval Air Static. All the other F-8's at DNAS ive to been flown off to the aircraft graveyard near Tucson, Arizona, to be replaced by the newer and more sophisticated F4-N Phantoms. But F-8H number 20, of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112, will probably never leave DNAS. Its engine has been removed along with most of its electronic gear. "It's just a shell of a plane," Col.

Witt Irion Said, they were phased out, I IRION IS THE current commander of the Marine detachment at DNAS. Irion has over 1,000 hours of flight time in F-8's and flew F-4's in combat over Vietnam. He is an expert on both types of planes. A new hangar is currently being built at DNAS for the Marine fighter After it is finished, Irion hopes to set up the old Crudsader as static display, just east of the new hangar, facing Jefferson Boulevard. The Texas Air National Guard currently has two old fighters set out as static displays at Hensley Field, right next to DNAS.

But these planes are just sitting on the ground, with bushes growing around them. Irion envisions something different and more dramatic for the Crusader. He would build a pedestal for it to get it off the ground. "I want it with the wheels up and in a flying attitude, to serve as a memorial to a good old airplane and those who flew it," Irion explained. THOSE WHO FLEW the F-8's liked them, and a lot of people did fly Crusaders since 1,261 were built.

Irion called them "the last of the true fighter aircraft, until the F-16." Compared to the F-4, "We all think the F-8 is a nicer plane to fly," Irion commented. "It's more of a fighter pilot's airplane, while a lot of pilots think of the F-4 as more of a bomber." The F-4 is a two-seat aircraft, a fact that does not please some of the pilots who previously flew F-8's. "The F-8 type of pilot resents having someone with him in the air," Irion explained. "They don't like having to share the elation of flying with someone else." Despite this, Irion said he considered the F-4 a superior airplane to the F-8 "in most respects." While there was some "nostalgic remorse" amongst the pilots when the change to F-4's was announced, Irion said most of the pilots were pleased. "Everyone in the reserves has a complex about down airplanes," Irion said.

"Most of the reserves looked forward to flying the same planes as the regulars." The Marine fighter squadron at DNAS is still in the process of receiving its 12 F4N Phantoms. Before they were phased out, the squadron had 15 Crusaders. In addition, the Navy squadrons at DNAS, which also flew F-8'has switched to F-4's. THE MARINES BEGAN to receive their F-4's in late February, 1976. and the last flvable F-8 was taken to Arizona in late April.

Number 20, the only F-8 left at the base, has not flown for several years, and was taken off the active list in early 1974. Irion said the aircraft had so many things wrong with it that it was decided more money would have to be spent to repair the plane than it was worth. There are only a few F-8's still in service. The Navy still flies photo- reconnaisance versions of the plane and the French Navy still flies some of the 42 Crusaders it bought in 1964. While Crusader number 20 has been gathering dust for the last se- vreral years, Irion said several groups have asked the Marines to give them plane.

Various Veteran of Foreign War posts and a Dallas area transportation museum are among those who would like to have the plane. BUT IRION PLANS to keep it. He hopes to get Vought Corporation to put a new paint job on the plane, and also find someone to design a pedestal to place the old F-8 on for display. Irion said he has just begun to work on these projects, but is confident they can be done. If Irion is successful, F-8H number 20, of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112, will have achieved a much more noble and appropriate end than the than aircraft graveyard in Arizona.

Daily News Photo THE LAST CRUSADER at Dallas Naval Air Station is shown here with Marine Col. Witt Irion, who commands the unit to which F-8H number 20 belongs. The rest of the F-8H Crusaders at DNAS have been repalaced by F-4N Phantoms. Irion hopes to build a display pedestal for this survivor GPAN'D ALL-AMERICA CITY "III GRAND PRAIRIE DAILY NEWS Grand Prairie's Newspaper Since 1908 CIRCULATION PHONE 262-1329 VOLUME 69 NUMBER 13 GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1976 15' Grand Prairie's attorney Brownlow says Dallas wants us to pay for their water system A i By NEIL LANDSMAN Staff Writer Dallas wants Grand Prairie to ray for its water system without ownership or rate control, maintains Jerry Brownlow, Grand Prairie's attorney in the water rate dispute with Dallas, which is now before the Texas Water Rights Commission. Brownlow, who has worked on the water dispute case since 1961, STUDENTS TURNED entire second-grade class of Milam Elementary School converged upon the other Milam students and faculty Tuesday as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, complete with a Chinese dragon, a totem pole, Santa and his reindeer, dancing turkeys and an array of Thanksgiving characters, including the ever-popular clowns.

