July-August_2021 - 28

FBO FEATURE
weather and where they can store their
aircraft in the event of some.
" We have a lot of a hangar space
available for those flying through,
because if it is inclement weather, if it
is hailing, you want to have this option
available to you. We have that available
at the facility and we've actually redone
the whole campus, so we've reskinned,
repainted, remodeled. I like to call it
refresh and regreen, the hangar facilities
and made sure those are all up to par right
along with the new executive terminal,
the whole campus actually has a new look
and feel to it, " Vandyke said.
TAC Air - AMA is also a high
traffic area for military aircraft, so they've
included a dedicated military situation
room in the FBO.
" It actually is set up so visiting
military can do training scenarios in
the room, one-on-one between the two
pilots that are in each aircraft. Or if they
have a larger group and want to be able to
do some additional training in the room,
we can hold pilots from 12 aircraft, that'd
be 24 pilots, through a training situation,
separate from the regular pilots' lounge
or regular meeting conference room
available from a business standpoint. We
really are catering to the military traffic
that comes in. We know they like this
airport in this part of the country and
we want to make sure they know they
are very welcome to visit for fueling or
a training stop, " Vandyke said.
During the design phase, they asked
military personnel passing through the
FBO what would help them. One was to
have space where crews could sit down
and have a conversation, specifically
between trainers and trainees. And two,
was to have a location where they could
store their gear and other items.
" It has an extra open locker storage
area for military pilots to store their
gear, their flight suits, their helmets, "
Vandyke said. " When they come in,
they're getting in or out of flight suits,
carrying helmets, gear and flight books
with them, and having a place to put all
these items and know it's properly taken
care of is important. "
Constructing the New
What TAC Air - AMA has done is
more than upgrades or facelifts, but a
complete redo of the entire FBO and a
rethinking of what a space like it should
offer and be. Comparing the old TAC
Air - AMA to the new, Perryman said
the prior facility had everything it needed
when it was built, but it was time for a
new facility.
28 \ AIRPORTBUSINESS / JULY/AUGUST 2021
The interior lobby
mid-construction.
TAC AIR
" The Amarillo TAC Air facility was
very consolidated. Space-wise, we had all
of the room required at the time, " he said.
" What we've done is we've expanded.
We really are providing more space for
people, more opportunities to be able to
relax or spend time if they have to, on the
ground there, in a relaxed atmosphere. "
Perryman continued that some areas
that were smaller have been enlarged and
areas that before may have been more
simple now pop. There are now specific
areas, such as those for military personnel
and general aviation operators, which are
divided and identified.
" There's some separation for those
folks to be able to do what they need
to do when they're in the facility, "
Perryman said.
To accomplish this, the old FBO
building was torn down to the ground.
To keep operations moving during the
construction, temporary facilities were
brought in.
" They're set up next door to where
the old facility was and where the new
facility is. We repositioned everything to
go through those temporary buildings,
July-August_2021

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