City to sign lease for historic fighter jet for Chappie James plaza project

The bayside monument to Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James will be a step closer to reality this week when the city is expected to sign off on an agreement to bring a historical 25,000-pound F-4C Phantom II fighter jet to Pensacola.

The aircraft's relocation to Pensacola is the first physical milestone in constructing the monument in Wayside Park, which will also consist of a large-scale sculpture of James, a flagpole and plaza with landscaping at the Pensacola side of the Pensacola Bay Bridge.

The state signed off in 2020 to rename the bridge the Gen. Chappie James Jr. Bridge, but it won't officially undergo the name change until a ceremony is conducted once the monument is complete.

This week's agreement between the city and the National Museum of the United States Air Force will allow the city to lease the aircraft under a series of conditions including appropriate maintenance and display.

That lease will allow the city to enter a subsequent agreement with the Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Memorial Foundation to take over the next steps, such as the logistics of bringing the aircraft to the city.

Foundation chairman Cris Dosev said the aircraft has been demilitarized and is in static display at Music City Airport just outside of Nashville. To be relocated to Pensacola, it will need to be disassembled and separated onto trucks that will be driven to Florida and reassembled for display.

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"We've been busy," Dosev said. "I think everything's starting to come together and we want this plaza not to look like an afterthought. ... In the big scheme of things this is, for a lot of people, their first impression coming into the city and we want to leave folks with a very impressive and memorable impression."

Renowned artist Ed Dwight, a former Air Force test pilot and America's first African-American astronaut candidate, is constructing the 10-foot statue of James at his workshop in Colorado, an endeavor Dosev said is expected to take up to nine more months to complete.

Dwight has made a name for himself sculpting historical Black figures, which will now include James, the first African American to reach the rank of four-star general in the United States. James grew up in a segregated Pensacola in the 1920s.

While the plaza will serve as a monument to James, it will also serve as an element of the city's overarching plan to activate downtown waterfront connectivity. The city has agreed to fund $250,000 toward the creation of the statue, paid for through local option sales tax funding.

Councilwoman Teniadé Broughton has spearheaded the push for city funding of the project and said Friday that the finished project will be a positive step in fostering a culture of inclusivity to new visitors to the city and help the city foster an identity.

"It shows we can highlight our military and African American history in a unique way," she said. "It's something we see in museum spaces, but here we're moving it into the public with public art."

In all, Dosev said he's expecting the project to run close to $1 million, with private fundraising efforts now beginning.

Crews recently took soil samples on the site to determine how much weight the area can bear, after which designers and engineers can finish site plans and determine more definitive pricing and timeline.

"This is an all-volunteer board and we’re doing everything we can to get this in place," Dosev said. "The simple elements are the flagpole, of course, but then the aircraft and the sculpture you can't just pick up at the local Ace Hardware store, it requires some coordination. But once we get this lease agreement set, then all our focus will be toward fundraising."

The jet, plaza and sculpture will be located adjacent to the new roundabout and flyover at the base of the bridge, and Dosev said designs and landscaping will mimic those elements to make it appear more cohesive.

The City Council is expected to discuss the leasing agreement with the National Museum of the United States Air Force at its agenda conference Tuesday afternoon.

Emma Kennedy can be reached at ekennedy@pnj.com or 850-480-6979.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Chappie James plaza in Pensacola one step closer with fighter jet lease