C-40 Hangar Options Study

A hangar two sizes too small. Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 61 (VR-61) flies the C-9B/DC-9 aircraft in support of their mission and is currently housed in Hangar 11 at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. VR-61 has plans to transition to the C-40 aircraft, however the tail of the C-40 is too high and the wing span too long to fit into their existing hangar. Reid Middleton performed a study to identify operational issues and determine the life-cycle costs in support of a recommendation for provision of a hangar to support VR-61 operations when they transition to the C-40 aircraft.  The study included interviews with necessary personnel to identify and prioritize problematic elements, evaluation of nine separate options, design of modified aircraft parking arrangements to accommodate the anticipated shift in parking need based on potential new hangar locations, determination of estimated construction costs and life cycle costs for identified options, and three presentations of options studied before Base Command, Airfield Management, and Command personnel of active and reserve units affected by the study. The Navy used the recommendations in the study to plan and site a new hangar that could accommodate the C-40 aircraft.