NAF El Centro


Location:	El Centro, CA

Building Series:	TITAN ®

Application:	Aircraft Shade Shelters

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The Need

The US Department of Navy needed to shelter and protect aircraft and aviation personnel at the winter headquarters of the "Blue Angels" at NAF El Centro in California. The structures had to be relocatable, strong, quick to erect and economical while meeting the strict safety standards required by building codes.

The Solution

Summit Structures was selected to provide aircraft shade structures that could resist high winds and the extreme heat and UV of the Mojave Desert. Summit's design team responded with custom-designed TITAN® sun shade shelters to meet the needs of NAF El Centro. Averaging 75' (22.8m) in width and approximately 75' (22.8m) in length, the steel framed, tension membrane structures are unusually versatile as they can be quickly and easily erected, dismantled and relocated with little or no site preparation.

The translucent polyethylene fabric membrane eliminates the need for artificial lighting during the daytime. The structures extend aircraft life and reduce maintenance costs considerably by keeping the aircrafts and equipment protected.

Customer Comments

"I would like to take this opportunity to commend you and your company for the excellent support and commitment to the service of NAF El Centro in completing the erection of 24 aircraft shade structures on our aircraft flightline. These structures have been a tremendous quality of work improvement and morale boost for Navy maintenance aircrew members, where ambient air temperatures in the summer routinely exceed 115 degrees Fahrenheit and 190 degrees in a jet airplane cockpit. These structures can lower the temperatures in and around the jet aircraft over 70 degrees, significantly reducing heat fatigue for maintenance personnel and life-cycle costs for jet avionics equipment. Additionally, these aircraft shade structures have been cited by several deploying air squadrons as the number one quality of work improvement at NAF El Centro in many years," says D.C. Lewis, Lieutenant Commander, Civil Engineer Corps, US Navy Officer in Charge of Construction.

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