1. – 1 –
Fixed Base Operations
Hangar in the
Hamptons?
OCEAN AVIATION
Scheduled to open in 2015, the ambitious new Ocean Aviation facility at Gabreski Airport,
Westhampton Beach promises to offer world-class facilities for NYC’s business and private aircraft owners.
INVICTUS spoke to CEO Jim Reiher for the inside track on how the development is progressing…
By: Kirby Harrison Photography: Courtesy of Ocean Aviation

2. Designer
– 347 –
Fixed Base Operations
The village of Westhampton Beach defines the enclave on Long Is-
land’s south shore known collectively as “The Hamptons.” A place
where privacy shares a beach with celebrity, and with the opening
in 2015 of Ocean Aviation at Gabreski Airport, the exclusivity factor
will be substantially enhanced. The local airport is Francis S.
Gabreski, perhaps best known to year-round residents as the place
where U.S. presidents and their families on summer vacation were
dropped off and picked up. According to Ocean Aviation CEO Jim
Reiher, at this point more than 90 percent of the operators he sees
as potential clients simply pass through Gabreski, drop off passen-
gers, then leave to find a place to wait elsewhere within about 120
miles of Westhampton Beach.
“By creating a state-of-the-art base or domicile for those aircraft, we
effectively minimize what is termed ‘through-put’ and actually cut
down on airport operations and introduce a significant cost savings
to those operators,” he explained. Known in aviation parlance as sim-
ply an FBO (Fixed Base Operation), Ocean Aviation will be much
more; to whit, an exclusive private terminal, catering to the needs of
members who are owners and operators of business and private air-
Reiherpromises“substantialfuelsavingstoourtenantsfromthetwofuelfarms.Savingsinthecostoffuelshouldactuallycoverhangarexpenses,”
T

3. – 348 –
annex. Finally, the hangars will be far more than just metal boxes
of various sizes to store airplanes. They may be customized to fit
the needs of the member, from lounge, offices and kitchen to an el-
evator. Environmental issues have also been taken into considera-
tion. In the planning are “extensive sustainable energy elements,
and solar collectors, from which excess electrical power be used to
assist further environmental development and to produce alternate
forms of income, such as supplying energy to the airport itself and
the adjacent Air National Guard facilities. Even the rooftop gardens
are part of the eco-planning.
More than 540,000 square feet of parking ramp space is planned,
“more than sufficient when you consider that tenant aircraft will nor-
mally be housed in their own private hangars.” The main annex show-
piece is “a boutique FBO,” with much of the staffing out-sourced with
“the best of the best,” including aircraft maintenance and manage-
ment to flight operations. “The management team of Ocean Aviation
will oversee the entire facility for a seamless operation,” Reiher added.
There will also be an on-site aircraft management company to tend
to all owner/operator flight department needs
Amenities at the FBO will include a luxury lounge, tiered waiting
areas, a social bar area, several conference and meeting rooms ca-
pable of accommodating large-scale events, private offices, a the-
ater, gym, nap rooms, pilot lounge, flight planning offices and even
craft. It is Reiher’s vision, that of a self-described “visionary entrepre-
neur,” and a specialist in hospitality, service and design in the FBO
business, with a further background in the commercial film industry.
The architectural firm selected is Swaback Partners of Scottsdale, Ari-
zona, and the decision had less to do with aviation than with the back-
ground of partner Vern Swaback, a protegé of famed architect Frank
Lloyd Wright. Also, added Reiher, “I purposely sought out a firm that
does not specialize in FBOs, but in the high-end hospitality niche.”
In fact, it was Swaback who designed the famous Biltmore Hotel and
the Hangar 1 private FBO in Scottsdale.
The result will be closer to an exclusive private aviation community
than an FBO, although with many of the same services, from aircraft
fueling and service to aircraft maintenance, crew and passenger
amenities and security. Construction is expected to begin this fall.
Ocean Aviation’s plans are on an impressive scale, with three main
annex sites with a total of 46 hangars on a combined 40-acre site. The
main annex will consist of a lounge/lobby, 22 hangars and a fuel farm.
The east annex will have 17 hangars, a second fuel farm and a large
maintenance facility. The west annex will hold seven hangars, the
largest of which will total 51,300 square feet and will be capable of si-
multaneously accommodating several Boeing Business Jets.
“We’re also considering including a part-time film studio at that
site,” said Reiher. Management offices will be located at the main

