Oct. 31—The City of Chickasha celebrated the construction of three new hangars at the Chickasaw Municipal Airport Tuesday morning, an addition described as a reflection of what the community wants — improvement and progress.
"It's a good day. It's a great day to be on an airport...talking about the conclusion of a great project here in southwest Oklahoma," said Grayson Ardies, executive director of Oklahoma Aerospace & Aeronautics.
The three hangars will include two 75-foot by 75-foot box hangars and a T-hanger. According to the Chickasha City Council agenda packet for an Oct. 16, 2023 meeting, a contract was awarded to construct the hangars for $957,4000. A contract for $1,084,764.92 for the construction of the T-hangar, measuring 231 feet by 51 feet, was awarded on Oct. 2, 2023.
Ardies said while agriculture, oil and gas, and other industries have been incredibly important in the state, aerospace and defense is the second largest industry in Oklahoma. He said it's an economic driver he hopes will "lead us to the promised land."
"It's not an economic driver based on the commodity," he said "And the industry that is well positioned in our state — it's MRO. It's maintenance, repair and overhaul. We keep airplanes flying and we do so very well."
Ardides mentioned the various airplane and aerospace companies, and military bases across the state. He added that the Chickasha Municipal Airport has a great flight school with ties back to World War II.
The airport even still has an old hangar from the World War II era, though the history of it is a little unclear.
Chickasha City Manager Keith Johnson said there are stories that the hangar was constructed at the municipal airport to support the World War II efforts and some say it was built elsewhere and reconstructed in Chickasha.
"(The hangar) is a form of this community's commitment to keeping America great," said Johnson. "This building that we're in today, in the context of great moments in aviation history, is pretty small. It's not the Wright brothers... It's not Chuck Yeager breaking the speed barrier. But for the City of Chickasha, it represents our contribution to not only a great community but a strong country."
Johnson said there are more plans in the works for improvement at the Chickasha Municipal Airport, such as a new terminal building with training classrooms for the flight school and more.
"Over the next few years, I believe that we will continue to grow in relevance around the state of Oklahoma because of (what we're) doing, but especially the work that our city is doing as they're finding sustainable ways to make our city grow," said Jim Cowan, president of the Chickasha Chamber of Commerce.
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