Aviation Projects

This project taught us a lot about displaying aircraft indoors. The climate control system maintains constant humidity year-round to protect vintage materials, but we also needed to keep operating costs reasonable for a non-profit.

Challenge & Solution:

The vintage DeHavilland Beaver they wanted to hang from the ceiling weighed 3,200 lbs. We designed a custom steel truss system hidden in the sawtooth roof structure - visitors see the plane floating, not the engineering behind it.

Flight schools have unique needs - you've got sensitive electronics in the sim bays, you need flexible classroom spaces for ground school, and the whole thing needs to feel inspiring without breaking the budget.

What Made This Work:

• Sim bays on isolated slabs to prevent vibration interference between units
• Movable partition walls in classrooms adapt from 15-student to 45-student configurations
• Pilot lounge positioned for runway views - students can watch and learn during breaks
• Dedicated weather briefing room with direct METAR/TAF feeds and flight planning stations

Not every project is glamorous, but this one's probably the most technically interesting we've done. The brief was simple: handle all airfield support operations, survive Manitoba winters, and do it sustainably.

Net-Zero Strategy:

• 50% of building mass buried in earth berm for thermal stability
• 150kW solar array integrated into south-facing roof section
• Ground-source heat pump system using airfield's existing geothermal wells
• LED lighting with occupancy sensors throughout
• Building produces surplus energy 8 months per year, feeds back to grid

The fire crews love it because the apparatus bays stay warm without massive heating bills. Win-win.