4. an automobile museum. The FBO will also provide maintenance,
repair and overhaul, as well as aircraft detailing, galley restocking
and lavatory service.
Concierge services are equally impressive, including limo and auto
rental, hotel reservations and in-flight catering from Starr Boggs, the
village’s premier restaurant. A serving kitchen will be available to
take care of on-site catered events. “At the moment,” said Reiher,
“We’re looking at hangar leasing in the $20 per square foot range for
three-to-five-year terms.” And he added that the fuel savings alone
should cover hangar expensive.
The facilities will also accommodate members whose own aircraft
may be down and are obliged to use charter or temporary lease. “If
you are a tenant or a member, the facility is yours to use,” declared
Reiher. While New York City is just 69 miles away, members need not
suffer the indignities of Long Island’s end-to-end traffic jams. Each
of the annex sites will feature a roof-top heliport and garden for use
by helicopter charter operators, as well as by two Sikorsky S-76s
based at the complex. The 12,000-sqare-foot heliport at the main
annex, as well heliports at the east and west annex, will be capable of
handling the largest civil helicopters
Fixed-wing aircraft charter will also be available, as well as seaplane
services, both operating out of the main site through third party op-
erators. Helicopter and seaplane services are on site for the exclusive
use of Ocean Aviation members. Flight time to and from New York
City is expected to be about 20-minutes.
The Ocean Aviation complex property will be leased from Suffolk
County, and Reiher anticipates an initial 40-year lease with an option
to renew. Reiher took a holistic approach with regard to negotiating
with the diverse range of government and community constituents
that includes town, county, state and federal offices and agencies. “We
acknowledged early on that there would be environmental, political
and economic realities to contend with and our approach was to be
straight-forward and aggressive [and] things are moving along at a
really rapid pace.” An additional benefit to members would be a bill
being reviewed by the New York legislature (A377) is reviewing a bill
that will allow a sales tax exemption for New York-registered aircraft.
The state already allows an aircraft maintenance tax exemption.
One example of new development is Rechler Equity Partners’ 440,000-
square-foot Premier Business Park on airport property. The business
park will include a 200-room hotel as well as the 50-acre high-tech
business park. Rechler Equity Partners is also expected to offer cor-
porate headquarters or satellite offices for Ocean Aviation members.
With an Air National Guard rescue wing in residence and some 9,000
aircraft movements a month in summer, Gabreski Airport can be a
relatively active field. It has three runways, the longest of which is
9,000 feet (longer than the runway at New York’s LaGuardia Airport)
“I purposely sought out a firm that does not specialize in FBOs, but in the high-end hospitality niche.”
– 349 –

5. – 351 –
Amongst some of the many
imaginative features planned
to surprise and delight members
is an automotove museum.

6. and capable to accommodating single-
and dual-wheel aircraft weighing up to
50,000 pounds and duel tandem-wheel
aircraft weighing more than 100,000
pounds. An aircraft fuel provider has yet
to be selected, but Reiher promises “sub-
stantial fuel savings to our tenants from
the two fuel farms. Savings in the cost of
fuel should actually cover hangar ex-
penses,” he added.
Gabreski features an instrument landing
system permitting traffic during low vis-
ibility conditions. It is also outside the
heavily congested New York Terminal Control (TCA) area. The site
location translates to time savings for flight crews and their passen-
gers by allowing clean departures and arrivals. “Ocean Aviation will
be a state-of-the-art, visually striking and eco-friendly complex that
will clearly raise the bar for FBOs, particularly those FBOs that fea-
ture private hangars, which most don’t, but we will,” concluded Reiher.
Total funding in the amount of approximately $85 million he added,
is coming from “a phased fiscal strategy of private investments,
bonds and foreign investment programs.” I
– 350 –
e Ocean Aviation complex
with comprise of three seperate
annexes, offering a total of
76 hangars on a 40-acre site.
New York City is just 69-miles away, but
members need not suffer Long Island’s traffic
jams. Each annex site will feature a roof-top
heliport for use by charter operators.