Pro Con Inc completes 40,000 s/f hangar project for Alpha Flying and Atlas Pilatus

Pro Con Inc. has completed a new 40,000 s/f hangar which is part of a $13 million aviation facility being built for Alpha Flying, Inc. (AFI) and Atlas Pilatus Center, Inc. (APC) at Pease International Airport. The new hangar and adjoining 44,000 s/f of office and support spaces are part of a state-of-the-art aviation facility located at 115 Flight Line Rd.which will house the main offices and maintenance facilities of AFI and APC. Pro Con is the architect and the construction manager for the design-build project. Pro Con designed the AFI/APC facility to service a full spectrum of general aviation uses including aircraft storage, maintenance, repair and technical support. The 40,000 s/f hangar has two hangar doors each measuring 130-foot wide x 28-foot high to accommodate most models of corporate aircraft. The aircraft hangar is equipped with under slab heating. This system ensures a comfortable work environment for the APC team and provides effective, energy-efficient heating during the winter months. A state-of-the-art aircraft hangar fire suppression system ensures the highest degree of safety. The design of the aviation facility also incorporates a 2-story, 2,500 s/f lounge area with an expansive wall of windows. The centerpiece of the lobby is an open staircase leading from the reception area to the second floor corporate offices. The unique design of the staircase compliments the adjacent 2-story exterior blue tinted reflecting glass walls and will be a dramatic feature within the lobby area. The building will offer a quiet room for pilots and work areas for flight planning, as well as a conference room that will overlook the lounge and offer views to the airfield. Corporate offices for Alpha Flying, which will be located on the second floor, will include executive and administrative offices, as well as several conference rooms. Founded in 1992, AFI is an aircraft management company. In addition to its traditional aircraft management, consulting and crewing functions, it is the Program Manager of PlaneSense, an aircraft fractional ownership program. APC, an affiliated company, is the exclusive aircraft maintenance service center and sales distribution center in New England, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Michigan for the Pilatus PC-12, the best selling turban aircraft in the world. Launched in 1995, today PlaneSense is one of the five largest fractional programs in the United States and flies the largest fleet of Pilatus PC-12s in the world. Presently, its fleet count is 25 aircraft and growing to an expected 50+ aircraft by the year 2010. The rapid growth of fractional ownership and Plane Sense's expanding fleet, in conjunction with the excellent performance of APC, has necessitated the move from the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport to a larger facility at Pease International Airport in Portsmouth. The participants in the PlaneSense fractional ownership program own a share of an aircraft in the PlaneSense fleet. Through this exchange of shares, they are entitled to access the entire fleet. PlaneSense participants thus enjoy the benefits of sole aircraft ownership by purchasing as little or as much of an airplane as they need, at a fraction of the cost of sole ownership. Alpha Flying arranges for the scheduling, maintenance, crewing and other administrative services that support the PlaneSense Program. APC performs all inspections, routine maintenance, repairs and upgrades to the PlaneSense fleet. As a factory-authorized service center for Pilatus PC-12 aircraft, APC enjoys a national reputation for providing these and other services for individual owners of PC-12s outside the PlaneSense Program as well. Pro Con has scheduled a late fall 2007 completion for the 44,000-s/f of office and support spaces of the AFI/APC facility. This is one of several aviation facility construction projects Pro Con has designed and managed. Pro Con is a comprehensive design and construction management firm specializing in all levels of corporate, commercial, industrial, institutional and multi-residential construction. Founded in 1935, the company serves clients throughout New England and the Northeast and is recognized as being a leader in the industry.