Executive Summary

Aero Charter, Inc., based at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, Missouri, is a total aviation solutions provider that specializes in aircraft management and aircraft charter services. In examining ways to improve the customer experience, it was decided that the organization and visual appeal of their airplane hangar could be improved. Through their partnership with Industrial Shelving Systems, a trusted Wildeck dealer, Aero Charter was able to obtain a custom mezzanine that helped create a more consistent brand experience.

The Challenge

Aero Charter, Inc., based at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, Missouri, is a total aviation solutions provider that specializes in aircraft management and aircraft charter services. Over the course of the company’s 50 years of business, customers have come to value Aero Charter’s unparalleled commitment to safety and personalized service. Raymond Van de Riet, Jr., Aero Charter’s President, states that “the key to Aero Charter’s success has always been striving to exceed customer expectations.”

Not a company prone to complacency, Aero Charter saw an opportunity to improve the organization and visual appeal of their airplane hangar. The 24,000 square foot building not only functions as the location where aircraft are stored and serviced, it plays an integral role in communicating the type of experience customers can expect. Specifically, Aero Charter wanted to achieve a cleaner aesthetic by creating a secluded storage location for the company’s records and the tools needed to service a variety of aircraft.

Our Solution

Through their partnership with Industrial Shelving Systems, a trusted Wildeck dealer, Aero Charter was exposed to the idea of an industrial mezzanine (also known as a steel work platform). Capable  of accommodating a variety of location and load requirements, Wildeck mezzanines are the ideal solution for companies looking to create more space for storage,  offices or manufacturing. In addition to resolving Aero Charter’s need for a secluded storage area, a Wildeck mezzanine would save the company the time and expense of a facility renovation.

In determining the best location for their new steel work platform, Aero Charter decided that the vertical space above the hangar’s workshop area was the ideal spot. While this location would ultimately provide an ample amount of square footage for the mezzanine, obtaining accurate field measurements and engineering a design that catered to the constraints of the building’s existing footprint would require a creative approach.

Wildeck’s team of mezzanine experts were not fazed by this challenge. With over 70-years of mezzanine industry experience, Wildeck knew that customized framing layouts and cantilever connections would be the best way to accommodate the building’s infrastructure. Additionally, the mezzanine’s cantilever design eliminated the expense of moving existing electrical panels, resulting in minimal disruption to the hangar’s existing layout. Ultimately, a mezzanine measuring approximately 81 feet in length and 19 feet in width (over 1,500 square feet) was designed, fabricated and installed above the workshop area.

While the area beneath the mezzanine continued to serve as the tool storage and work area, the mezzanine’s deck would serve as a dedicated storage area for the company’s documents and miscellaneous tools/equipment. In order to facilitate the safe and easy transport of items to and from the mezzanine’s deck, a Wildeck swing gate was installed along the edge of the mezzanine. This gate would provide forklift truck with safe access for loading and unloading.

In reviewing his Wildeck purchases, Van de Riet said, “Wildeck’s unparalleled design capabilities resulted in a mezzanine solution that is solid and meets Aero Charter’s exact needs. We could not be any happier with the results of the finished project.”