Yingling Aviation, a Cessna-affiliated general aviation services provider located at Wichita’s Mid-Continent Airport, has announced that it will add 9,000 sq ft of hangar and office space to its facility.

A spokesman for the company, which is an authorized McCauley repair service center, said the expansion will accommodate increased demand for McCauley propeller overhaul and service. The $1.5 million addition is the first portion of a two-phase expansion and is expected to be completed by March. A ground-breaking date has yet to be announced. The first phase is intended to expand the company’s traditional aluminum propeller repair and overhaul capabilities; the second phase will focus on repair services for composite propellers.

“We currently use outside vendors to perform some of the analytical inspection processes that are part of a propeller overhaul,” said Yingling president Lynn Nichols. “By expanding our facilities and bringing those processes in-house, we’ll be able to exercise greater control, diminish the operational costs and provide faster turnarounds.”

As well as expanding the company’s propeller service, the new additions will allow Yingling to centralize and enlarge its shipping and receiving departments, parts inventory and tool cribs. Yingling will expand its paint shop and add two segregated battery rooms for testing and charging. Plans also call for the construction of a new employee lounge and the relocation of Yingling’s line-services office. A new garage for ground equipment will round out the improvements.