During the Mesa City Council Meeting on March 4, 2024, Executive Director Sarah Andrews addresses the council during the public comments portion of the meeting. She discussed the misconduct of the Falcon Field Airport Administration and the individual city employees involved in Airport Director Corrine Nystrom's fraudulent scheme with the Wings of Flight Foundation (WoFF) and disgraced Falcon Warbirds Foundation (FWF) Board Directors Richard Stich, Santiago Montez, and Timothy Brown.

In summary, here is what has been happening:

- January 2023: Ms. Nystrom claimed she was understaffed and couldn't allow Copperstate Fly-In exhibitors in the West WWII hangar. She claimed "pilots would get sucked up into jet engines on the ramp" during the event and stated a 3-day event without tents or alcohol sales needed a Special Event Permit from the City of Mesa.

- February 2023: The FAA Waiver Team and local FAA representatives concluded that there were no safety concerns given the event's small scale. Ms. Nystrom canceled the event anyway, less than 30 days before the scheduled dates, claiming the airport flight schools wanted a Risk Assessment Audit. She rescheduled the event for Nov 2023, demanding a monthly meeting of all "stakeholders" and a list of other requirements she made up.

- March 2023: The Risk Assessment Audit revealed that Corrine Nystrom and her staff consistently violated the terms of an Event Management Plan Form and International Fire Codes by allowing WoFF to keep airplanes full of fuel in the hangar during public events. She also allowed a complete construction remodel of the hangar clubhouse without permits, licensed contractors, or inspections. Many other lease violations committed by the WoFF also were found.

- April 2023: Ms. Nystrom allowed WoFF to drift a car in and out of the hangar with airplanes full of fuel. The vehicle was also drifting on the public ramp under the wings of airplanes without any barricades, other safety precautions, or fire inspection. During these dangerous activities, the tower continued to clear pilots to taxi to the run-up area near runway 4R adjacent to the drifting car.

- May 2023: Ms. Nystrom ignored Risk Assessment concerns and complaints against WoFF as the "joint liability tenant' to the FWF. Complaints were forwarded to City Departments, City Managers, and Councilmember Goforth, and all were ignored.

- July 2023: Ms. Nystrom and her staff began to retaliate against the FWF by approving a WoFF event for exhibitors in the hangar with no excessive meetings of stakeholders, Special Event Permits, list of fabricated demands, and no plan to de-fuel over 700 gallons from WoFF's airplanes in the hangar during the event.

- August 2023: Ms. Nystrom decided to only recognize Richard Stich, Santiago Montez, and Timothy Brown as authorized representatives for FWF. Their decision was made after the NTSB ruled Richard Stich at fault for the mid-air collision in March, while Santiago Montez and Timothy Brown were fraudulently filing changes at the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) to manipulate FWF Board votes against them.

- September 2023: Every building severely damaged by the storm is managed by the Airport Administration, then WoFF, Richard Stich, Santiago Montez, and Timothy Brown collaborated with Ms. Nystrom to change the locks on the West WWII hangar. 

- October 2023: Richard Stich, Santiago Montez, and Timothy Brown file fraudulent Articles of Dissolution at the ACC. Ms. Nystrom and WoFF use these filings to justify Richard Stich signing a Consent to Assignment of the West WWII hangar lease to WoFF. The ACC rejected these filings and returned the FWF status to Good Standing. The City of Mesa, Airport Administration, and WoFF refused to recognize the rejection of Articles of Dissolution by the ACC. Complaints are filed with City Auditor Joseph Lisitano for Ms. Nystrom's misconduct, which he ignored.

- December 2023: Ms. Nystrom and WoFF intentionally removed FWF property from the West WWII hangar storage facility to sustain damage in the rainy weather and stole the rest. FWF continues to pay rent while Ms. Nsytrom gives two months of free rent to WoFF and a discounted rate for the displacement hangars during storm damage repairs to the West WWII hangar.

- January 2024: Ms. Nystrom and City Attorney Margaret Robertson still claim that the FWF was dissolved and that the Consent to Assignment is valid. 

- February 2024: Ms. Nystrom is still leading a fraudulent scheme to cover up her misconduct. She is using city resources to do so and has forced FWF airplanes out of the displacement hangars, even though the City has been collecting rent for the West WWII hangar from FWF.

- March 2024: After the council meeting, Councilmember Goforth claims the FWF was dissolved, even though the ACC rejected the filing, and everything Corrine Nystrom does has been "above board". She also states that FWF can contest otherwise in court. 

It appears that the Councilmember for the Falcon District wants FWF to allocate its resources towards fighting this misconduct, instead of providing flights for families with financial difficulties who have loved ones interred at the National Cemetery. What are your thoughts on the matter?

Link to the City Council Meeting on March 4, 2024 https://youtu.be/DRjlDZY-MDk

Link to Contact Councilmember Alicia Goforth | City of Mesa (mesaaz.gov)

Link to Ask the Airport | Events | City of Mesa (falconfieldairport.com)

Link to the next Council Meeting March 18, 2024, City Council Meeting | Calendar of Events | City of Mesa (mesaaz.gov)