Aircraft maintenance shops and aviation suppliers around Will Rogers World Airport and Tinker Air Force Base need tall, wide, unobstructed space, and they need it on a schedule that follows contracts rather than seasons. That is the work a pre-engineered steel frame was made for. We build hangars, shop bays and warehouse space with clear spans of 100 feet and more, door walls sized to the aircraft or equipment that must roll through them, and slabs designed for heavy loads on small tires.
The setting explains the demand. The air base has more than 26,000 military and civilian workers, an annual payroll of $1.8 billion and the title of largest single-site employer in Oklahoma. It covers nine square miles, with 760 buildings and more than 15 million square feet of floor space. A base that large has an extended supply chain of private firms that handle parts, tooling, ground equipment and support services, and each of them needs a building within a short drive.
We do not build on the base, and we do not claim any link to its programs. What we build is the private-side space around it: shops, storage and light-industrial buildings for the companies that serve it, plus hangars for owners at the civilian airport. Businesses in nearby Midwest City and Del City are the ones who call us most.
On the military side, the KC-46A depot campus at Tinker includes a $120 million two-bay hangar of 130,000 square feet, 14 hangar bays in total, and construction costs expected to exceed $600 million. The Air Force acquired 158 acres of former rail yard on the west side for it. A program like that is a long-lived commitment, and it keeps contractors, tooling vendors and maintenance suppliers busy for years.
On the civilian side, a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at Will Rogers broke ground in April 2024 on an expansion adding more than 80,000 square feet of hangar and warehouse space and 200 full-time positions. The airport covers 8,081 acres about six miles southwest of downtown, and its longest runway, 17L/35R, is 9,802 feet of concrete. Lariat Landing, east of the airport along I-44, covers over 400 acres, including about 88 acres of industrial and commercial land. We read these facts as signals about the scale of the private market for aviation support space.
A hangar for a corporate aircraft needs a clear opening wide enough for the wingspan with margin, a door that can be operated reliably in wind, and a floor that can be cleaned and drained. Our aircraft hangar designs cover box hangars, multi-aircraft bays and shop-hangar combinations. The door wall is usually the most expensive part, so we help you pick between bifold, hydraulic and sliding systems on cost and reliability, not brochure language.
Support buildings are simpler. A parts warehouse needs dock-height doors, a floor flat enough for pallet jacks and enough eave height for racking. A shop needs power, compressed air provisions, lighting and heat. We cover both in flex light-industrial building packages that can later be partitioned if your tenancy changes.
Building near an airport adds approvals that a normal commercial lot never sees. Height limits relate to approach surfaces, lighting and glare may be restricted, and the airport owner may need to review drawings before the city accepts a permit. For military-adjacent ground, there may be additional compatibility reviews. We start every airport-area project by asking for the lease, the design standards and the contact at the airport or planning office.
The City of Oklahoma City lists editions of the building, plumbing, mechanical and existing building codes, and the state's editions apply. Which one governs a given permit depends on the date and the jurisdiction. We confirm it in writing. A stamped set of drawings from a pre-engineered building manufacturer is the baseline, and we add the foundation, site and fire protection sheets the city needs.
The National Weather Service lists a May 8, 2003 F4 tornado, about 17 miles long and 700 yards wide, that crossed I-240 at Sooner Road, crossed the base and then crossed I-40 into southeast Midwest City, with 45 injuries and no deaths. It is a fact every aviation owner here already knows. Hangars are large, light structures with large door openings, so wind design is a real topic, not a footnote. We have a direct conversation with each owner about design wind speed, door ratings and how the aircraft will be protected.
Apron access, tug paths and fuel handling also matter. A hangar that opens onto a taxilane needs a concrete apron that can carry aircraft, and a slab that slopes slightly away from the door. For maintenance shops, we plan for floor drains, oil separation and ventilation in the first drawing so they do not become change orders.
Aviation customers often work to dates that come from contracts, inspections or lease terms. That makes the schedule as important as the price. We build a written schedule that lists permit review, steel delivery, slab, erection, doors and finish, and we update it whenever a date moves. If the manufacturer's lead time is long, we may recommend ordering the frame before the permit is final, with the owner's approval of the risk.
Once steel arrives, erection of a large hangar frame takes careful lifting and bracing. We use cranes and lifts sized for the frame, and we sequence the work so that door walls go in as soon as the end frames are stable. For more on the services involved, see aircraft hangars and hangar doors, and the aviation industry page.
Tell us the wingspan, tail height and weight of the largest aircraft, plus the lease terms. We will come back with a design, a price and a schedule. If you are comparing Oklahoma City sites, we can lay them side by side.
Yes, if the airport owner approves the site and the design. You need a lease or a hangar parcel first. We then prepare drawings that satisfy both the airport and the city, and we coordinate the permit and inspections.
Wider than the wingspan, with margin for tugging and wind. For a mid-size corporate aircraft, openings of 60 feet and more are common. We size the opening, the door type and the header together, since the door drives the cost.
We build private-side shops and warehouses for companies that supply the base. We do not work inside the fence. Your contract may have requirements on facility security and certifications, so tell us at the start.
It carries aircraft on small tires, tugs and shop equipment. We design thickness, reinforcement and joint spacing from the heaviest load you plan to park, and we slope it to drain. A slab designed for a light airplane may not handle a heavier jet later.
Yes, with insulation, a good door seal and radiant or unit heaters sized to the volume. Insulating the door wall is the step owners most often skip. We price it so you can decide.
Tell us about the site, the building and the schedule, and we will set up a review of scope, schedule and permitting.
See the services, building types and industries we plan and manage across Oklahoma.