Million Air Van Nuys (VNY), Calif., still awaiting final approval to begin construction on its permanent facility upgrade, has completed a $750,000 interim renovation project. Harold Lee, president of Million Air Van Nuys and its sister operation Million Air Burbank, said, “While we wait to start construction of our new hangar and office project, we decided it was time to upgrade our existing FBO for our customers. Since it will be next spring before we start our construction, we decided to turn what we have into something nice in the meantime.”

The FBO has been operating from temporary buildings since shortly after it lost its 5,500-sq-ft glass terminal building in the Northridge earthquake in January 1994. Lee said he has been waiting since then for approval to build a new terminal building and 13 corporate jet hangars, but has been held up by various city-imposed construction moratoriums.

The interim project included repaving and reconfiguring an extra three-and-a-half acres of ramp area; installing a new fuel farm; repainting existing hangars; and renovating the current terminal building. Million Air Van Nuys is open 24 hours per day.

In addition to upgrading the FBO’s bricks and mortar, Lee has been on the hunt for industry brain power. Mike McDaniel, former line manager of Raytheon Aircraft Services down the ramp at VNY, has joined Million Air as Lee’s new director of operations for both Million Air Burbank and Million Air Van Nuys. He brings 25 years of FBO experience to the job, said Lee. Ron Reynolds, formerly director of operations at Million Air Van Nuys, has moved over to become manager of operations at Burbank. Besides the Million Air franchises at Van Nuys and Burbank, Lee also operates the Golden West Jet Center in Santa Maria, Calif.