Almost a year since ground broke at Premium Aerospace Center (PAC) in Burns Flat, another step forward has been received for the aircraft painting company after the Federal Aviation Administration recently awarded PAC a repair station certification which allows the company to approve aircraft to return to service after receiving required maintenance.
“The FAA certificate will allow us to hire qualified technicians and add capabilities to serve more customers and grow dramatically,” said PAC Accountable Manager Jose Gonzalez.
The good news paves the way for PAC to bring in more than 450 new jobs to the area over the next four years as the company plans to work closely with Western Technology Center and other local workforce development leaders to develop a skilled technical workforce to support its operations and growth.
“What I see here are jobs and opportunity that have been 20 years in the making,” said Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority Director Craig Smith when the company broke ground on its new hangar at the Spaceport last October. “This company really has the opportunity to change the face of aerospace in Oklahoma.
“With their investment here, we have the opportunity to attract even more companies to our area, both competitors and those who want to service them. It is really an exciting and transformational investment in the aerospace industry and western Oklahoma area.”
On July 1, 2022, PAC signed a 20-year lease for Hangar 233 at the Oklahoma Air and Space Port, previously the Clinton-Sherman Air Force Base, and three months later signed a lease for Hangar 234. At both sites, the company will be painting and performing scheduled maintenance, modifications and interior upgrades on aircraft, a mission that will now get to expand due to the FAA’s newest awarded certificate for repair station operations.
“We will spend $14 million to refurbish and transform the space into a booth to paint Boeing 767-300 aircraft and smaller airplanes,” said Gonzalez. “PAC is hiring maintenance personnel, and as soon as the paint hangar is complete, we will hire painters. We will also build additional hangars as customers commit.”
As account manager, Gonzalez is responsible for repair station operations, ensuring that personnel follow federal regulations and serving as the primary contact with the FAA.
As a repair station, the facility will be engaged in the maintenance, inspection and alteration of aircraft and aircraft products under the FAA’s specific rules which include who can perform maintenance and approve of work on an aircraft, airframe, engines and other maintenance that will allow airplanes and other aircraft to return to service.
PAC plans to continue investing in the property located at the Oklahoma Air and Space Port in Burns Flat and plans to invest an eventual total of $120 million. It states it “plans to offer high quality standards, technical know-how and business-oriented philosophy to deliver an unparalleled customer service experience to its clients.”
Work has been done across the spaceport to make it more accessible for new businesses like updates to its waste water system along with access to high speed internet. Officials hope the addition of PAC at the site will also increase the interest of other companies at the site which boast one of the largest runways in the nation among other amenities at the 2,700 acre complex.