by Marilyn Noble

Most people aren't lucky enough to combine their vocations with their avocations, but Michael Dunn of Aviation Development Group has found a way to do just that.

After getting his private certificate three years ago, the real estate developer started looking for opportunities to put his background in land acquisition and finance to work in the aviation sector.

It was after he optioned a parcel of land at the Steamboat Springs Airport/Bob Adams Field (SBS), in early 2001, that Dunn met Brad Henderson, a contractor with experience in steel building construction. The two teamed up to develop their first ADG project, a group of 16 box hangars at SBS. Construction is scheduled to begin around the first of June, and will be finished in October or November of this year. Over half of the hangars, which are designed to accommodate everything from piston aircraft to mid sized jets, are already sold.

The next ADG project on the drawing board is an executive/corporate hangar development, this time at Centennial Airport, but these will be more than just standard steel hangars.

"We understand that certain airport users have needs extending beyond the basic amenities," said Dunn. "Single engine piston owners are well accommodated at this airport, but individual and corporate jet owners have a different set of needs. We're developing a product that currently doesn't exist—there's nothing on the airport that's similar."

Each of the six hangars in the first phase of the project, located at InterPort on the south side of the airport, will have an attached office bungalow that can be used as headquarters for a corporate flight department or small charter operation, or just a place to hang out with the guys. The office bungalow floor plans, ranging from a modest 500 square feet to over 3,000, can be customized with office space, crew quarters, catering kitchens and full baths.

"They're basically like unfinished lofts," said Dunn. "We'll do them any way you want."

Each office bungalow has an attached two-car garage, private entry and patio as well as plenty of extra parking. Access to the site is gated and via a public street. "We wanted to make the design functional as well as aesthetic, so we have a heavy emphasis on landscaping and security," said Dunn.

The hangars themselves can be customized to house aircraft up to and including the Citation X, with dimensions ranging from 60 feet x 60 feet to 140 x 80. The plan offers plenty of ramp space, easy access to taxi lanes and runways, and close proximity to Signature Flight Support, for aircraft services. Being on the south side of the field offers the benefit of easy travel from either I-25 or E-470.

The Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority has approved the concept plan for the first six hangar/office bungalows, and ADG is in the process of obtaining entitlements from the various government entities involved in the process, as well as marketing the project.

"We're hoping to have commitments for three of the units in the next 60 to 90 days," said Dunn. "Construction will start shortly after that. Our goal is to complement the existing services at the airport, not to compete with anybody. We think we're carving out a specialized niche in a narrow market."

While Dunn and Henderson are working on the Centennial project, they're also pursuing a project with Signature Flight Support at Palm Springs International Airport. ADG will sublease land from Signature, and in return build a box hangar development near the FBO. The project is in the presale phase, with three of the units reserved.

"We feel like we have great synergy with them," said Dunn. "We'll handle all of the construction, entitlements and financing, and the FBO gets to increase their market share at the airport without the investment or capital risk."

In fact, ADG is seeking other FBOs across the country that might be interested in the same model.

"It's an easy way for an FBO to leverage their lease-hold assets into more business," said Dunn. "Ideally we'd like to do one or two of those deals a year."

For information on the Centennial project or on any of ADG's other developments, contact ADG.