A hangar apron has to carry an aircraft, and an aircraft is a different kind of load from a truck. A corporate jet or a King Air sits on three small tires, so the weight lands on a few square inches of pavement, and the slab has to take it without rutting, cracking or spalling. Midland has a long history of corporate and charter aviation tied to the energy business, and owners here ask for hangars with floors and aprons designed for that kind of point load.
The concrete package for a hangar covers the foundation for a very wide clear-span building, the hangar floor with its door tracks and drains, and the apron that extends the floor outdoors. Door tracks are the detail that decides the building. A bi-fold or hydraulic door needs a recessed track set to a tight elevation tolerance, and a track that is out of level will bind for as long as the building stands. We survey every track twice before the concrete is placed.
Most of our hangar work starts with an owner or an operator who has already secured a lease or a ground site, and who needs a straight sequence from foundation to apron to door installation.
Working near an active airfield
Construction near an operating airport has rules that other sites do not. Workers need badges or escorts, vehicles must follow marked routes, and equipment such as pumps and cranes may need height approvals or lighting. We plan access and staging with the airport operator, brief every crew member on the airfield rules and keep concrete trucks on designated haul routes.
Foreign object debris is a major concern: a loose bolt or a piece of rebar tie wire on an apron can damage an engine. We sweep daily, use covered containers for waste and keep the work zone clean. The City of Midland broke ground on October 29, 2025 on a terminal expansion at the airport that adds four TSA checkpoint lanes (expandable to six) and is part of $150 million in city improvements, with completion expected in 2027. Construction across the airfield will be busy, and we coordinate haul routes and delivery windows with the operator to avoid conflicts.
Foundation, floor, door track and apron
A hangar foundation usually consists of perimeter grade beams or footings, column pads for the clear-span frame and a slab designed for aircraft loads. The floor slopes to trench drains or floor drains because fuel and cleaning fluids need a place to go. Many owners want a sealed or coated floor to resist fuel and hydraulic fluid, and we place the slab to a flatness that the coating can follow.
Hangar floors share much in common with industrial concrete floors, but the loading is different. Instead of rolling forklift wheels, the slab sees tugs, jacks, tool carts and the occasional dropped tool. We specify a dense, hard-troweled surface with a curing method that limits dusting, and we keep construction joints out of the path of the aircraft wheels wherever the layout allows. Summer placement in Midland calls for early starts and evaporation control.
The apron connects the hangar to the taxiway. Aircraft aprons are designed for the heaviest aircraft the owner expects, with thicker sections, dowelled joints and careful drainage. We place concrete paving to the airport operator's pavement standard and coordinate with the airport on any tie-in to existing taxiways.
Hangars and the buildings around them
A hangar is often part of a small campus. The same site may hold an office, a shop, a fuel farm and parking, and each has its own concrete needs. We coordinate these pieces so the hangar floor, the apron and the access drive share elevation and drainage. The airport has four asphalt runways, including 16R/34L at 9,501 feet by 150 feet and 10/28 at 8,302 feet by 150 feet, and the presence of such long runways means large aircraft use the field, which may influence how an owner sizes an apron.
Many hangars use a metal shell, so our work with pre-engineered metal buildings applies. We also see tenants who want a flex light industrial arrangement, combining hangar space with shop and office, and the same planning ideas carry over. Both approaches depend on a clean handoff between the foundation and the steel erector.
What drives hangar concrete cost
Three items dominate the price: the thickness of the hangar slab and apron, the door track system and the size of the apron. A thicker slab costs more, but it resists the point loads from landing gear and tugs. Door tracks need precise forming and may need specialized embedded steel. The apron may be larger than the hangar floor itself, particularly for a business that parks aircraft outdoors.
Soil conditions matter too. In Midland County the Spraberry Trend, the third-largest U.S. oil field by remaining reserves, underlies much of the area, but near-surface conditions vary, and caliche may require removal or treatment. We ask for a geotechnical report and include a line for subgrade preparation so the owner sees the cost of getting the base right. If the owner is weighing a larger hangar against a second smaller one, we price both layouts, since a single wide clear span costs more in foundation than two shorter spans.
Approvals for hangars and airport pavement
Hangars are reviewed under the adopted building code and by the airport operator, who may require approval for site plans, building height, lighting and construction staging. Airport pavement near taxiways follows the operator's standards, and the aviation authority may review the plans. We prepare submittals early and track each one so approvals do not delay the pour.
In Midland County I-20 has exit 126 for FM 1788 and SH 349, exit 131 for SH 158 and Loop 250, and exits 143 and 144 for Loop 250 and Business I-20 toward Midland. Those exits shape the routes delivery trucks take to the airport, and we plan deliveries to avoid peak traffic. For related reading, see our Midland International Air and Space Port area page and our utilities and energy companies page, since many hangar owners operate flight departments for energy firms.
Send the aircraft type and the lease site
Send the aircraft list, the hangar drawings and the site lease information. We return a foundation and apron sequence with door track checks, cure windows and airfield coordination.
Common Questions
How thick should a hangar floor be?
It depends on the heaviest aircraft and the tug or jack loads. The engineer sets the thickness and reinforcement. We place the slab to that design and verify thickness during the pour.
What about hangar door tracks?
Door tracks are set in a recess with exact elevation. Each track is shot by the survey crew both ahead of the pour and after it, and we coordinate with the door supplier on dimensions and embedded steel.
Can the floor resist fuel and hydraulic fluid?
Concrete can be sealed or coated to resist fluids. The sealer is chosen by the owner and the manufacturer, and we place the slab to a finish that suits it.
Do you work at the airport?
We follow the airport operator's rules for access, badging and construction safety. We plan haul routes and work hours with the operator before we mobilize crews.
How long does a hangar slab take?
The foundation and floor can often be completed in a few weeks after mobilization, with extra time for curing. The apron follows, and coatings or sealers come last.