That’s the case with Mark Greenberg of the Denver area, whose love of flying led him in two directions. In both situations, Greenberg saw a need and figured out a way to create a solution.

A private pilot since 1980, his love of flying has taken him on many a memorable flight, but he found a way to turn this passion into a benefit for others when he formed the Colorado chapter of Angel Flight in 1996.

Angel Flight arranges free air transportation on private aircraft in response to health care and other compelling human needs. The volunteer members are private pilots who use their own aircraft. There is never a fee to the patient or the health care provider for an Angel Flight. The costs of this special transportation are paid by the volunteer pilots.

At about that same time, he and his business partner, Wade Goetz, looked around and saw that these and other private pilots were clamoring for hangar space. There was a definite shortage at Centennial Airport, one of the busiest airports in the USA, and located in the Denver Metro Area. Greenberg and Goetz had no professional construction experience, but they knew they could find a way to fulfill this need, and a referral from an engineer familiar with Erect-A-Tube got them started.

“We went out to the factory in Harvard, Illinois, and from a layman’s point of view, things looked pretty effectively designed and straightforward. My partner and I are not engineers, but even from the standpoint of a novice, this looked like it could work for us,” said Greenberg.

The project was launched in 1997, and eventually 29 units were built by 2000, all now privately owned, and a Condominium Association was formed to manage the hangars.

“As a longtime pilot myself,” says Greenberg, “I want my plane to be sheltered in a dry, well-built, safe structure. And that’s what we offer to our hangar clients, too, thanks to the Erect-A-Tube product standards.

“Even when we ran into a challenge on our doors, we didn’t have to worry about long delays or unanswered phone calls. The customer service was outstanding, too, and Erect-A-Tube actually sent out a representative to resolve the problem. We were happy with Erect-A-Tube’s responsive and attentive business style. They were knowledgeable, and that made us a better informed client.

”Hangar design and compatibility was important, so a mix of sizes from tee-hangars for smaller aircraft to large executive hangars for midsize jets were built. This created a well-balanced setting that provided economy and efficiency for the pilots and aircraft owners. A bonus arose in that the results foster a pleasant community where everyone gets along well.

Incidentally, many of those hangars house Angel Flight single- or twin- engine planes, safe and dry and ready for action.

We’d love to write your story. For more information about Erect-A-Tube and its products that could create your very own story call 800.624.9219 or e-mail us at hangars@erect-a-tube.com.