Military buildup
Little Rock base prepares for new training mission

By George Waldon

The Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville, Ark., has landed a multi-million-dollar payload of construction projects, all meant to upgrade the 49-year-old facility.

Touted as the largest C-130 base in the world, the 6,128-acre installation is the prime training facility for the aircraft's flight and ground crews in the U.S. military and Coast Guard, as well as 27 allied nations.

And now the latest version of the C-130 Hercules line, the C-130J, has brought more than $34.8 million in construction to the base. The C-130 is the prime transport for air dropping troops and equipment into hostile areas.

"We're bringing a new mission to the base," said 2nd Lt. John Quinlin, public affairs officer at LRAFB.

Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Greeley, Colo., is the contractor on the two largest ongoing C-130J projects. The biggest totals nearly $11.6 million and encompasses a 65,500-sq.-ft. hangar designed to accommodate the larger-model transport aircraft. The site for the two-bay hangar required the relocation of the base's liquid oxygen storage facility.

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Construction of the new storage compound is included in the hangar contract, awarded in March 2003. This storage project consists of a 980-sq.-ft. office building and an 825-sq.-ft. shelter for two 6,000-gallon oxygen tanks, all built on a concrete slab with a fenced perimeter. Construction began in June 2003 and excavation work soon revealed a seam of hard rock missed by sample soil borings.

"That pushed us [back] a good month," said Brian Fischer, project manager with Hensel Phelps. A 12,000-lb. ram mounted on a track-hoe was deployed to handle the rock vein.

Rainy weather then caused erosion problems with the soft shale, and it took an extra five days work to remove an additional 60,000 cu. ft. of material before foundation work could move forward.

When the new oxygen storage facility was completed in mid-November, the old location was demolished to make way for the new hangar. A seam of hard rock was uncovered on this site as well and a drill bit augur was chosen to deal with it.

Fischer said the rock was so hard it took as long to complete four caissons in this problem area as did to finish the remaining 70 for the hangar. McCluggage, Van Sickle & Perry of Wichita, Kan., designed the oxygen storage/hangar project, which was 88 percent finished in midsummer and heading toward fall completion.

A separate Hensel Phelps contract for a 33,600-sq.-ft. C130J maintenance training facility, designed by Atkins Benham Inc. of St. Louis, weighs in at $6.8 million.

The changing steel market hit this project early in the year. Pricing for 16-gauge and heavier-grade metal studs for the exterior walls skyrocketed and was followed by a supply crunch that altered a normal one-week lead time for delivery to 12 weeks.

With a more readily available supply of lighter-gauge steel studs, the focus shifted to interior walls until the materials pipeline unclogged.

"We had to build from the inside out because of the availability of steel," Fischer said. Construction related to the C-130J mission includes five other projects totaling $16.4 million.

The new plane, featuring a smaller three-man crew and a slew of new electronics, will require added training for even experienced air and ground crews. Work on the $8.5 million flight simulator facility was completed November 2003. CWR Construction Co. of North Little Rock, Ark., was the contractor for the 40,150-sq.-ft. project, and C.H. Guernsey & Co. of Oklahoma City handled the design work. At times, wet weather caused military planners to consider using unusual tactics to keep the flight simulator construction on pace.

Deploying helicopters with whirring blades to help speed the drying process on site was mentioned.

"There was even serious discussion of bringing in circus tents [to cover the work area]," said Stephen Ring, quality assurance representative with the Little Rock District Corps of Engineers. Ring said initially no weather extensions were allowed because the project was deemed a matter of national security. Completion was to coincide with the delivery of the flight simulator from Lockheed Martin Corp.

"What we wound up doing was bringing in rock to help stabilize the clay to have a good surface to work on, and more time was bought because delivery of the flight simulator was delayed," Ring said. Construction of a $2.6 million air-crew fuselage trainer facility is moving toward an October completion.

Yates Construction of Philadelphia, Miss., is the contractor on the 11,900-sq.-ft. structure, and Atkins Benham Inc. is the project architect.

Completion of a $2.4 million operations training facility is scheduled for May. The contractor on the 10,000-sq.-ft. project is ECI Construction Inc. of Overland Park, Kan. Design work is handled by a joint venture between The Cromwell Firm and Garver & Garver, both of Little Rock.

Construction of a $1.8 million engine and propeller storage building was finished in June. Lasker Inc. of Conway was the contractor on this 12,400-sq.-ft. design-build project. Carson & Associates of Little Rock won a $972,000 contract to renovate and modify an existing C-130 hangar to accommodate the larger J model.

C.H. Guernsey & Co. is overseeing the design work on the project, scheduled for completion in May.

Once fully equipped and operational, two squadrons of C-130Js will join the mix at the 314th Airlift Wing. The base is also home to the 189th Airlift Wing (Arkansas Air National Guard).