DVHAA to Have Plane-Fixing Power Soon

Volunteers with a Horsham-based aircraft association spend “10s of thousands of man hours” repairing and restoring planes. Soon enough the group will be able to fix planes under lights and tools powered by electricity.

The Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority during its Wednesday afternoon meeting approved execution of a license agreement that would allow the Delaware Valley Historical Aircraft Association the ability to remove its generator and install electric lines to power the roughly one-acre area. 

“DVHAA has, for several months now, been using a generator for their heat and electricity,” HLRA Executive Director Mike McGee said. “A generator is not an ideal situation.”

Retired Major General Ron Nelson, DVHAA chairman of the board, told Patch that electricity would help the volunteer-run organization in a big way.

“It doesn’t have the power we need,” Nelson said of the generator. Nelson said the volunteer-run group’s 4,800-square-foot aviation museum already has its own power.

Joe Meyers, DVHAA's restoration manager, director of Support Services and who is overseeing the installation of the electricity, said it would cost $6,000 to install electric lines.

DVHAA's restoration area has been without electric and water since the base closed in 2011. 

"These are brutal and primitive conditions for men, all over 60, to be working under," Meyers said. "The lift that the electric will give to this dedicated group of volunteers is unfathomable by someone who doesn't work there."

DVHAA's new compressor has been damaged by using the generator and only allows one to two men to work at a time as compared to five or more with electric, according to Meyers. 

"This would pick up the pace for restoration and also allow us to handle other jobs at the same time," he said. "We have also started a reclamation system to allow us to collect rain water so we may wash our planes." 

While the HLRA voted affirmatively on Wednesday, McGee said the actual license agreement is not ready for signatures.

Since the land is owned by the federal government, McGee said the Navy would initiate a license agreement with the HLRA, who would in turn issue a sub-license with DVHAA.

McGee said he did not know when the license agreements would be finalized and when electricity could be installed.