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Officials from Aerospace and Haskell greet construction workers before workers lift and secure steel that marks the highest point in the structure of Boeing Global Services’ future aircraft hangar at Cecil Airport December 8. And nod to the subcontractor.
“Builders make a lot of sacrifices — sacrifices and long hours of work,” said Greg Akers, vice president and head of aerospace operations at Haskell.
“It’s a nice day today. But when it’s raining, when it’s cold, those who show up (tough) are those.”
About 200 workers and officials from Boeing, Haskell and the Jacksonville Aviation Authority gathered at the construction site to complete the 365,623-square-foot hangar at 5658 Approach Road in West Jacksonville.
Since the ground breaking in October 2021, construction crews have installed 53 tons of steel to build the hangar and laid 36,500 yards of concrete on site in 240,000 man-hours, according to Haskell CEO Rick Craven.
“This is not a glamorous profession. It takes the skill and perseverance that each of these workers possessed to achieve the great results that we have achieved here today.”
According to Akers, 175 workers work in the hangar. He expects that number to rise to 300 when internal construction begins.
Workers, contractors and project managers signed the steel beams with markers and then set them in place to the sound of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” and Kenny Loggins’ “Top Gun” anthem “Danger Zone”.
The total cost of the project is $183.6 million and the hangar is due to open in October 2023, JAA director of external affairs Michael Stewart said Dec. 8.
“It’s really important,” Stewart said. “If we look back in seven to ten years, the east side of the main runway (Cecil Field) will be the catalyst for many other aerospace and defense developments. We think it all started with this project.”
Boeing Jacksonville senior operations manager Michael Dottaviano said 300 jobs could be needed once the facility opens.
“With over 370,000 square feet of hangar space, office space and support space in the aft dock, we will be able to expand our capacity to continue to support our fighters,” he said.
Boeing will create 334 jobs at the facility, with an average annual salary of $65,000, according to the city’s economic development office.
The city will provide Boeing with a $425,000 grant to help with the project’s infrastructure costs, which are estimated at $3 million over three years.
The eight hangar complex will be the aviation industry’s “first digital” maintenance and overhaul site, Boeing Global Services CEO Ted Colbert said at the October 2021 groundbreaking ceremony.
Colbert told federal, state and city officials that the project will allow Boeing to understand the maintenance and repair needs of US military aircraft before they land at Cecil.
On December 17, 2020, Boeing entered into a 25-year lease agreement with JAA to expand the aerospace company’s 400,000-square-foot Cecil operations.
The 57-acre facility includes approximately 270,000 square feet of hangar space and more than 100,000 square feet of office and support space, according to the JAA.
Boeing has operated its existing MRO facility at Cecil Field since 1999. According to a press release, the company has modified and upgraded 1,030 aircraft for the US Navy and Marine Corps, including the F/A-18 AD Hornet, F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler. .
The company also used Cecil to convert F/A-18 Super Hornets into flying demonstrators for the Blue Angels squadron and to convert decommissioned F-16s into autonomous air targets for the Air Force.
The Boeing Flight Control System Repair Center performs structural repairs on F/A-18 AF, EA-18G and Navy P-8 aircraft.
Boeing expands workforce in Jacksonville. The aerospace company opened a 23,000-square-foot Boeing Jacksonville Learning Systems Center of Excellence at 6225 Lake Gray Boulevard. Colbert said last year it would employ 100 people.
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