Nebraskaland Aviation has a long history in the region in and around Holdrege, Neb. Founded in the mid-1960s and now owned by Tye and Aimee Marquardt, the ag retailer and aerial application provider serves customers in 34 counties in Nebraska and Kansas.
Even older than the company itself were the metal Quonset hut hangars the business was operating out of at Brewster Field Airport. They were small and it took some creative maneuvering to get the business' airplanes in and out of the hangars, even using carts that allowed staff to push in the airplanes sideways. There was also little to no space to do maintenance work on the aircraft and animals easily found their way inside.
“The airplanes kept getting bigger, but the hangars didn't,” Tye Marquardt said. “Really, to call them hangars is being pretty generous; they were more like sheds, is what they were.”
For years, the team at Nebraskaland dreamed of the perfect hangar. It would have plenty of space to store and work on the planes, adequate lighting and plenty of other bells and whistles. After years of planning, Nebraskaland Aviation broke ground on its new hangar, measuring 350 ft. long by 60 ft. wide. It is large enough to fit up to 10 aircraft and features an upper-level observation deck and lounge.
Six Schweiss Doors liftstrap bifold doors occupy the long walls of the new hangar. Four doors measure 70 ft. wide by 20 ft. tall, while the other two measure 60 ft. wide and 20 ft. tall.
“We've had some experience here at the Holdrege airport with Schweiss Doors and we thought the quality of the doors was good,” Marquardt said. “So, that is what we decided to go with.”
The bifold doors are mounted on both the front and back of the hangar, giving staff even more freedom of movement. The two smaller bifolds are mounted on the back, while the larger four doors are on the front. Weisheit Construction erected the hangar and mounted the Schweiss liftstrap bifold doors.
“They did a good job,” Marquardt said.
Since their installation, the Schweiss bifold doors have operated well for Nebraskaland. Marquardt likes the liftstrap system because he finds the straps quieter, faster and safer than old cable lift doors. There is also less of a risk of accidentally hitting an airplane parked outside the hangar with a bifold door because it lifts up, instead of swinging out.
“Schweiss doors are well built and they do their job,” Marquardt said. “We've had a good number of people who are considering construction projects come through and look the place over and they always have questions about the doors. We've recommended Schweiss Doors to a number of people.”
With its new hangar, the team at Nebraskaland has been able to better serve its customers. Throughout its service area, Nebraskaland works with customers to create the perfect custom application of fertilizer and chemicals on agricultural fields. Nebraskaland has a fleet of Air Tractor aircraft, plus ground vehicles and even drones to help apply the products to the fields.
“We treat corn, soybeans, range land, wheat, all crops and pastures with various treatments,” Marquardt said. “We also do some dry fertilizer and cover crop seeding.”
The new hangar has been a great addition to not only the Nebraskaland family, but to the entire community. In addition to being a great place to store aircraft, the hangar makes a wonderful event space. Marquardt says there have been weddings, baby showers, graduation and anniversary parties and more held at the hangar. The facility comes equipped with a 16-ft. projector screen and sound system and they've been put to good use for football watch parties and customer events. Nebraskaland even hosted a high school wrestling dual meet.
“We were thrilled to be able to do that.” Marquardt said. “It was a really fun night and it brought about a lot of excitement in the community.”
Family and community are important to the Marquardts and they designed their hangar with that in mind. It is a continuation of how the business has operated since its founding.
“It's been a family-owned business since the 1960s, passed down from one family to another family,” Marquardt says. “It's been a really nice transition over the years and it's kept the business locally owned. I think that has been important to our community.”
