b'58 DAY LANDSIDE DEVELOPMENTNew Hangar & Workforce Investmentsat Dayton IntlIn addition to moving people andpassenger enplanements last year, he products around the world, theconsistently takes pride in his work.aviation industry puts people toDayton is known as the birthplace work. From pilots flying planes to airportof aviation, says Turner, explaining that staff scanning boarding passes and bagsOrville and Wilbur Wright built and tested for the next departure, countless lives andthe worlds first powered aircraft in Dayton, livelihoods are involved every step of the way. OH, before embarking on their initial flight At Dayton International Airport (DAY)in Kitty Hawk, NC. Daytons history and in Ohio, Sierra Nevada Corporationheritage are intertwined with flight, and recently opened a large facility that willaviation remains a primary economic driver be home base for about 140 employees.locally. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base That 90,000-square-foot hangar andis the largest single-site employer in Ohio, 7,940-square-foot office complex is justand there is an intense concentration of FACTS&FIGURESthe beginning. Local leaders and economicmilitary aviation interests here.development officials say that work on aLike many Rust Belt cities, Dayton has Project: New Tenant Facility second facility is already underway, and had its share of economic ups and downs. Location: Dayton (OH) Intl Airporttheres space for about five similar facilitiesAt one time, locals referred to it as Little Developer: NorthPoint Development LLC if needed. Detroit because of the proliferation of Tenant/User: Sierra Nevada Corp. Gil Turner, aviationautomotive plants. Like the city, DAY has Facility Size: 90,000 sq. ft. of hangar space; 7,940 sq. ft.director at DAY, seeshad its ups and downs as well. Onboard for offices & storage spacethe new hangar as thefor more than two decades en route to Funding: $2.5 million Jobs OHIO grant; $300,000 fromprologue to an excitinghis present leadership role, Turner has Montgomery County; $300,000 from the city of Daytonnew chapter for himexperienced the airports history firsthand.Construction: 12 months and the airport. TurnerThe current terminal was built in 1958, Grand Opening: Feb. 2023 has been working inopened in 1960 and remained largely the aviation industryGIL TURNER unchanged for close to 40 years. In the Architect/Engineer: Passero Associates ever since he joined Contractor: Shook Construction the U.S. Air Force at age 17. From his earlymid-90s, we were de-hubbed by US Airways, and later Southwest relocated as Key Benefits: Creating jobs & other economic benefits fordays as a mechanic working on militarywell, he relates. We had similar issues on local economy; lease revenue for airport; repurposing landaircraft to his present role at the helmthe cargo side when long-time customer previously needed for noise mitigation program associatedof an international airport with 584,000Emery Worldwide Airlines ceased operating with nightly cargo operationsMay | June 2023AirportImprovement.com'