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Hangar Talk - how to equip a private hangar, presently in construction?

Hey hallo,

so the club I fly with has bought a new terrain and some members, such as myself; bought their own piece of land to build a hangar.

Any of you guys own a hangar? Or have you ever kitted one out? It will be a tad too big for my plane so that I have no problem parking it; and allowing me to invite a guest at times.....

My question is, what should I install; I thought of the following.....is there something I am missing here?

·Electricity & water (let`s start with an obvious one)......with a sink.

·A convenient sliding door on a rail, I am sick of our huge folding doors we use at present.

·A nice ceramic (non slippery) floor, where leakages are easily spotted.

·Some shelves for my fuel filter funnel, oil cans, spares, basic tools etc. (though my mechanic will set up his maintenance hangar next to me)

·Some good chocks.

·Perhaps 1 or 2 pad eyes for hoisting purposes.

Anything else?

Thanks!

Ultra Long Hauler

A toilet. A PC with internet

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

ULH,

Build a hanger big enough to hold the bigger plane that you might buy one day, when things turn out really well!

It sounds like you're not in a part of the world where preheating the aircraft is needed prior to flights on a cold day. Were that to be the case, as it is here, I would suggest easy electricity to the cowl area, without being a tripping hazard.

Compressed air is nice for working and cleaning your aircraft. If possible, locate a depression in the floor, with a removable cover, in which there is an electricity outlet, a compressed air outlet. This should be located between the main wheels, and behind the nose wheel.

Depending upon the size of the hanger, relative to the size of the aircraft, you might want either guide rails (over which you will invariably trip) to assure that when you are pushing the plan in and out, you don't bump wingtips. Alternatively, "do not enter" strips painted on the floor. If the wheel is not in the zone, the wing tip is not bumping.

ULH, I think your plane might not be heavy enough to have to winch in, but for owners of bigger planes, a remotely controlled winch at the back wall, so you can pull the plane in from the back, while you steer it in from the front.

If you're going to store standing ladders or other items which are up high in the hanger, a means to restrain them, so they don't fall on the plane. Mezzanines and aircraft wings under, are a terrible combination when heavy items are being carried (and dropped over).

A safe storage area or cabinet for combustibles (oil and cleaners).

If you're building a door, you'll need a people door, of even a vehicle door, so you can go in and out, without opening the hanger door.

I built my first hanger twenty years ago. Now I have a second plane, there is a second hanger in my future. In Canada, with snow loads, and freezing ground, there is more demand for careful design, but on a snowy night, it's worth it!

Home runway, in central Ontario, Canada, Canada

Don't forget the refrigerator stocked with beverages of your choice. It has a remarkable effect on your popularity. Who's says you can't buy friends? Just kidding.

Built the hangar tall enough to stack one aircraft on top of another. That way you won't necessarily be forced to sell aircraft number one when number two rears its ugly head

Hope your hangar project works out really well. Mine is a rental with various improvements along the lines suggested but regardless helps make my weekends a lot of fun.

Light, light and more light!

Forever learning
EGTB

I have just finished building a new hangar at home. I agree with all the advice given in this trhead. Living where you do you have no issue with heat and condensation as we do here. I had the building cladding specified with 125mm insulation, roof and walls. The floor, which is very important to get right, deserves some thought. I put down a reinforced slab, over it 100mm of dense insulation, underfloor heating/cooling pipes clipped to light reinforcing mesh on top and the whole thing covered with 100mm concrete screed. In my case I have fitted a 4KW heat-pump holding the floor at around 16C. This maximises the heat-pump COP (5:1) and holds the hangar at around 15C. This creates a nice working environment which is thermally stable due to the heat sink mass of the screed floor and some of the walls and most importantly a corrosion free environment. This costs money but I think its well worth it. Extra cost for this around £6K (pounds sterling). Running costs very minimal. Underfloor coils could be used for cooling in your case if its an issue. A reversing heat-pump would give you both the heating and cooling options. Good luck

EGNS/Garey Airstrip, Isle of Man

I should have added, I would not put a tiled floor down on cost grounds. I would have the floor power floated and 28 days later brush some concrete anti dust and hardener on it. It makes a really hard surface which is dust free and very practical. The hardner is very cheap and simple to apply.

EGNS/Garey Airstrip, Isle of Man

Consider temperature changes, this makes the roof drip and the floor sweat. Insulate floor with something like 50mm of Kingspan under the concrete, use insulated roof and wall cladding it comes as a bonded sheet.

Fit roof lights mostly to the North side to prevent UV damage especially if you buy a rag wing as a runabout.

I used Sikafloor to finish the floor, it is applied before the finished concrete is completely dry and gives a very hard, dust free and oil resistant to occasional spills. You can choose your colour I went for the Light grey and very pleased.

Any benches or tables fit with heavy duty lockable casters.

Fit a dehumidifier(s).

Norman
United Kingdom

ULH, you will find the Parham project of interest. The architect involved is a Shoreham-based pilot.

See:

He'd be a good contact to answer your questions.

Swanborough Farm (UK), Shoreham EGKA, Soysambu (Kenya), Kenya

Thanks for all your reactions!

As we fly in the tropics, I luckily don`t have to worry about heating etc.

PilotDar:Depending upon the size of the hanger, relative to the size of the aircraft, you might want either guide rails (over which you will invariably trip) to assure that when you are pushing the plan in and out, you don't bump wingtips. Alternatively, "do not enter" strips painted on the floor. If the wheel is not in the zone, the wing tip is not bumping.

Great idea. I will probably go with creating some zones on the floor! Oh yes, PilotDar, there will be another entrance door, for sure!

A recess in the floor could be a good idea too! I won`t need a winch, but a compressor perhaps.

I will "over-build" this hangar so to speak, this will accommodate any aircraft that realistically comes in range of my budget within the next 250 years.

Silvaire:Hope your hangar project works out really well

Cheers, will keep you posted. They are still moving the earth etc, so it`s pretty much in the beginning stages!

Stickandrudderman: Light, light and more light!

What I get from that message, is that you advise me to install some light, correct? My thought was just a few fluorescent lights here and there.....anything else I need?? Anything specific?

I should have added, I would not put a tiled floor down on cost grounds. I would have the floor power floated and 28 days later brush some concrete anti dust and hardener on it. It makes a really hard surface which is dust free and very practical. The hardner is very cheap and simple to apply.

How can I Google that type of floor please?

I used Sikafloor to finish the floor, it is applied before the finished concrete is completely dry and gives a very hard, dust free and oil resistant to occasional spills. You can choose your colour I went for the Light grey and very pleased.

Is Sika expensive at all? I`d have to see about availability where we are. I like your idea of a heavy duty bench BTW!

See: http://goo.gl/2Uv7j He'd be a good contact to answer your questions.

I checked it out, interesting. That is a wide hangar!!

As a general remark.....I should have mentioned that I am planning , with time; to build one or two bedrooms above the hangar which should tackle the toilet, internet and fridge suggestions! The rough idea is this, but then with a lot more space for the plane:

Keep the suggestions coming por favor!

Ultra Long Hauler

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