Jet aircraft impose concentrated gear loads, thermal stress from engine blast, and chemical exposure from fuel and de-icing agents. Portland Concrete designs and pours aprons and taxiway sections to handle the full load spectrum, with slab thickness, joint layout, and reinforcement matched to your aircraft fleet and Oregon's seasonal freeze-thaw. Every project includes a free written estimate and firm timeline.
A small hangar apron and a busy commercial taxiway both carry the same peak load per aircraft pass, just at different frequencies. The slab thickness, reinforcement pattern, and joint spacing all derive from the heaviest aircraft that will operate on it. Jet engine run-up zones add surface erosion risk, and Portland's wet winters mean any drainage or sealing gap becomes a spalling failure within a few freeze-thaw cycles.
Our approach starts with the aircraft load engineering, specifies a freeze-thaw-rated concrete mix with proper air entrainment, forms and pours to the engineered joint pattern with load-transfer dowels where needed, and seals the surface against jet fuel and de-icing fluid. The result is a slab that handles the load and the climate.
We work from the aircraft specifications to determine slab thickness, reinforcement, and joint pattern. The design accounts for the heaviest gear load and the worst-case load position on the slab.
Site prep and base installation
The apron area is excavated to subgrade, compacted, and the engineered gravel base is placed and compacted to spec. Drainage slopes and elevation are verified before forming begins.
Forming, reinforcement, and pour
Joint lines are formed per the engineering layout, rebar and load-transfer dowels are positioned, and the freeze-thaw-rated concrete mix is poured, screeded, and finished to the required surface profile.
Joint sealing and surface protection
Control joints are saw-cut on schedule and sealed with aviation-grade joint sealant. The slab surface receives a penetrating sealer rated for jet fuel and de-icing fluid exposure.
Common failure modes
Poor Drainage and Unsealed Joints Cause Most Apron Failures
When we inspect failing aprons, the pattern is consistent: water pools on the surface or at joints, freezes during winter, and spalls the concrete edge. Unsealed or improperly sealed joints allow water and de-icing chemicals to penetrate, accelerating the damage. The slab itself may be sound, but the surface protection failed.
We design drainage into the apron from the start, with slopes that shed water to low points and away from the slab. Joints are sealed with aviation-rated sealant that resists both the chemical exposure and the thermal cycling. Coordinate with your aircraft hangar team on the full site picture, and reference our ready mix and concrete pumping capabilities for larger projects.
Slab thickness, joint pattern, jet blast and freeze-thaw mix design.
Several inches to a foot or more, depending on the heaviest aircraft served. Engineering analysis from the aircraft gear load drives the spec; we will not pour thinner than the engineering specifies even if budget pressure exists.
For aprons that serve heavier aircraft or have larger slab panels, yes. Dowels transfer load across joints so the slab edges do not fail individually. The engineer specifies dowel size and spacing based on the joint geometry and load profile.
Aviation-rated penetrating sealers that resist jet fuel, de-icing fluid, and thermal cycling. We spec from the aviation sealer chart based on the actual exposure your apron sees, including engine run-up locations if relevant.
Air entrainment is the key, the right air content in the cured concrete lets water freeze inside the matrix without spalling. Combined with the right water/cement ratio and admixtures, the mix resists Oregon winters.
From a few weeks for a small new apron to multi-month projects for taxiway connections requiring engineering and coordination with airport operations. The full schedule is in the quote.
New apron poured to engineering for our heaviest based aircraft. Joints dowelled, sealed properly, freeze-thaw mix verified. Three winters in, zero surface scaling, zero joint failure.
Z. B5
Airport Manager, Portland
★★★★★
They knew the aviation specs cold, coordinated with our engineer on slab thickness and joint pattern. The result has held through heavy aircraft turn and full winter cycling.
Y. B5
FBO Director, Vancouver
★★★★★
Apron expansion to handle a new based aircraft. Engineered specifically for the new load, tied into existing pavement cleanly. The transition joint has held perfectly.
Q. B5
Hangar Operations Lead, Hillsboro
★★★★★
Apron with engine run-up area required jet-blast-rated sealer. They specified the right product, applied to spec, the surface has held with no erosion at the run-up zone.
X. B5
Aviation Maintenance, Gresham
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