Outdoor aviation pavement faces aircraft loads, jet blast, fuel and de-icing fluid exposure, plus Oregon winters. Portland Concrete pours hangar aprons and connecting taxiway sections to aviation-grade specs, with the slab thickness, joint pattern, and reinforcement that handle the worst case loads and the harshest seasonal cycling. Every project starts with a free written estimate.
An apron at a small hangar handles the same aircraft load as a busy commercial taxiway, just less frequently. The slab still needs to be engineered for the heaviest aircraft on the heaviest gear position; thickness, reinforcement, and joint pattern all follow from that engineering. Jet blast adds surface erosion concerns at engine-run-up positions, and Oregon freeze-thaw multiplies any drainage or sealer shortcut into a winter failure.
We engineer aprons from the aircraft load spec, pour with a freeze-thaw-rated mix design with the right air entrainment, joint to the engineered pattern with dowelled or doweled-and-greased joints depending on load transfer needs, and seal the surface for jet fuel and de-icing fluid resistance.
The slab is sized to the heaviest aircraft on the heaviest gear position, with thickness, reinforcement, and joint pattern designed for the actual aircraft fleet served, not a generic spec.
Excavate apron to subgrade
The apron footprint is excavated to subgrade, compacted, the gravel base placed at engineered depth and compacted again, and grade verified for drainage and elevation before forms go up.
Form, reinforce, pour
Joint pattern is formed per engineering, reinforcement and load-transfer dowels placed where the design calls for them, and the freeze-thaw-rated mix is poured, screeded, and finished for the aviation use.
Seal joints and surface
Control joints are saw-cut on the engineered schedule and sealed with aviation-rated joint sealant, and the surface is sealed against jet fuel and de-icing fluid exposure where the design specifies.
Why aprons fail
Drainage and Joints Are What Fail First
Most apron failures we are called to assess trace back to two causes, drainage that lets water pool and freeze on the surface, or joints that were not sealed or were sealed with the wrong material. Both lead to spalling at the joint edges and surface scaling across the apron over a few winters.
We design drainage as part of the apron from day one, with slopes that shed water to engineered low points, and we seal joints with aviation-rated sealant that handles the chemical exposure plus the freeze-thaw. Coordinate with adjacent aviation facility concrete work for the broader site picture and the wider industrial concrete service.
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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