Vertical Vision Announces Future Opening of New Hangar and Classroom Building at Des Moines International Airport

Part 1 of the ‘Vertical Vision is In the News’ Series

The new hangar is scheduled to open in August of 2025.

Local news media in Des Moines noticed that our building permit had cleared and they announced our plans before we could! Naturally, we’re grateful for the notoriety and the buzz this created around the aviation community, so we were happy to provide them with an interview. When Addison Lathers, the Local Development reporter for the Des Moines Register called for more information, our General Manager, Austin Dunn (a Commercial Pilot himself), shared more about our plans and the timeline for the building’s completion as we understood it at the time.

“Our school has really kicked off,” Dunn mentioned. “We ended up growing just a little bit too quickly.”

Groundbreaking on this new $2.7 million facility is set to happen by November 14th, 2024 and we plan to open our doors and begin flight and ground school operations by mid-August, 2025. It’s located at 6214 SW 28th Street in Des Moines on the south edge of the airport.

Why Are We Building a Brand New Facility?

As mentioned in the Register article, our enrollment since the inception of our school continues to amaze us and we are simply working to keep up with the demand for new pilots in the industry, for those who are on a career track, and to continue to serve those who have a life goal of attaining their private pilot’s license for personal reasons. Our move to Perry Municipal Airport was part of this expansion as we continued to face challenges for space at KDSM (Des Moines International) and we will continue to provide our students with the Perry experience as being able to operate confidently in a non-towered setting remains a large part of becoming a well-rounded pilot.

Why Is There a Need for So Many New Pilots?

On the heels of pandemic-era staffing reductions in the airline industry pushed many pilots into early retirement, and with many more set to retire in the next four years, an ongoing pilot shortage will remain an issue nation and world-wide. When you enter into a career-track training program like ours, you can be a pilot earning money to fly within two years and you do NOT need a four-year degree to become a professional pilot, which is something many are not aware of until they begin exploring aviation as a career. If you have questions about the process of becoming a professional or private pilot, please feel free to call, text, or use our Contact Form and we will schedule a tour to help you understand how you can begin your life in aviation!