From our Families to Yours
Family...
Sam Brailsford, A&P, IA
Sam Brailsford, A&P, IA
Hangar 1 is a family owned and operated company. The Hangar 1 name has been operating on the Greeley / Weld County Airport (KGXY) since 2006, and was coined by Donn Pitz of Pitz Aircraft, Inc.
Donn passed away in May 2011 and in June 2011, Sam Brailsford (who was working for Donn at the time of his passing) and his wife, Dusty, decided t
Hangar 1 is a family owned and operated company. The Hangar 1 name has been operating on the Greeley / Weld County Airport (KGXY) since 2006, and was coined by Donn Pitz of Pitz Aircraft, Inc.
Donn passed away in May 2011 and in June 2011, Sam Brailsford (who was working for Donn at the time of his passing) and his wife, Dusty, decided to continue the Hangar 1 legacy. We opened our doors as Hangar 1, Inc., continuing to do business as “Hangar 1” in honor of Donn Pitz.
Donn treated Sam and his customers like family; in turn we do the same. Our standard of service: Would we put our family in your airplane? If not, our job isn't complete.
Sam Brailsford, A&P, IA
Sam Brailsford, A&P, IA
Sam Brailsford, A&P, IA
President & General Manager
Sam lives (and loves) aviation. He began flying in 2001, and holds his Private Pilot - Fixed Wing rating. He graduated from college with an AAS degree as an Air Traffic Controller. Sam has experience in many facets of general aviation: at the local FBO as a line tech, working as a GA mechanic's apprentice to rec
President & General Manager
Sam lives (and loves) aviation. He began flying in 2001, and holds his Private Pilot - Fixed Wing rating. He graduated from college with an AAS degree as an Air Traffic Controller. Sam has experience in many facets of general aviation: at the local FBO as a line tech, working as a GA mechanic's apprentice to receive on-the-job training, and, of course as a certified Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) Mechanic.
Dusty talks about Sam as being a mechanical "savant" of sorts. He has an exceptional ability to not only understand complicated systems, but to explain them in a way that most anyone can understand.
Sam has held his IA (Inspection Authorization) since 2011.
Most importantly, Sam cares about his customers and their airplanes. He wants things "done right" and refuses to compromise on safety.
Dusty Brailsford, Esq.
Sam Brailsford, A&P, IA
Dusty Brailsford, Esq.
Director of Development &
Chief Legal/People/Financial Officer
Dusty is a local girl, with an extremely varied background. After graduating from a local high school, she went on to the Colorado School of Mines where she earned a BS in Engineering Physics, and a minor in Geophysical Engineering. She is trained as an ASNT Level 1 Thermograph
Director of Development &
Chief Legal/People/Financial Officer
Dusty is a local girl, with an extremely varied background. After graduating from a local high school, she went on to the Colorado School of Mines where she earned a BS in Engineering Physics, and a minor in Geophysical Engineering. She is trained as an ASNT Level 1 Thermographer, and is a licensed Attorney.
She found her love of aviation while learning to fly helicopters. She holds commercial / instrument - rotor wing ratings, and owned / operated a helicopter company from 2005-2008. After a three year "mommy" leave, she returned to aviation as the Director of Aviation at Aims Community College.
Dusty resigned from her position as Director of Aviation in 2016 to help Hangar 1 through its current exceptional growth period.
Next time you are in, be sure to say "hi'!
Gary Purnell
Maintenance Operations Manager
Gary joins Hangar 1 with more than two decades of aviation maintenance and operations leadership, built over a career in the U.S. Air Force and the Wyoming Air National Guard.
Before his retirement from the Air Force, Gary served as Maintenance & Logistics Chief for the 243d Air Traffic Control Squadron, whe
Maintenance Operations Manager
Gary joins Hangar 1 with more than two decades of aviation maintenance and operations leadership, built over a career in the U.S. Air Force and the Wyoming Air National Guard.
Before his retirement from the Air Force, Gary served as Maintenance & Logistics Chief for the 243d Air Traffic Control Squadron, where he directed all maintenance activities for a fleet of C-130H transport aircraft — coordinating across a dozen technical specialties, building maintenance schedules, managing budgets, and driving fleet readiness. Before that, he led logistics and inventory programs and spent years as a Production Controller and Maintenance Lead, running daily production meetings and keeping maintenance operations moving. His career began as an Aircraft Maintenance Technician working on KC-10 Extenders at McGuire AFB.
Gary is currently pursuing his Master's in Management and Leadership through Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, building on a Bachelor's in Professional Aeronautics and two Associate degrees from the Community College of the Air Force.
Gary believes the best teams are built by clearly defining the standard and then trusting people to meet it. At Hangar 1, that means keeping every job on schedule, every customer informed, and every technician set up to do their best work — so that when you hand us your airplane, you know exactly where things stand every step of the way.