58 GENERAL AVIATION July | August 2026 AirportImprovement.com WWR restaurant space,” adds Priegel. “We tried to be forward-thinking in that regard.” The new 17,000-square-foot executive hangar, located on the south side of the airfield, was designed for the ERJ-145, but with room for several general aviation aircraft. It also has 3,100 square feet of office space, a conference room and a large multi- purpose room that opens into the hangar area. A new taxilane provides direct access to the main runway and parallel taxiway; a new apron facilitates aircraft movement. All at Once The projects were put out for bids in spring 2024 and spring 2025, with construction beginning shortly after each. The terminal took about one year to build, and the hangar took slightly longer due to extra lead time needed for materials. “The terminal was a little bit easier because it was on a site by itself,” says Priegel. “All [the projects] were basically happening at the same time. The utilities were the first ones to start, then the concrete for the taxilane, and then we were doing sitework for the hangar.” Most challenging aspect for Lochner was coordinating the greenspace development with contractors working on other improvements. “It’s a big space, but it gets pretty small when you start consolidating down and getting next to each other with all the equipment,” Priegel remarks. “Ultimately, it went really well. We always build into our contracts that they have to ‘play nice’ with each other. I would say that this was one of the most complex projects, and it flexed us a lot in terms of the teams that had to work and come together.” While construction for the various projects had minimal impact on day-to-day airport operations, temporary runway closures were unavoidable. Even so, Ames was intent on continuing to accommodate the airport’s regular users—most notably cardiologists who fly from Oklahoma City to WWR on Tuesdays and Thursdays to care for patients in Woodward. “We try to find ways to help our customers,” he comments. His way of helping included counseling the cardiologists to land at a 5,000-foot unmanned runway in a small town just 20 miles from WWR and providing courtesy cars for them to use from there. The only hitch was that he could not deliver fuel because the airport fuel trucks cannot drive on public roads. So, he reminded the pilots to top off before leaving Oklahoma City. “While it was going on, I thought it was forever. But in hindsight, it was probably 45 to 50 days,” Ames remarks. Thinking Ahead Securing additional fixed base operator (FBO) services and signing new commercial aeronautical tenants such as a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility are among the airport’s next objectives. “I’ve been working with a private fire brigade company out of Texas for that large executive hangar,” says Jones. “We are also targeting a flight school looking to leave California. If we are able to land the fire brigade and the international flight school, it will significantly increase our traffic.” Other key priorities include: • leasing the former terminal (or demolishing the building if it remains vacant); • replacing an asphalt and concrete apron that is deteriorating; • adding new T hangars; • developing a site for a maintenance, repair and overhaul hangar; and • expansion of existing airfield pavement to meet operational and development demands. The airport would also like to construct and connect large box hangars for use as a shipping facility. The strategy is to leverage Woodward’s central location, highway access and nearby rail systems to attract major carriers like FedEx, Amazon and UPS, while continuing to support existing general aviation customers. “Overall, the airport should be self-sufficient and with these types of improvements, we are going to get there,” says Barnett. “We have a big vision. We’re going to have to take it in steps, but ultimately, it is to continue to grow and have [more] business here.” Ames shares that vision. “We try to be a forward-thinking municipality—looking towards what is a possibility for the future and making preparations to have ourselves perfectly aligned for it.” Priegel sees the recent and ongoing improvements as an important turning point for WWR. “Prior to this [state] money, the airport was just maintaining,” he relates. “This is truly a transformative project that has started a new movement for the airport to always be looking forward.” For city leaders, the largely state-sponsored airport makeover positions Woodward to attract commerce for community and regional development. “We knew the airport would be a vital piece,” says Barnett, “and we needed that to move our airport forward.” The new executive hangar includes office space, a conference room and a separate multi-purpose room.
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