April 2003
A better fit: Jeffco to get new hangar
Getting a single plane into the aging hangar at the Research Aviation Facility in Jefferson County Airport is quite a squeeze. Trying to shoehorn in two planes is out of the question.
So RAF is building a 34,000-square-foot hangar that is scheduled to open next summer—just in time for the October 2004 delivery of the organization’s newest research aircraft: the NSF/NCAR High-performance Instrumental Platform for Environmental Research (HIAPER). The new hangar will be big enough to accommodate both HIAPER (a modified Gulfstream V) and the NSF/NCAR C-130.
In addition, the existing 19,000-square-foot hangar will be used on occasion to house a third airplane used for NCAR research: a Navy P-3 that carries the Electra Doppler radar, or ELDORA.
Gerry Albright
“There’s been talk of a new hangar for years, but HIAPER is the driving force,” explains Gerry Albright, aircraft operations and administrative officer for RAF. “We need to be able to hangar all three aircraft.”
Construction of the hangar is scheduled to begin in September of this year.
The existing steel-beam and steel-sided hangar was built in the late 1960s. Space is so tight that the wingtips of the C-130 come within about 18 inches of the hangar walls.
The new hangar, which will be built on an empty lot just northeast of the existing hangar, will also be constructed mostly of steel. It will be similar in design to the older hangar, but it may feature a paint booth and aircraft corrosion control facilities.
In addition to Gerry, staffers working on the project include Finance & Administration’s Roseann Suer, who is administering the contract; the Atmospheric Technology Division’s
Bob Olson and Bill Irwin, who are helping to oversee design and day-to-day operations; and Physical Plant Services’ John Pereira, who is the project manager on the job. Weaver General Construction is the contractor handling the project.
The RAF facility itself will also undergo minor refurbishing, including some additional lab space, upgraded sprinkler systems for fire suppression, and improved parking. •David Hosansky
Also in this issue...
Karyn Sawyer weighs in on bombs, eels, and other career diversions
The marathoners: Staffers put in long shifts during snowstorm
ACD Studies Globe-Trotting Chemicals
Refurbishment update: ML Library will move temporarily
