A provider of private jet charters is expanding its operations at John Wayne Airport (JWA), allowing it to both continue its passenger operations and house Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Air Support Unit.
Clay Lacy Aviation broke ground on what it hails as the largest private infrastructure investment in John Wayne Airport’s history. The private jet operator estimated it would spend at least $100 million on a 14-acre Fixed Base Operator (FBO) development facility at the third busiest airport in Southern California.
The new complex would include 41,800 square feet of office space, a passenger terminal for private jet charter flights, four hangars totaling 145,000 square feet and the new home for Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Air Support Unit.
“The development is the largest financial investment in our 57-year company history,” Clay Lacy Aviation Owner and Chairman Brian Kirkdoffer said at the Nov. 14 groundbreaking event. “This development is an investment in the future of Orange County, making Orange County stronger and more competitive on the world stage.”
Construction of the FBO campus is on pace to be completed by the third quarter of 2026.
Clay Lacy Project Part of Other Airport Upgrades
John Wayne Airport Director Charlene Reynolds said the facility is the first of several projects intended to upgrade the aviation hub’s infrastructure.
“We officially kick off what we call our construction phase of the General Aviation Improvement Program. The GAIP, itself, is a strategic investment in the airport’s infrastructure,” Reynolds said.
“Clay Lacy is the first of three big space operators at the airport who will help us transform the entire landscape of John Wayne Airport.”
Reynolds said Clay Lacy Aviation’s investment into its FBO facility complements the $700 million Orange County committed to John Wayne Airport (JWA) through 2030. The county funding would cover upgrades such as escalator replacements, baggage handling systems, digital signage and ticketing kiosks.
The airport would also gain electric vehicle charging stations and undergo taxiway reconstruction.
Up to three-dozen projects at JWA, in all, would be covered by the county’s funding, which was approved by the Orange County Board of Supervisors in June 2023.
Sustainability Efforts Support All-Electric Aircraft
Building the new FBO facility, which was designed by San Francisco-based architectural firm Gensler, would create 180 direct and 450 indirect jobs during construction and be recognized for its favorable environmental footprint by the Institute of Sustainable Infrastructure.
The new Clay Lacy FBO and hangar complex would specifically include solar panels, electric vehicle chargers and high-capacity electric aircraft charging stations. The aircraft chargers would support the FBO’s fleet of all-electric and hybrid electric aircraft.
Complementing Clay Lacy Aviation’s selling point on sustainability is the first-ever home for the Air Support Unit of Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The unit would house the department’s fleet of helicopters, personnel and maintenance operations.
“This partnership and this relationship with Clay Lacy, with the John Wayne Airport, is really allowing us to take what we feel is a top-notch air support unit and bring it into the 21st century,” Orange County Sheriff’s Department Undersheriff Jeff Hallock said.
“Our Air Support Unit … responds to over 2,000 calls for service every year.”
The Air Support Unit out of John Wayne Airport, Hallock added, includes search-and-rescue calls for lost or injured hikers in Orange County’s canyons. The unit’s helicopter fleet is serviced and maintained at JWA.
The Sheriff’s Department has been housing its Air Support Unit in an airport hangar but will shift to Clay Lacy Aviation once the new FBO opens.
Clay Lacy Aviation was founded in 1968 by aviator Clay Lacy. It was the first jet charter company west of the Mississippi, serving Hollywood’s biggest names, according to the company’s website. Lacy was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1932 and began flying at the age of 12.
Lacy made the first test flight of a Saturn rocket booster and flew the first Learjet into Van Nuys Airport.
Clay Lacy Aviation has since grown to offer its services at John Wayne Airport, Van Nuys Airport, Waterford-Oxford Airport in Connecticut and Friedman Memorial Airport in Idaho.
During the groundbreaking, Clay Lacy Aviation, located at 360 Paularino Ave. in Costa Mesa, presented a $15,000 scholarship check to Orange Coast College’s aviation science program, to help fund students who pursue their flying certifications.
