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Hangar; How Big ?

My wife and I just bought our retirement property. We found a lovely 71 acres in upstate SC near the NC border that will allow for a 1500-1700 grass strip. As we start planning home to build we?re also looking to build a hangar for my -10 retirement project. We currently own a -6a. I?m looking for advice on building a hangar. How big do I need to park and maintain my -6a and build a -10 at the same time ? And what is the minimum length grass runway that anyone has actually put a -10 on ? Thanks in advance.
 
size

A -6, a -10, 71 acres, a strip, a new house, and new hangar?...You are my hero!

As for the hangar size, whatever size you decide on, make it BIGGER!

"I wish my hangar was smaller", said no one...EVER.
 
I'll throw another variation into the mix...

Trade some hangar space for a separate workshop building that is at least 2 car size with big access doors.

You will work much better in the smaller space that can be better insulated than a hangar and heated and cooled.
 
Welcome to the hood!

Drop in at SC86 some time and introduce yourself.

My hangar is 40 deep by 45 wide and is not big enough. Then again, if I could convince my wife to get rid of her camper trailer, I might have plenty of room!
 
My hangar is 40x48. Multiple workbenches, plans table, wing jig, yada yada....

Looks like there's plenty of room, but I'm struggling to leave enough room for a flying airplane.
Since the -7 I'm building is a long way from taking flight, I'm thinking of buying a finished RV-something to fly while I build.
I've got some marks on the floor to keep building activity away from where the completed airplane will sit.
Doable, but takes some thought to keep the shop area organized for efficient assembly.
 
Sounds lovely. Where about? Any adjacent or nearby property available? How do you feel about getting an RV7 neighbor? Just dreaming....
 
A 48?x48? hangar with a 42? - 44? door will fit an RV-10 and any two place RV, with room for another RV project (wings off). I do need to move the front plane to the apron to pull out the rear plane.

Carl
 
hangar design, price and plans!

We are building a 14A in a 40x60 barn. We are only using about 1/2 the space. But everyone says, whatever you build it will be too small in due time. So build as big as you can!

If you want to see what it will cost and print plans to get an idea of the layout once you design your hangar go to https://www.rapidsetbuildings.com/ and click on get a quote online in the blue bar above. There is a video to show you how to use the system.

And we just made a new feature where once you are done with your design at the end of the plans being processed you can virtually walk around or walk through the hangar you just designed. I think you will find it really cool.

The best part is it is free!

Make sure to look at the "Advanced mode" video if you want to get complex with your design.
Thanks, Larry
 
I'll throw another variation into the mix...

Trade some hangar space for a separate workshop building that is at least 2 car size with big access doors.

You will work much better in the smaller space that can be better insulated than a hangar and heated and cooled.

I have a 40x80 insulated hanger at my house and I have a hard time keeping it warm in the winter, I plan to add a 25x40 work shop with large door
 
Speaking from theory here

I am envious of anyone with any size hanger! Here in Taxyafornia, it seldom freezes but I do appreciate a heated space in which to work in the colder evenings - so, like Az Gilla, I recommend that you either create a 'workshop inside of your 'large' hanger or adjacent to your hanger.

My choice would be to build a workshop adjacent to and attached (or not) to your hanger. Insulate the workshop all around including the floor and ceiling. Include a bathroom so you don't have to leave the shop in order to take care of business. Add a shower and a 'slop sink'. Maybe a washer and dryer also. All of that keeps the 'soiled' clothes, etc inside of the shop and you don't have to take anything that is dirty into your house to be washed. Your wife will likely appreciate all of that. Heater and AC as required. Add plenty of power circuits and lighting. Add a vacuum system to the build. Stove and refrigerator. Good luck with making your dream facility come true. The above is mine!
 
I agree about building a smaller space for your shop; much easier to heat/cool, and it will make building more efficient. I built an entire -7 airframe including hanging the engine in a roughly 20x20 space that had about 5x6 notched out for a restroom. All the components except the canopy are in the room, too. Obviously the wings/tail aren't mounted in that space, but the completed components are stored in the room. Heated with one little natural gas space heater, cooled (marginally) by a 5000 btu window unit.