These three Milam students, (left to right) Cheryl Dutton, Parry Fater and Marcus Murray, delighted students with their antics during the school performance and bestowed souvenir balloons upon parents at the PTA performance that evening. contends that Grand Prairie along with other suburban cities in Dallas County are being forced to subsidize Dallas' water system and pay unreasonably high rates to Dallas for water. "Dallas wants us to pay for their water system and never have ownership and never have anything to say about rates," said Brownlow, a former city attorney of Grand Prairie. "Grand Prairie does not own and could never own the system but Dallas Dallas wants Grand Prairie to pay rates which would pay for the system in 20 years." Grand Prairie and Farmers Branch have protested Dallas' rates to the Texas Water Rights Commission. The two cities have not renewed their water contracts with Dallas and are paying Dallas' rates under protest.

THE COMMISSION told both cities to pay the rate in 1975 but if the commission rules against Dallas, the city may be forced to pay rebates to the two protesting cities for the difference between the current rates and the rates the commission approves. So far the hearing examiner has ruled in Grand Prairie's favor but Dallas has contended that the commission does not have jurisdiction to settle rate disputes between cities. If the hearing examiner's report was accepted now, Dallas would be forced to pay anch as much as $500,000, Brownlow said. Grand Prairie could receive rebates in excess of $100,000 or even about $180,000 if the report is accepted as it is. "As far as I'm concerned," said Brownlow, "it's just a matter of paying back previous excess profits by Dallas.

Dallas won't lose a thing." The commission may reconvene on Nov. 20 but Brownlow expects the commission to hear final arguments in the case in December of January. The hearing examiner in the case has already made his report, which strongly favors the suburban cities. What's slowing up the commission is that Dallas is now conducting its fourth study of its water rates and has brought in out-of-state analysts. WHILE GRAND Prairie maintains that Dallas is charging too much and wants the customer cities to pay for its system, Dallas insists just as adamantly that it is being forced to serve customer cities with a system Dallas taxpayers have paid $200 million to build.

"Dallas retains ownership of the entire system after the expiration of the contracts," Brownlow wrote in a report on the case. "This is the biggest single area of the dispute in this rate controversy, and in our opinion, the position of Dallas in this regard is totally unsupported by rate regulatory authority in this or any other jurisdiction and is unheard of as to the rates established by any water district of which we are aware." Dallas is charging Grand Prairie about 45 cents per 1,000 gallons of water but Grand Prairie rate analysts and the hearing examiner have said Grand Prairie should only be paying about 20 or 22 cents. Grand Prairie has been protesting the high rates since 1959. "Grand Prairie and Farmers Branch have paid Dallas about $20 million in previous years and yet we own no interest in Dallas' system. We paid for it but Dallas owns it," said Brownlow, who added that Dallas wants Grand Prairie to sign a 30 -year contract like Irving.

Brownlow said that Irving has signed a 30-year contract with Dallas for water. Under the contract, in which Dallas can raise the rates at any time, Irving could "pay an excess of $300 million to Dallas so I can understand why Dallas would be apprehensive about the commission findings. If that rate is shoved on suburban cities, we'll be forced to pay for Dallas' system without ownership or a say in Brownlow added. ALTHOUGH DALLAS contends that the Water Rights Commission does not have jurisdiction in the matter, one district court has already told Dallas that the commission has jurisdiction. The hearing examiner agrees with the court and so does two members of the three-member commission.

In the Texas Water Code, it states that a city must sell water to another city if the buyer is willing to pay fair prices. The codes also stipulate that the commission sets the rates. The commission gave Dallas control of the water in Dallas County when Dallas assured the commission it would service Dallas County cities with water. "Dallas has control of water in Dallas County but Dallas assured the commission it would serve the county water," Brownlow said. "The commission has the power to regulate water.

Dallas has bound itself to sell water to the suburban cities at cost and we think we know what the cost is." LAST WEEK the hearing examiner and commission reported some of their rulings on the case and the decisions pleased Brownlow, who has his law office in his home in Grand Prairie. "Anytime you get into a rate case, you can't win every point that can be raised," Brownlow said. He also believes Dallas is using water as an "economic tool" to attract industry and contruction to Dallas instead of to the suburbs. Officials attend city league meet members of the city council and top city officials will be attending the annual Texas Municipal League conference in Dallas Saturday through Tuesday. City Manager Cliff Johnson is on the board of directors of the Texas Municipal League 'and firmly believes the organization serves Texas cities.

The conference will consist of information seminars and discussions about issues facing cities now and in the near future. Officials also get a chance to meet administrators from other cities and discuss problems common to municipalities across the state. The city council last week also approved ten resolutions which Johnson will present to the league and ask for the league's support. "The association of Texas cities has a common interest to promote good, more efficient government and communicate information between cities," Johnson said. "We'll prepare legislative programs to promote bills that would be beneficial to cities and take positions on a national level where states' rights would be involved.

"It's important to every city to understand and know and keep up with state laws being considered," the city manager said. ad Coese Wright, 1S01 S. E. 4th was very thanful she placed an ad with the Daily News classifieds when she wanted to rent her house. She was able to get $215 per month.

"I was very glad I placed an ad in our paper," said Mrs Wright. "It took only one day to get results.".