![]() Many fly their planes to other parts of the country or farther for work, getaways or what Zarriello calls the $100 hamburger (a quick lunch via the airway). They realized owning a plane was beneficial for business and pleasure. ![]() He described many of them as “hard-working” people looking for their next fortune-growing venture. The bulk of plane owners at Million Air are business leaders from the Capital Region, DeFeo said. A minute later he was rushing off again – flying out to pick up his daughter. He popped in to give a quick, polite hello when DeFeo signaled him over. The man, a General Electric engineer, owns a plane at Million Air. The rate climbs higher for larger planes.Īs Zarriello and DeFeo paused to pose for a quick photo, DeFeo eyed a gentleman hustling across the Alpha taxiway to one of the three hangars. So, someone owning a smaller aircraft about 1,000 square feet in size, such as a Cessna 172, would be billed about $7,800 annually. John DelBalso, the airport's assistant and property manager, said on average it costs about $7.80 a square foot. The airport charges these owners based on the square footage of their planes. Most opt into annual leases, but some sign on for multi-year deals. The Million Air rates for private owners vary from one to the next and depend on their leasing timeframes. Off to the right, there’s a quiet room to sleep in and the pilot’s lounge where aviators have access to weather reports and flight plans in one central location furnished with cushy leather chairs. Gray and white hues line the entryway walls suggesting luxury. Those who first walk into the Million Air terminal might immediately feel pampered. Heitz also pointed out that having these services prevents planes from getting “hangar rash.” That's pilot talk for the damage a plane sustains when another bumps or hits it while being moved in and out of its shelter. “If we call ahead and say we need a plane out by 9 o'clock or 6 o'clock in the morning, it'll be out,” DeFeo said. Members don’t just store their planes there, they get a complete package: fuel, maintenance, marshaling and getting the planes pulled in and out of a heater hangar whenever needed. The private facility might soon be adding another hangar to its operations, though.ĭeFeo and Zarriello have found that the Million Air at Albany International offers its clientele higher-quality services than others they’ve been to. Bob Heitz, Million Air’s general manager, said they’ve even had to turn away a couple dozen planes throughout the pandemic. Million Air currently has 24 planes on board and is at capacity. Without people flying in and out of their terminals, concessions and parking, airport revenue took a nosedive of about $21 million from 2019 to 2020. Although down in revenue from 2019, it was a critical component to the airport when it suffered a pandemic blow and commercial airline traffic dropped precipitously. The hangar was Albany International’s biggest revenue source in 2020 bringing in about $6.3 million of the airport’s total $30.8 million in 2020. They expanded from there, with hangars across North America and the Caribbean. The privately held company was started in 1984 by members of the Mary Kay Cosmetics organization for use by sales representatives and customers at their home base of Dallas. As an FBO, independent pilots and fliers-in-training use their hangars to park and store planes in between trips. It acts as a separate service for private, non-commercial aviation. The Dallas-based Million Air company is a fixed base operator (FBO) housed in various airports across the country. What sets this Million Air facility apart He’s been flying for 14 years and it shows. His speech was soaring with aviation shorthand and jargon that made me feel like I was visiting an exclusive club to which I had worn the wrong clothes. Their laughter echoed up into the rafters.Īs DeFeo explained what we were seeing in the hangars, my brain sprinted trying to catch up with him. Looking out at the pristine-looking planes, he and Chuck Zarriello, a fellow flier, joked that the floors were so clean one could eat off of them. He’s likely been inside of the three Million Air hangars hundreds of times but one can still spot the sparkle in his eye as he marvels at all its features. The Million Air hangars at Albany International Airport gleam in comparison to others, DeFeo said. “You get a perspective from the air that you just don't see from the ground,” he said, describing flying as a “sanctuary.”
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