A Wisconsin man is giving away his family’s 12,000-square-foot airplane hangar at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE), citing soaring lease costs tied to the airport’s redevelopment plans. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Friday that Ryan Luetzow of Waukesha listed the structure on Facebook Marketplace with a straightforward pitch: “Free 100’x120′ Hangar. Take over our lease and it’s yours.”
The catch? A one-year land lease from the airport at $36,000 annually, up from about $6,000 under previous 10-year terms.
While Luetzow owns the building itself, like many general aviation tenants at public airports, he leases the land beneath it—a common arrangement that gives the airport authority control over lease terms and redevelopment timelines.
The hangar, built in the 1970s by Luetzow’s grandfather—a WWII fighter pilot—for the family’s company, hasn’t seen regular business use in more than a decade. Luetzow, who is not a pilot, has been trying to offload the building for six years, originally asking $100,000. Since posting the listing in November, he’s fielded many inquiries, but most from people hoping to use the space for non-aviation purposes like boat storage or machine shops—requests the airport won’t approve.
“It is a hangar that holds airplanes that fly,” Luetzow told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Milwaukee Mitchell Airport officials told the Journal the lease changes are part of broader redevelopment efforts to attract more general and business aviation. According to the Journal, the airport shortened lease terms in the northeast quadrant from five years with five-year extensions, down to just 12 months to allow flexibility as it plans to rebuild outdated infrastructure.
While existing tenants can remain year-to-year, they must vacate when construction begins.
Luetzow argued that with no clear redevelopment timeline and no bidders on the airport’s recent planning request, the new lease terms are forcing hangar owners out prematurely. Facing a potential $40,000 demolition bill if no one takes over the lease, Luetzow said, “It just kills me to tear down something like this.”
