New hangar, terminal on tap for GON

Columbia Aircraft Services expects to break ground this month on a new 20,000-sq-ft storage hangar at its Groton, Conn. (GON) facility. “We have commitments for all the space. It’s already full,” Columbia founder and president Art Maurice told AIN. Later this year, the maintenance, avionics and sales specialist plans to begin construction on a new 5,000-sq-ft terminal building. The terminal is designed with a 75-ft-wide, all-glass lobby to provide easy access from the street side to the ramp. Maurice said aircraft will be able to taxi or be towed up to the building and passengers/crew will be able to make their way easily from the drop-off area. The design was driven by security concerns, he said, noting that the new configuration will mean that no cars will need to drive onto the ramp. The hangar and terminal are being built by PDS Construction, the Connecticut firm that recently completed the new TAC Air facility at Bradley International Airport (BDL) in Windsor Locks, Conn., and is currently building a new hangar for the New England Air Museum, also at BDL.