Colony Construction delivers aircraft hangars, MRO shops, FBO facilities, and airside support buildings across the US – Alaska bush operations, Boeing-adjacent Washington suppliers, Mountain West general aviation, and regional FBOs from Nevada to Colorado. Founded in 1985 and responsible for more than 700 completed projects including the flagship Conair Hangar delivery, Colony brings clear-span hangar engineering, hangar-door integration, and NFPA 409 fire-suppression coordination to US aviation owners. Every frame is engineered to AISC 360-22, welded to AWS D1.1:2020, detailed to NFPA 409 aircraft-hangar classification (Group I, II, III, or IV by aircraft size), FAA Part 139 airport-certification requirements where applicable, and executed under OSHA 29 CFR 1926. Clients pick Colony because a hangar project demands long-span framing, a specialty door, and a fire-suppression strategy – and because we have already delivered every one of those elements on completed projects.
US Aviation Construction Capabilities
Aviation construction is long-span, door-driven, and fire-code-intensive. Hangar clear spans regularly demand 150–250 ft without interior columns, NFPA 409 aircraft-hangar classification drives AFFF/foam fire-suppression selection plus drainage and fire-rated construction, FAA Part 139 airport certification imposes airside-construction restrictions on airports with scheduled air-carrier service, and the hangar door is almost always on the critical path. Colony’s aviation portfolio – headlined by the Conair Hangar with integrated door system – has built the engineering and coordination discipline required for Alaska bush hangars, Mountain West general-aviation FBOs, Boeing-adjacent Washington MRO facilities, and regional FBOs from Nevada to Arizona to Colorado.
Our US aviation scope spans single- and multi-bay aircraft hangars, MRO and maintenance shops, FBO terminal and office buildings, airside fuel-farm and support buildings, GA hangar rows, and specialty storage for aviation parts. We fabricate to ASTM A992 wide-flange and ASTM A500 HSS sections, engineer clear spans up to 250 ft using tapered-column PEB frames or built-up plate-girder trusses, and coordinate hangar-door vendor integration (bi-fold, vertical-lift, cable-drive, or fabric) directly with the owner’s door OEM from the earliest design stage. Our pre-fabrication and cold-climate erection experience on Arctic and sub-Arctic industrial work transfers directly to Alaska bush aviation build-outs.
Hangar Doors, Clear-Span Envelopes, and Fuel/Fire Systems
NFPA 409 Aircraft Hangar Classification
NFPA 409 classifies aircraft hangars as Group I (largest, long-span, deep-fuselage), II, III, or IV (smallest) based on aircraft footprint and aggregate area. Classification drives fire-suppression type (AFFF/foam, high-expansion foam, or sprinkler), drainage capacity, fire-rated construction requirements, and hangar-envelope detailing. Colony engineers the hangar framing and envelope to the NFPA 409 group from day one rather than retrofitting suppression after envelope design locks.
Hangar Door Integration – Bi-Fold, Vertical-Lift, Cable-Drive, Fabric
The hangar door is almost always on the critical path. Colony coordinates door-vendor engineering directly with our structural design – door headers sized for the actual door load and drift tolerance, side columns reinforced for the door stack or cable-drive reaction, and structural-to-door-frame interfaces detailed in Tekla. On the Conair Hangar we delivered full door integration end to end; we bring the same discipline to Alaska bush, Mountain West GA, and Boeing-adjacent MRO hangars.
FAA Part 139 Airport-Certification Construction
Airports with scheduled air-carrier service operate under FAA Part 139, which imposes Air Operations Area (AOA) access restrictions, construction-safety phasing plans coordinated with the airport operator, and RSA/ROFA clearance requirements during construction. Colony’s project managers coordinate with the airport operator’s FAA compliance team and integrate Part 139 phasing into erection sequencing.
