Growing number of
corporate hangars a positive economic barometer
Economic development
professionals know that an airport is a
vital economic engine for a community.
One sign of economic prosperity is the
presence of corporate aircraft hangars,
those anonymous looking structures
usually positioned off to the side or in
back of the runways.
In Volusia County, developer Bob
Nass is building first-class hangars that
are attracting the attention of owners of
some mighty fine aircraft.
“With the growth of corporate
aviation, there is demand for corporate
hangars,” said Nass. “This is especially
true of first-class corporate hangars,
with amenities for the convenience and
comfort of passengers and flight crew.
Some even have stylish offices space, so
traveling executives have an
extraordinarily convenient place in which to conduct business.”
Nass has spent a lifetime in commercial and residential real estate
and has developed projects
in the northeast, North Carolina and Florida. His projects include
hospitals, supermarkets,
churches, restaurants and more. But as an avid aviator, he has a
special affinity for the development
of aircraft hangars.
In the 1990s, Nass worked with the Fort Pierce Airport Authority to
develop hangars. Now he
and his partners are creating first-class hangars in DeLand and
Daytona Beach. A resident of the
Spruce Creek Fly-In in Port Orange, he recently moved his office
from Pennsylvania to DeLand. His
office provides a panoramic view of the airfield.
Nass and his partners have leased two parcels totaling nearly nine
acres at DeLand Municipal
Airport.
“This is the site
of Mustang Point Aerodrome, a complex of 30 hangars
ranging from 2,500 to
10,000 square feet,” said Jerry Coone, Nass’s partner and project
manager. Construction features
handsome granite block and structural steel, with tinted-glass
entrances. The hangars can be
outfitted for cable television and high-speed Internet access, air
conditioning, 200-amp electrical
service, bath and shower facilities and two-story offices. The
clearance is 16 feet and the hangars
have remote-controlled high bi-fold doors.
“Owners of high-end corporate aircraft insist on suitable hangars in
key locations,” said
Coone. “They also want their passengers to be comfortable and want
their hangars to be first class.
As aviators ourselves, we appreciate this and do everything we can
to produce corporate hangars
that are a source of pride for our customers.”
A few miles east from
Deland Municipal Airport is Daytona Beach
International Airport,
where Jet Park Daytona is being created under the watchful eye
of Michelle La Vigna, also a
partner of Nass.
Jet Park Daytona is on 19 acres at DBIA, under a 30-year lease with
the airport. The county’s
airport master plan calls for the development of large hangars for
corporate aviation, private
aviators and aviation-related businesses.
“We see a growing need for these facilities given the upward trends
in general aviation,” said
La Vigna. “Our goal is to provide quality, first-class hangars,
structured for private leased
ownership.”
Add to this, the security of a leased-ownership hangar, the
promotional value of hanging the
corporate name on the side, the ability to design the interior, the
ability to include a conference
room and offices, and it becomes very attractive for corporate
customers or discerning private
aviation enthusiasts.
“Aviation is a good barometer of business, and the presence of
upscale corporate hangars is a
good barometer of aviation,” said Phil Ehlinger, who oversees
business development for the Volusia
County Department of Economic Development.
Ehlinger, a pilot who has seen hundreds of airports and even more
hangars, said that serving
the aviation community is like anything else: “Quality sells.”
