New hangar planned for Ephrata

Port project expected to start in March

EPHRATA - A Puyallup-based aviation company plans to build in March a new 16,000-square-foot airplane hangar on land leased from the Port of Ephrata.

Blue Sky Aviation Inc. plans to have the hangar open by June, Port Manager Mike Wren said. The project is all private investment, he said.

Jobs will not be created with the $500,000 project, but the new 13-unit hangar will bring more aviators to the airport, he said.

As a result, more people will likely visit Ephrata to shop, he added.

He said about five people have expressed interest in using spaces in the hangar.

The interested flyers include a man from the Quincy area, a glider pilot from the Seattle area and other out-of-town aviators who have visited Ephrata.

The project is intended to provide indoor space for private airplane owners.

The port is "pretty much out of space" for protected parking, he said.

The new hangar will join two other hangars already at the port.

An existing privately owned hangar at the port has about 15 spaces that are full. Another hangar at the port already holds about 13 aircraft.

The company plans to rent spaces for about $250 per month, said David Krahn, Blue Sky Aviation Inc.'s owner.

He would also like to sell about six of the hangar bays, he said.

He plans to post a sign at the port's airport in the next two weeks showing a layout of the project.

The project's layout includes three phases - a 13-unit T-hangar, a nine-unit block hangar and another 13-unit T-hangar, he said.

If the first hangar goes well, he'll proceed with the next two phases, he said.

Krahn said he's moving to Ephrata in March to manage the facility.

For more information, call Krahn at 253-820-4967.