How does a build-to-suit hangar work?

What does build-to-suit mean, and what does it not mean?

It means the hangar is designed around your aircraft, your uses, and your budget instead of being picked from a row of identical boxes. It does not mean any size at any airport. Tailwind develops one site, Violet Hill at Colorado Air and Space Port, and builds there. That focus is why the infrastructure, the ground lease, and the county approvals are already understood before your brief arrives.

The six steps

1. Send a short brief. Tell Tailwind what you fly, how many aircraft, your timeline, and what the hangar should include. The Start Your Hangar form on tailwindhc.com takes about two minutes, and Casey replies within one business day.
2. Settle the site and footprint. Tailwind builds only on Violet Hill at Colorado Air and Space Port (KCFO). Together you settle where the hangar sits, its footprint, and how it connects to the taxilane.
3. Design and specify. Door height and width, insulation and heat, bathroom and shower, office or mezzanine, shop and storage, electrical and lighting, and finish package. This is where the ten build-to-suit decisions get made.
4. Ground lease and permits. The 40-year ground lease is set up through Adams County and the building is permitted. Read the lease with your attorney at this stage.
5. Construction with progress payments. A deposit reserves the hangar. Milestone payments follow as the building reaches stages such as permit, foundation, steel, and completion.
6. Completion and occupancy. Final walk-through, final payment at occupancy, and you fly in.

The ten decisions that shape a custom hangar

• Hangar footprint and door dimensions
• Aircraft type and number of aircraft
• Hydraulic door height and width
• Heated and insulated shop space
• Bathrooms and showers
• Office or mezzanine space
• Aircraft maintenance and work areas
• Vehicle and RV storage
• Electrical and lighting upgrades
• Interior finish packages

Start with the first two. Everything else follows from the aircraft and how you use it, and Tailwind will walk through the rest with you. For sizing, see what size hangar you need; for what moves the budget, see what drives hangar construction cost.

What has Tailwind already built?

Two eight-unit buildings on Violet Hill, both sold out, 12 hangars sold, both going up now at KCFO. The units ranged from the standard box hangar at 2,805 square feet (55 by 51 feet, 16 foot Higher Power hydraulic door, fully insulated and heated, finished bathroom) to the large unit at 4,600 square feet with a 1,300 square foot lofted mezzanine, double and triple 18 foot doors, heated floors, and a deck off the end. Build-to-suit hangars can go larger than either.

Custom private hangar or multi-unit building?

Tailwind offers two paths. A custom private hangar is one owner, one building, designed around one owner's aircraft. A proven multi-unit building uses the format of Buildings 1 and 2 for investors or for aircraft storage, developed by Tailwind at KCFO. Both are whole-hangar ownership on a 40-year ground lease: one owner, one hangar.

How long does it take?

Design, permitting through Adams County, steel lead times, and the season all move the schedule, so Tailwind gives you a current timeline when you send a brief instead of publishing a number that will be out of date. If you are just exploring, say so in the brief. The timeline field exists for that reason.