Hangar size is almost like boat size. The usable space seems to go up rapidly with minor increases in dimensions. I wouldn't want less than around 50x50 for convenience (pulling one a/c out without moving the other), but you could get by with much less. I've seen a Stinson 108 & four Globe Swifts in one 48x50 hangar.

Charlie
 
IMHO, build a 40x40 or 40x60 deep hangar (not wide). Insulate it, drop the ceiling to 15' and heat it with a large wood stove and a ceiling fan or two. If your wing span will allow, put in a 32' garage door (the largest garage door available). Much cheaper than any other door and you can move it manually. If you have to have wider, consider a movable center post for two garage doors - its not rocket science. Build a second 40x40 (or 60) right next to it that shares the long wall. Thats your un-heated and un-insulated place and put your movable and or completed projects in it, cars, trucks etc - "covered storage". Get a cat to police it.

After several projects over the past 40 yrs (some still in the works) I found despite the moaning, a tight work shop is a happier work shop cause you tend to be very efficient about how you use your space - shelving, rafter, electrical hooks, compressed air hooks, over head lights etc and dont have to walk all over the place to get tools, or have a complete second set of everything. Did I mention its also warmer, cozier, and you can actually hear the radio without it blaring?

Kinda like big houses, everyone aspires to them, but once youre in, theyre an echo chamber warehouse and it can have its pitfalls...rain leaks, drafts, snow loads, floor cracks, mice etc....

OR just have at it and build a monster 100'x100' and have all your friends come over to drool at it....while you try to figure out where that **** 1/4" socket rolled to this time.....

Just my .02 (BTW I have airpark property......)
 
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My hangar is a 60' X 72' Morton building. It has a 12' tall X 50' stack door on it. I built a 16' X 32' workshop in the back corner of it with 8' ceiling. It's got 3-8' 2 bulb high output cold weather fluorescent lights in it, I like lots of light. It's insulated really well, heated and a/c'd. I just have a small bar sink in it. I piped air into it for drills and rivet guns & such. I also put a 7' X 9' garage door in the end of it that opens up into the hangar, so I can roll projects in and out of it.

Another thing I did was to put in a door bell. The hangar has 5 trusses, with 3 of the same lights as I have in my room, on each truss. I tied the door bell transformer in with the front/first row of lights so that when/if someone comes in the hangar, it rings in my room. I built my own switch for the door bell with a model airplane bellcrank and a spring from a ball-point pen. It shorts out against the walk-thru door.
 
Simple advice

I would only give the same advice for building a hangar that I would give to someone building an airplane: Someday you will have to sell it. Build accordingly.
 
view


We built a 40x56' with 16' walls. Motorhome parking, office, build shop, half bath. Second story storage and workshop for Laura to do her stained glass work. If I were to do over, would push the 40' to 42'.

Wood framed, insulation and sheetrock ongoing project. Will have 3 natural gas heaters---- in build shop, upstairs shop, and main hangar. Office and bathroom electrical heat.

Wish I could get the image to show, but the link is as good as I (actually DR) could do. Stairs moved to inside shop, did not want to move motorhome out to take stuff upstairs.
 
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How do you like that Morton? Worth the cost? Whats a stack door? Is that something Morton did?


I really like the Morton buildings. My plumbing & electric shop is a Morton building also (42 X 75). I like the wood frame, easier to work with, straight walls with wood to mount/hang conduit, water, gas, air, etc to.
Also, I bought from Morton, it's brought to the site on a Morton truck, erected by a Morton crew. When I had a minor water leak, I called my salesman. He sent someone out immediately. No finger pointing at "who put it up"? Morton has excellent warranty too.

The Horton Stack Door is made/built by Horton Industries in Wellington, KS, the same company that makes the Horton STOL kits. They worked with Morton to get the header for the door just right. It's been up for 22 years now & I have no issues at all with it.
 
