Landmark Aviation Wants to Buy Reynolds American Hangar

June 27, 2013
With the purchase, Landmark Aviation would get the 35,000-square-foot hangar and additional office and meeting space.

June 27--Landmark Aviation may no longer have to tow aircraft from its maintenance operation across Liberty Street to Smith Reynolds Airport.

The general aviation company is in negotiations with Reynolds American Inc. to buy the Reynolds hangar at Smith Reynolds Airport.

"We've reached a tentative agreement with them, and we hope to be able to close by the end of August," Reynolds spokesman Bryan Hatchell said.

With the purchase, Landmark Aviation would get the 35,000-square-foot hangar and additional office and meeting space.

Other terms of the negotiations, including a purchase price, were not disclosed.

The hangar has been out of operation since Reynolds American closed its R.J. Reynolds Aviation Department in December 2011.

"We had aircraft that were used as part of the business and we no longer have those," Hatchell said.

He said that Reynolds American now has no business need for the hangar.

If the deal goes through, the hangar would allow Landmark to move all of its operations to the airport side of Liberty Street.

"We'll be able to have our maintenance operation on the same side that our fuel services operation is on (now)," said Jim Hopkins, the vice president of sales and government affairs for Landmark Aviation.

Landmark Aviation, based in Houston, Texas, has 50 locations in its network.

The company provides fuel services for general aviation and airlines. It provides aircraft, charter and management services. It also does maintenance for aircraft, and its largest maintenance facility is in Winston-Salem.

Landmark Aviation's current maintenance facility at 3821 N. Liberty St. is used for maintenance repair and the overhaul of general aviation aircraft, including Beechcraft.

Hopkins said that the Reynolds hangar was built in 1985 and the facility that Landmark Aviation will vacate was built in 1953.

"We'll have newer contemporary facilities to operate our maintenance business out of," Hopkins said.

He also said that the Reynolds hangar will give Landmark Aviation's customers easier access to its services.

"They can taxi right off the end of the runway and taxi over to the hangar," he said.

Years ago, Landmark Aviation, formerly Piedmont Aviation Services, was part of Piedmont Airlines.

"We've been at the airport since 1947," Hopkins said.

Airport officials are hoping for more activity when the deal goes through.

"We were disappointed that Reynolds closed its corporate flight department, so we're very excited that Landmark is going to be able to expand in that hangar," said Mark Davidson, the director of Smith Reynolds Airport.

He said that the Airport Commission of Forsyth County is considering acquiring Landmark's old hangar, which is not on airport property, once the company moves out.

"We hope to reuse the hangar across the street to bring in more business," Davidson said.

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