Chicagoland FBO Named DCA Gateway

When B. Coleman Aviation, one of two service providers at Gary/Chicago International Airport, made its debut at last year’s NBAA show in Orlando, Fla., the company had literally just opened the doors to its new FBO a few days before. A year later, it is back, exhibiting as part of the Shell Aviation display (Booth C8532). B. Coleman’s big news this year is that it has been approved as a gateway under the DCA Access Standard Security Program (DASSP), the program that governs business aviation access to Washington’s Reagan National Airport (KDCA).

According to Tony Hanlon, B. Coleman’s aircraft operations security coordinator, regulatory approval required approximately five months of paperwork, including the establishment of a security program and inspections by the TSA. The agency determined that the newly-built facility would not require modifications in order to comply with the DASSP regulations.

Named after the late pioneering African-American aviatrix and Chicago-area resident Bessie Coleman, the facility’s 18,000-sq-ft terminal–open 24/7–offers concierge service; onsite car rental; complimentary Starbucks coffee; high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity; a pair of conference rooms; pilot lounge complete with a 105-inch TV and surround sound; snooze room; flight planning and weather briefing room; fitness room with shower facilities; and crew cars. To protect passengers from the often brutal Chicago-area winters, the full-service location has a 19,500-sq-ft airside canopy with ground heat. It provides Type I and Type IV deicing, and the 20,000-sq-ft heated hangar can accommodate aircraft up to aGlobal.

Over the past year, B. Coleman, which also offers aircraft charter and management, added a pair of 20,000-gallon jet A tanks to its fuel farm, bringing its total capacity to 56,000 gallons, along with a 12,000-gallon avgas tank. The FBO promises the best fuel prices in the Chicagoland region, and is offering a 25-cent-per-gallon discount for new customers’ first fueling, now through the end of the year.

The company also operates an MRO facility at Palm Beach (Fla.) International Airport, which is exhibiting here at NBAA for the first time at Booth N313.