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My hangar is a 60' X 72' Morton building. It has a 12' tall X 50' stack door on it. I built a 16' X 32' workshop in the back corner of it with 8' ceiling. It's got 3-8' 2 bulb high output cold weather fluorescent lights in it, I like lots of light. It's insulated really well, heated and a/c'd. ....

.....

I did that, built in a separate workshop inside the hangar, but since we got annexed into the town and the fire codes are now being enforced it gets a bit trickier with the sprinkler rules.

If I did it again I would do a separate adjacent detached building - spacing only needs to be 5 ft...:)

Also if you are doing a metal building make the depth an increment of the maximum main cross beam spacing - 25 ft in our no-snow area but less up North I guess. You are essentially buying the building by the pound of steel so that spacing is the most efficient.
 
The Horton Stack Door is made/built by Horton Industries in Wellington, KS, the same company that makes the Horton STOL kits. They worked with Morton to get the header for the door just right. It's been up for 22 years now & I have no issues at all with it.

Thanks on the Morton info. On the Stack, how do you like that 1.25" tall angle bottom track on the floor? Seems like a pretty big hop over for a plane....
 
Many years ago out in OK, I saw a 40+ foot one-piece door with counterweights, & loved it. I built both of mine, a 42' on the main hangar and a 30' on the 'shop side' (where the RV-4 actually lives), out of 6" irrigation tubing, covered with SunTuf polycarbonate. No motors; just swing 'em up & down by hand. I tweaked a few things on the 2nd one, and I'd tweak a few more if I ever built a 3rd, but I wouldn't want any other type of door. No wind rating at all, and you'd never get them past an actual inspector, but the older one's lived through what was left of a couple of hurricanes (~180 miles from the Gulf) and numerous tornado producing storms with winds in the 50-70 mph range.

I built & erected the smaller one totally alone, and had the help of a high schooler on the 2nd. (edit: gin pole on a tractor to erect it; a borrowed scissor lift made attaching the counterweight booms a lot easier.)

Rivets & gussets on the 1st, like a proper a/c door. Metal roofing screws on the 2nd; a lot faster & ended up being stronger.

Charlie
 
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Thanks on the Morton info. On the Stack, how do you like that 1.25" tall angle bottom track on the floor? Seems like a pretty big hop over for a plane....

No, you have a U channel embedded in the concrete so the bottom track is flush with the floor. No problem moving planes.

I've seen a few hangars with the bottom track raised like you say and it seems the biggest hazard is people tripping...:)

As a separate item the lexan panels of the Horton door give lots of light into the hangar if you don't need to insulate them.
 
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No, you have a U channel embedded in the concrete so the bottom track is flush with the floor. No problem moving planes.

I've seen a few hangars with the bottom track raised like you say and it seems the biggest hazard is people tripping...:)

As a separate item the lexan panels of the Horton door give lots of light into the hangar if you don't need to insulate them.

Yeah I get it Gil, thats why I asked - Stack Doors doesnt provide the embedded track with their product - thats an "other supplier" item. They dont even list who the other supplier might be. Generally it seems odd to me, but I dont know anything about these doors so wanted to get RV10mans take - maybe its a non-issue.....
 
Yeah I get it Gil, thats why I asked - Stack Doors doesnt provide the embedded track with their product - thats an "other supplier" item. They dont even list who the other supplier might be. Generally it seems odd to me, but I dont know anything about these doors so wanted to get RV10mans take - maybe its a non-issue.....

Your concrete slab guy needs to coordinate the installation. The dimensions are called out in the Horton instructions. It is made of standard steel materials.

http://www.hortonstackdoor.com/tech_track.htm

In my case a local welding shop made it in 3 pieces with plates that bolted them together end to end. The concrete slab guys did the rest including a 3 foot apron with a gentle slope away from the door.

I like the fact I don't need an entry door, I just open the middle stack.
 
