Private air firms plan expansions; Van Nuys changes seen as response to commercial tie-ups.

Running out of room at their current facilities, two aviation companies serving business travelers in the San Fernando Valley are building themselves new hangar and office space at Van Nuys Airport.

The Air Group breaks ground this month on an 86,000-square toot hangar and 13,000-square foot office building.

TWC Aviation awaits city approval on its proposed 18,000-square-foot two story office building and 43,000 square foot hangar.

When construction finishes at the end of the year, the aircraft management and charter company will move from its location in Burbank where it has been for seven years.

The office building and hangar are designed by the architectural firm of J.R. Miller and Associates and feature decorative steel canopies and a dramatic two-story lobby and reception area.

The look was done so that it would blend in with the neighborhood, said TWC President Andrew Richmond.

"It will not look like a hangar," Richmond said. "It will look like a modern office building."

J.R. Miller also designed the Raytheon Aircraft fixed base operation facility at Van Nuys Airport.

Moving from Burbank to Van Nuys does mean having more competition but it also increases the company's visibility, Richmond said, adding that Van Nuys is also geographically closer to where clients want to be.

TWC owns 22 aircraft, including 10 based in the San Fernando Valley. The firm also has facilities in four other cities.

Out of space

The company has little choice but to build larger quarters because it has run out of room at the Burbank location, Richmond said.

Once at Van Nuys, the firm will hire more people in sales, dispatch, operations and office functions.

Richmond attributes the company's growth to an improving economy and frustration over commercial air travel. Business people see it as an alternative way to fly, he said.

"Word of mouth has allowed us to get references from owners looking for a management company," Richmond said.

TWC has been improving its product and building its reputation through hires for its management team and focusing on opportunities in the marketplace to find owners who are aligned with the company vision of how private jets should be managed, Richmond said.

The Air Group is also experiencing a growth in business and a lack of space at the five buildings it now occupies at Van Nuys.

Consolidation planned

A new building will give more space and consolidate operations, said company Chairman Jon Winthrop.

The growth in the business aviation industry comes down to the productivity factor for the executives using the planes managed and chartered by The Air Group, Winthrop said.

"They just cannot take days and days to get to someplace," Winthrop said. "It just kills you."

The new hangars and office will be built on 9 acres at Woodley Avenue and Daily Drive. The "modern looking facility" is expected to be ready for use in August, Winthrop said.

"It's on the site where the original Piper facility used to be here," Winthrop said. "So one of the cornerstones will be very symbolic."

By MARK R. MADLER

Staff Reporter