PDF Version October November 2008 - Midwest Flyer

sleep rooms, private showers, game
room, multiple TV viewing areas, and
an exercise room. A 60,000-gallon
fuel farm featuring Conoco Phillips
products is under construction as well.
Prime rental space will be available
for corporate flight departments and
aviation-related tenants. In addition
to FBO services, aircraft sales and
acquisitions, charter, flight instruction,
aircraft detailing, mail order avionics
and consumer GPS sales, J. A. Air
Center is a Part 145 repair station
offering aircraft maintenance and
parts sales, instrument sales and
service, and award-winning avionics
installation.
Midwest Flyer Magazine toured
the new facilities under construction,
including the not-so-old BP corporate
hangar, which J.A. Air Center now
owns. J.A. Air Center President, Brad
Zeman, and FBO Operations Manager,
Randy Fank, gave us the tour.
When British Petroleum moved,
the facility remained empty for 4
years until J.A. Air Center bought
it. This hangar alone is large enough
to store as many as four Gulfstream
G4s, and has massive office space.
Included in its structure is one of the
largest I-beams ever manufactured.
Due to the security requirements
of BP executives, the hangar has a
number of security features, including
drive-in boarding, a car washing area,
and special access gates. The aircraft
maintenance facilities include a full
metal and welding shop.
The ramp area at Aurora is
massive, and the numerous hangars
that J.A. occupies give that part
of the airport a university campus
appearance. The company will have
four times as much space as they did
at Chicago’s DuPage Airport.
Each hangar will be dedicated to a
specific purpose. The avionics hangar
30 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2008 MIDWEST FLYER MAGAZINE
will include a paint booth, showers,
upstairs service shop, and an elevator
to go from the basement to the first and
second floors. Airframe maintenance
will also be in its own hangar, and
aircraft will be stored in other hangars.
When customers schedule their
maintenance, they will have the
convenience of a “one-stop” service
facility. If they are in for an annual
inspection, they can also have their
avionics serviced at the same time, or
have detailing done to their aircraft.
The terminal building will have
all of the amenities a pilot and his
passengers could ask for. When
they walk in from either the ramp
or parking lot, they will naturally go
through doors, which will take them
to the customer lounge or waiting
area, and to the “no-door” restrooms.
A Starbuck-type café will offer coffee
and donuts, and corporate aircraft
catering will also be available.
“The idea is to make the whole
area comfortable for our customers
and their guests,” said Zeman. There’s
even a VIP reading room for casual
conversations, a pilot briefing room,
large pilot lounge, and a computer
room. A video camera on the ramp can
be viewed from the pilot lounge for
added security.
Probably the most distinctive
feature of the terminal building will
be the outside canopy for arriving and
departing aircraft. Aircraft will be able
to taxi right up to the front door, or
departing aircraft can be towed to the
front door to load passengers.
“Canopies are popular in warmer
climate states,” said Zeman. “It only
makes sense that Midwestern states
that get a lot of rain and snow, also
have such amenities.” When completed,
the canopy will cover 20,000
sq. feet. Signature Flight Service
at Kissimmee, Fla. and Wilson Air
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Center at Memphis International
are two general aviation operations
that have canopies at their terminal
buildings.
“We believe that once an aircraft
owner arrives at our terminal building
and sees all of our facilities, they will
return for aircraft maintenance,” said
Zeman.
“We will continue to be a facility
for the little guy,” said Zeman. “But
now we are able to handle the big
boys, too!”
Looking over the facilities, it
is hard to believe that the new and
remodeled facilities are actually “Plan
B” in J.A.’s expansion plans. Before
the BP corporate hangar became
available, Zeman had planned to build
a completely new facility west of the
BP hangar. But due to cutbacks in
federal airport aid they needed for a
new ramp and taxiways, Zeman opted
to move forward with Plan B, and
he’s glad he did. J.A. has more space
than Plan A provided. Plan B was put
together in only 90 days thanks to
Robert A. Rieser, Airport Director at
Aurora Municipal Airport.
J.A. Aero Aircraft Sales is a division
of J.A. Air Center, and a Cessna sales
and service center. The company sell
everything from the new SkyCatcher
trainer, to the Caravan.
J.A. founder, Bernie Klotz, is
proud of the new facilities, and proud
of Zeman for making it a reality.
Eventually, Zeman will be the sole
owner of the operation. He has been
with the company since 1986. J.A.
employs 85 people.
J.A. Air Center will open its
new facilities on December 1. For
additional information, call 1-800-
323-5966, or email dzeitler@jaair.
com. Additional information will
also be posted on the J.A. Air Center
website: www.jaair.com. q
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