Clay Lacy Aviation was awarded by the Orange County Board of Supervisors a 35-year lease at John Wayne Airport to build and operate a fixed base operation at the airfield.The Van Nuys air charter and management company will build a full-service fixed base operation with 110,000-square feet of hangar space, 42,000-square feet of class A office space and a private terminal.
The facility will also include space for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Air Support Bureau and Orange Coast College Aviation Science Department.The FBO will provide 180 jobs across a variety of career tracks, including opportunities for pilots, maintenance technicians, sales and marketing experts and finance and accounting professionals, among other positions.
Brian Kirkdoffer, the chief executive and owner of Clay Lacy Aviation, called the lease award a new chapter for general aviation in Orange County.
“Clay Lacy Aviation will build world-class facilities, provide award-winning FBO services, create good-paying jobs, and always be a good neighbor to the local community,” Kirkdoffer said in a statement. “This partnership will benefit the county, its residents, and airport customers for decades to come.”
Mark R. Madler covers aviation & aerospace, manufacturing, technology, automotive & transportation, media & entertainment and the Antelope Valley. He joined the company in February 2006.
Madler previously worked as a reporter for the Burbank Leader. Before that, he was a reporter for the City News Bureau of Chicago and several daily newspapers in the suburban Chicago area.
He has a bachelor’s of science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
