A Smooth Landing for the Aeroplex-Signature Hangar in Dallas
Swinerton’s Texas partners are riding high in 2021 with the completion of the new Aeroplex-Signature Hangar at Dallas Love Field (DAL)—the first ground-up project for the Dallas office. Although the take off for this project started a little bumpy, in the end Swinerton developed a strong partnership with the owner group made up of Aeroplex Group and Signature Aviation, and design partners JRMA and Huitt-Zollars, to successfully land the project early with the highest levels of safety, quality, and efficiency.
By the time Swinerton was selected for this project, we were the third contractor to take over a design that was then three years old; however, the completion date did not shift. Signature had a standing agreement with DAL to have this project completed by the end of February 2021 or else incur financial penalties. While we worked closely with the Signature/Aeroplex team to plan the work on an accelerated schedule, the project was delayed yet again with permitting issues. Because the design sat during the transition between contractors, the city had developed new requirements for the approval process for the PEMB design and code enforcement for the water system that were not included in the original designs. With dedicated efforts from the entire project crew, we were able to address these unforeseen delays and keep the project on track. JRMA was aggressive at getting the designs updated and Aeroplex was a very proactive partner to help work through the permitting red tape.
The site of the new 38,750-square-foot facility is surrounded by three other active hangars within the restricted Air Operations Area (AOA). Even after the initial delays, we were able to make up time on the very tight schedule by setting up and maintaining our jobsite to meet all safety and security requirements set forth by DAL and the TSA. Even after a taxiing plane struck our jobsite fence, the TSA inspection found that our setup not only met but exceeded AOA requirements and we were not faulted for the incident. Through conversations with airport compliance officers we grew close with, we were informed that Swinerton was the only contractor working at DAL who did not receive any fines or get shut down due to violations. We accomplished this through detailed planning and close coordination with the airport daily including:
- Communicating with airport operations every morning before commencing work and every afternoon when concluding work so they could execute daily post work inspections.
- Separating our site from the AOA using airport-approved fencing to avoid requiring badged access for all workers during construction.
- Receiving approval on our 7460 form on the first submission giving clearance on the heights, locations, and timing of construction equipment.
The team’s dedication to doing the job right the first time allowed Swinerton to meet Signature’s original completion goal, even when an unprecedented winter storm knocked out most of the state of Texas for a whole week at the end of the project. Every step of the way, the relationships that our team members cultivated throughout this project was the true key to success. Both our owner and design partners have expressed their desire to keep this crew together for future hangar opportunities both in Texas and across the country.
