Air Tanker Base Project right on schedule

The USDA Forest Service Colorado Springs Air Tanker Base project is on schedule for completion mid-March 2022. Douglas Colony Group installs final exterior metal paneling on the new 4,500 two-story flight operations building, the Glaziers install glass doors, storefront and curtainwall windows, Lenz Electric, Heating & Plumbing Engineers, and Alyeska Painting provide finishes for this building and the new single-story 4,000 SF storage building that includes a 14,000 SF state of the art mixing and containment pad for retardant operations. Amazing views to the east allow for passenger, cargo, and military aircraft departures.

The base features six reload pits for large air tankers, and one pit for large Air Tankers such as the DC-10 and 747. It will be the largest base in the region. During the winter months when the Forest Service is not using the ramp, the airport will use it as a de-icing area for commercial aircraft. The Forest service claims it will have the ability to serve a 600-mile radius, realistically for the large air tankers that cruise at more than 540 miles an hour.

This unique combination of an onsite flight operations building, along with an onsite fire retardant mixing station located at the Colorado Springs Airport will be the 1st line of defense for Pikes Peak & San Isabel National Forests, and the Cimarron & Comanche National Grasslands. Upon succession, this project will be replicated across the country to take on the challenges fighting forest fires across the country.