b'74 HSAHANGARSStennis Intl Adds Hangar Space to Help Boost Local Economy BY PAUL NOLANTheres nothing ordinary about the traffic at Stenniscompanies that will fuel economic growth, International Airport (HSA) in southwestern Mississippi,the Commission recently increased capacity so it stands to reason that many of its facilities areat HSA by purchasing an existing hangar and unconventional as well. Located near several U.S. militaryconstructing two others.installations, the airports sole 8,498-foot runway is frequently usedBill Cotter, chief executive officer for the for pilot and equipment testing. Usually twice a week, HSA shuts offPort and Harbor Commission, monitors how the airfield lighting so pilots from Keesler Air Force Base, the U.S.well the airport supports local manufacturing Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard can practice flying C-130Jand commerce by ensuring the availability ofBILL COTTERtransport aircraft with night vision goggles. The airfield also hasenough on-field support, maintenance and three drop zones for parachuters and cargo drops, four forward- repair facilities. arming and refueling points, three confined spaces for helicopter landing zones and three open-field training zones. (See sidebar New Hangarson Page 77.)Last September, the airport completed construction of a Recently, however, HSA focused on more typical infrastructure24,000-square-foot hangar that opens directly to the main ramp when it added more than 47,000 square feet of hangar space towith a door from Well Bilt Industries that is 154 feet wide and its portfolio.28 feet high. Airport personnel refer to the new facility as the The Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission, whichRESTORE Hangar because it was partially funded with money owns and operates HSA, sees the small general aviation airportfrom the RESTORE Act, an outcome of the states settlement as a vital economic development tool for the county and region.with BP over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The state of To that end, it doesnt measure the airports performance byMississippi used $1.85 million of its settlement funds to support enplanements, but rather in the number of jobs it helps bring tothe hangar project at HSA; Hancock County Port and Harbor the area. Because hangar space goes hand-in-hand with recruitingCommission invested the remaining $3.4 million.September 2022AirportImprovement.com'