The U.S. Navy’s Chief of Naval Air Training said Tuesday that he is actively looking for an outlying runway for his pilot trainees to use for landing and takeoff practice and the main runway at the Chase Field Industrial Airport Complex is on his list.

Rear Adm. Mark Guadagnini told the Bee-Picayune that it was the first newspaper for him to contact in going public with his plans to find a practice field for Navy fighter pilots.

Guadagnini, speaking from his office at the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, said that in about two years the Navy will be adopting a new training aircraft, the T-6, to replace the current T-34. That new plane will be larger, more powerful and will require at least 5,000 feet of usable runway for landing and takeoff practice runs.

The admiral said the Navy is interested in a lease agreement somewhere in South Texas but he is looking for the best deal.

Joe B. Montez, executive director of the Bee Development Authority, which owns Beeville’s former naval air station, said he is aware of the Navy’s search for a suitable runway for its practice runs. However, Montez said Tuesday that he has not yet talked to Guadagnini.

Montez said the decision of whether to enter into a lease agreement with the Navy would not be up to him but up to the BDA board.

“We took this facility over as an economic development conveyance,” Montez said. “That is paramount to our operation.”

However, Montez said he would listen to the admiral concerning a possible lease agreement.

“They are the United States Navy and this is a time of war,” Montez said.

The director said the Navy does have other nearby options, including runways at Orange Grove and Goliad.

“I’m not saying no or yes at this time,” Montez said when contacted. “It’s not my decision to make.”

Guadagnini said he realizes that Sikorsky Support Services and Kay and Associates operate a helicopter maintenance facility at Chase Field. But he said the Navy would not require exclusive use of the runway facilities. He said Navy trainees now use the runway at Corpus Christi International Airport for its practice runs when it is not busy.

When told that Sikorsky has used the runway for fixed-wing cargo planes delivering helicopters from customers, the admiral said that would not be a problem. He said it also would not be a problem for the Navy to share the runway with private airplane owners who might wish to use the runway in the future.

“We’re not looking for sole use,” Guadagnini said. “It would be shared use.”

The admiral said he intends to talk to Montez in the near future to see if some kind of agreement can be arranged.

Guadagnini said he is a product of NAS Chase Field. He trained here as a young naval officer, spent two years in Beeville and enjoyed the experience.

“I’d love to be able to fly into Chase Field again,” the admiral said.