Long Clear Spans (150–250 ft) and Drift-Sensitive Envelopes
Hangar doors and aircraft parking need 150–250 ft of unobstructed clear span. Colony engineers the frame to the span using tapered-column PEB primary framing or built-up plate-girder trusses, with drift checked against the actual door tolerance and the cladding attachment capacity. Over-stiff isn’t a virtue; the frame has to deliver the span at economic weight while meeting ASCE 7 wind, snow, and seismic loads.
Alaska Bush and Mountain West Cold-Weather Operations
Alaska bush hangars and Mountain West high-elevation GA facilities operate at -40°F and below. Our cold-weather steel specifications, qualified AWS D1.1:2020 winter welding procedures, and erection crews experienced at Arctic temperatures transfer directly from our Yukon, NWT, and Arctic diamond-mine work. Combined with short summer erection windows, that cold-climate capability is rare in the US industrial aviation market.
Desert Southwest Wind and Thermal Loads
Arizona and Nevada FBOs and MRO facilities live in 115°F summer heat with desert wind events and cyclic thermal loads. Colony engineers the envelope to the desert thermal and wind regime – deeper insulation for interior climate control, cladding attachment designed for cyclic thermal movement, and ASCE 7 site-specific wind loads that respect the desert-wind environment rather than using a generic coastal assumption.
Featured Projects
Conair Hangar
A full aircraft hangar combining PEB primary framing with integrated hangar-door system – engineered, fabricated, and erected as a single-source scope. The clear-span hangar envelope and end-to-end door integration transfer directly to Alaska bush, Mountain West GA, and Boeing-adjacent MRO hangar work across the US aviation market.
Brucejack Gold Mine
Remote fly-in logistics, helicopter-supported component delivery, and cold-weather erection experience on a site accessible only by air. That logistics pattern parallels Alaska bush aviation hangar build-outs at remote airstrips and fly-in communities where barge windows and summer season dictate the construction calendar.
Imperial Oil Kearl Lake
Cold-climate envelope construction at scale – warehouses, maintenance shops, and industrial buildings engineered for sub-Arctic temperatures and heavy snow loads. The cold-climate envelope discipline maps directly to Alaska North Slope aviation support hangars and Arctic bush operations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which US aviation segments does Colony build for – bush operations, general aviation, regional MRO, FBOs?
All four. Our US aviation focus is Alaska bush operations, general aviation hangars and FBOs across the Mountain West, regional MRO facilities in Boeing-adjacent Washington and Mountain West states, and FBO terminal and maintenance buildings at regional airports in Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. Our cold-climate and remote-logistics experience makes Alaska a natural fit; our long-span PEB capability fits the GA and FBO market across the target states.
How do you meet FAA Part 139 (airport certification) and NFPA 409 (aircraft hangars) requirements?
FAA Part 139 drives AOA access restrictions and construction-phasing coordination with the airport operator’s FAA compliance team. NFPA 409 aircraft-hangar classification drives fire-suppression (AFFF/foam), drainage, and fire-rated construction – engineered into the hangar from day one rather than retrofitted. Our project managers integrate both frameworks into the construction plan and QA/QC record.
What hangar-door types does Colony integrate – bi-fold, vertical-lift, cable-drive, fabric?
All four. Bi-fold doors on GA and smaller corporate hangars, vertical-lift and cable-drive systems on larger MRO bays, and fabric doors on bush and remote-airstrip applications where weight, transport, and rapid deployment matter. Our structural design coordinates with the door-vendor engineering end to end – headers sized for actual door load, side columns reinforced for the stack or cable-drive reaction, and the door-to-structure interface detailed in Tekla.
Can you build on active airfields with AOA (Air Operations Area) access restrictions?
Yes. Our project managers coordinate directly with the airport operator and the FAA compliance team under Part 139, develop construction-safety phasing plans that protect RSA and ROFA clearances, and schedule erection around airport operational constraints. Badged-worker onboarding, escort requirements, and daily access coordination become part of our site plan before mobilizing.
Start Your Aviation Construction Project
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