Ron Rasak is on cloud nine over Cloud 9 at Camarillo, a $20 million hangar project to be built at Camarillo Airport. The development is what got Rasak out of retirement after 11 years with his company, RKR Inc., in Calabasas. “Our company has three mottos,” Rasak said. “It has to make economic sense; it has to be fun; and it has to add to the community. This falls into every single group so that is why we are excited about it.” Cloud 9 will consist of four 25,000-square-foot hangars with each having 5,000 square feet of office space attached. The project will break ground toward the end of next year, perhaps as early as August, and be completed and ready for occupancy in 12 months. The hangar space can accommodate up to eight planes. “Cloud 9 is for individuals and companies that don’t want to be in an FBO (fixed-base operation),” Rasak said. “They don’t want their beautiful planes in with a bunch of other planes, getting moved in and out. They want their own offices. They don’t want to be seen.” To facilitate privacy for the aircraft owners and their guests, RKR will build a separate entrance off Las Posas Road, he added. Other amenities will include covered vehicle parking and roll-up doors on the hangars so that vehicles can pull inside. Each hangar will have white epoxy floors and walls accented with red and blue paint. Rasak said he has purchased an FBO at the airport and will offer fuel at cost to aircraft owners with hangar space at Cloud 9 during their first year of ownership. “That is a huge thing for people who have jets,” he added. Another selling point of the development is the 40-year lease on 6.2 vacant acres at the northeast end of the airport where the company will build the hangars, with an option for an additional 10 years. In January, he is going to start marketing the property to aircraft owners. “We are putting together all the marketing stuff now,” Rasak said. “This is going to sell out, I believe, very quickly so there is not a rush in our minds to get out there.” Silver Air Anniversary Silver Air, a private aircraft management and air charter company, celebrated 10 years in business at the end of October. Silver, based in Santa Barbara with operations at Van Nuys Airport, was started by Chief Executive Jason Middleton and Chief Financial Officer James Maxwell in 2008 and grew from a single jet to a firm with an international fleet across the U.S. It was exciting to hit the decade mark with a company started from scratch, Middleton said. “We’re doing things differently within an industry that values tradition, and that’s worked well for us and our clients,” he added in a statement. Silver Air manages a fleet of more than 30 light to large-cabin jets from such manufacturers as Dassault Aviation SA, Bombardier Inc., Embraer S.A. and Cessna. At Van Nuys, the company started offering in May the use of a Boeing Business Jet in a VVIP configuration that seats 16 passengers. A month later, it expanded its offering from the San Fernando Valley airfield with a Gulfstream GIV. Amenities in the Boeing Business Jet include Wi-Fi, a private office, lounge area, master suite, two full bathrooms with showers and a full-service galley. “We’re anticipating continued growth over the next 10 years while we build out the infrastructure to maintain the highest levels of service and support for our jet owner partners and charter clients,” Chuck Stumpf, president of business development, said in a statement. Airport Director’s Death The death of Ventura County Airports Director Todd McNamee in a car crash at Camarillo Airport was ruled a suicide, according to media reports citing the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. The incident occurred on Nov. 1 when a vehicle fire was reported near the tarmac at the western edge of the airport, the Ventura County Star reported. A body found inside the vehicle was determined to be the 52-year-old McNamee. McNamee worked for the airports division since 2001, starting as the deputy airports director and taking the director’s position in 2005. In that role, McNamee oversaw operations at both Camarillo and Oxnard airports. Just prior to his death, McNamee had returned from a months-long medical leave and was said to have been seriously ill, the Star reported. The sheriff’s department did not have information regarding whether health issues contributed to the incident, the paper said. The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office reported the immediate cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries, according to the Star. Jorge Rubio, the deputy airports director, has taken over as director. Staff Reporter Mark R. Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or [email protected].