Yeah I get it Gil, thats why I asked - Stack Doors doesnt provide the embedded track with their product - thats an "other supplier" item. They dont even list who the other supplier might be. Generally it seems odd to me, but I dont know anything about these doors so wanted to get RV10mans take - maybe its a non-issue.....

My contractor just had a local welder fab up the track for our Horton Stack Door and then embedded it in the slab when it was poured. Worked out great, and it was an easy thing to do locally.

I also endorse the idea of a separate workshop space - last year we added a 56x30 wood-framed shop (with a 9?x30? single-panel Schweitzer door to move planes in and out) to our 50x60 main hangar. Ee have a large passageway opening between the two spaces with a strip-door to keep the heat in teh shop in winter.

As was mentioned before, the universal building code (if it applies in your area) will require sprinklers if you have more than 5,000 sqft under one roof.
 
Your concrete slab guy needs to coordinate the installation. The dimensions are called out in the Horton instructions. It is made of standard steel materials.

http://www.hortonstackdoor.com/tech_track.htm

In my case a local welding shop made it in 3 pieces with plates that bolted them together end to end. The concrete slab guys did the rest including a 3 foot apron with a gentle slope away from the door.

I like the fact I don't need an entry door, I just open the middle stack.

ooooooooooooooh, I see. My bad. I read it that the entire lower track AND rollers mechanism etc etc was up to someone else to create, but I see that its just the channel and the angle iron. Thats cake - I'm my own local welding shop......
 
....
As was mentioned before, the universal building code (if it applies in your area) will require sprinklers if you have more than 5,000 sqft under one roof.

Maybe less... because our airpark doesn't have fire hydrants that flow to the standards the local inspectors use 1,500 ft as a number.

The do allow a more residential system of water only and plastic piping.

The couple of local 5,000+ hangars needed more than sprinklers, they had to have heat resistant coating on the steel supports.
 
I built my own bottom track. I used 6" channel iron, welded 1 1/2" angle iron inside of it, then built an "A" frame under it. I think it's 12" tall, then dug a ditch across the door opening (50') and set the frame down in that so the bottom track is flush with the concrete.


My brother & I hung the top door track, set up the door, centered it and lag screwed it to the building in less than 2 hours. The door hole is 50'. With the door open, I have 46' 10" clear span. The building walls are 14' high.

I just noticed Paul's comment about the sprinkle code......my hangar is 4320 sq ft. under one roof with no poles in the center. It's a truss roof, 22' 8" to the peak from the floor.
 
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Insulate the heck out of whatever you build. If you can, insulate under the floor, too. Too much insulation is almost enough.

I've heard that the very best hangar heat is a heated slab. My hangar has overhead forced-air and that's clearly not the best available. But my house has heated floors in a couple rooms, and that's deluxe. People have commented that overhead radiant heat can melt a canopy. Sure hope not, because that's what my shop has and someday I'll be working on the canopy. Guess I'll unplug the closest heater when I've gotten that far.

As for light, too much is almost enough. 'Nuf said.

Shop power, outlets, etc. Put them spaced closely together. Both my hangar and my shop have them convenient for a workbench and that works okay. But what the hangar really needs are a few buried flush in the floor, out away from the walls.

It would be good to have at least have a floor drain and a water spigot out there in the hangar, too. If it's close to the house you can probably omit a bathroom.

Along as we're on the subject of water, should there be a drain age slope to the floor? A friend has a perfectly level floor and reports that water sometimes comes in and doesn't run out. Some minor slope might be good - Ill leave it others to comment about that, though.

Oh - as for size, it doesn't matter. if you don't fill it, your friends will. No worries. A mostly empty hangar is like a vacuum. It doesn't last.

Dave
 
And

To add to the above post, we had a 60x72 and a 40x60 with heated slabs. We we in northern Wisconsin. The slabs are really nice, however, we ended up putting in a large forced air gas heater to bring the temps back rapidly after the door was open. The slab doesn?t recover the temp very quickly...

Lights, lights, lights!
 
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