AirTran AirTran Airways has established itself as an important carrier in the modern aviation market. Prime Engineering is proud of its recent design, engineering, and surveying work on the firm’s behalf. In a short time, Prime and AirTran have developed a partnership that has led to significant achievement for both parties. Although Prime has completed several projects for AirTran, the most noteworthy is our recent work on AirTran’s new maintenance hangar at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. To meet AirTrain’s need for a modern hangar facility that satisfied both programmatic and aesthetic needs, Prime provided civil engineering, surveying, and landscape architecture support. The resulting 76,000-foot maintenance hangar facility combines innovative materials use, energy efficiency, state-of-the-art safety features, and flexibility. In keeping with the 21st-century realities of efficiency and versatility, every design and engineering feature was implemented to meet not just one, but several needs at once: e.g., a hangar roof design that enhances flexibility, conserves power, and heightens aesthetic appeal. The result: a structure that accommodates the newest and most advanced aircraft in convenience and safety while simultaneously conserving energy and controlling costs. Benefits of the AirTran maintenance hangar include: Energy Conservation and Cost Control: The hangar’s translucent tension membrane roof and glass curtain wall permit natural daylight to penetrate work areas. These features minimize the need for artificial lighting during daylight hours, enhancing aesthetic attractiveness while reducing power use and controlling costs. Flexibility and Space: The hangar itself is 56,000 feet in area and 75 feet in height. Despite its size, the hangar is constructed from lightweight but sturdy material and has a modular roof. These design features permit the structure to expand or contract, allowing diverse configurations of 717, 737, and 757 aircraft to dock in comfort and safety. Safety: In a post-9/11 world, aviation safety is paramount. The maintenance hangar accounts for this reality by incorporating architectural structured fencing directly into the design, enhancing security controls in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Prime’s work on this project earned the firm a 2006 American Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia Honor Award for Engineering Excellence. Additional work Prime has performed for AirTran includes: Analyzing AirTran’s facilities and preparing an effective, manageable SPCC plan in accordance with 40CFR112, local stormwater management requirements, Fire Department requirements, and pending NPDES permits Providing structural support, mechanical engineering, and construction administration for a new mezzanine workspace at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport. Providing horizontal and vertical layout for AirTran apron.       “This hangar will improve how we run our airline by helping keep our costs low and our service levels high. We currently have exceptionally high dispatch reliability and completion factors, and these great figures will only get better, thanks to this new building and the efficiencies it will afford our crew members.” Joe Leonard Chairman and CEO AirTran