As a trio of U.S. Navy F/A-18 jets roared overhead after takeoff from Cecil Airport, the genesis of the 370,000-square-foot complex where they will be overhauled was being held on the ground below Wednesday morning.
Within a year and a half, a $156 million maintenance, repair and overhaul site facility for Boeing's F/A-18 and QF-16 fighter jets, plus P8 and C40 support planes, should open at the northeast end of the former Navy base's sprawling runways.
Expectations are that 400 people will ultimately work at the 30-acre site, the result of a multi-year effort by city and Jacksonville Aviation Authority officials.
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