Building your own hangar

I am considering renting land at an airport and building my own hangar. I am looking for information about where to get a hangar at the best price as well as where to hire someone to erect it and pour the concrete. I will perhaps also have to locate a bi fold door source.

The size is an open question, but since I am running numbers, I will use 60x60 as a benchmark.

I am in the planning stages now and not in a hurry. If any of you have information that would assist in the planning, please let me know. The site of the airport will be somewhere in the mountains of North Carolina.

I've built both of my hangars. Both all steel. One is 40' X 60' X 10', built in 1990 from "Tyler Building Systems". Cost was $10,000 including insulation, one walk through door, and one 10' roof vent, but not including slab or "big" door.
Second was a very similar building from "Red Dot Buildings". 45' X 50' X 12', built in 2003. Cost was $12,500 including insulation, one walk through door, and 10' roof vent, again not including the slab or "big" door.
Erection is not a big deal if you have EAA friends to help.
I found the best door deal was from "Hi-Fold" doors.
Just my experience. YMMV.

I also built my own, ASI brand.

Be sure you understand the lease details if you rent/lease land to erect the hangar on------many airports have a clause in them that gives the hangar to the airport after a certain time period.

That factor can also be used as a bargaining chip....

Mike S said:

Be sure you understand the lease details if you rent/lease land to erect the hangar on------many airports have a clause in them that gives the hangar to the airport after a certain time period.

Click to expand...

....for those City/County authorities who are reluctant to allow you to build.

A friend of mine recently built a hangar on City property for his new Cirrus 22,
which becomes the city's upon A) His death...B) Twenty years,

Best,

The best door to get is either a Hydroswing or Schwiess hydro door. You get the full height of the door opening and when closed they really seal tight. Don

I've hung several hydroswings ( up to 80x19) & a schweiss hydraulic. The hydroswing has simpler/better hydraulics. They are much easier to hang than a bifold. You assemble the Hswing in front of you door opening and when you lift it, it almost jumps against your building. I hung the 80x19 by myself except for a little help lifting. I needed 2 machines to lift because I needed 4 chain points to prevent bending. A few airports disallow them in narrow hangar rows, but most places are okay.

We used R&M Steel from Caldwell, ID for our 50x60 hangar. We installed hot water heat tubes in the floor, a 45' wide hydroswing door, roughed-in plumbing, 1 man-door and 1 window. The city would only speak to a licensed contractor so we had to hire one $$$. The city had to approve the design $$$. Building permits $$$. Heating system $$$, Utility hookups $$$. Concrete floor and asphalt taxiway $$$, Inspections $$$. Misc fees $$$. The cost of the insulated steel building w/hydrodoor ended up about 1/3 the total cost.

www.aviationbuildingsystem.com

I hope your airport board isn't like mine. Our airport manager/FBO operator has convinced the county airport board that it is against federal regulation, due to federal and state grants, to lease space for a private hangar.

Our trucking company has hauled several loads of hydroswing doors.If they are under 14 high I haul them in one piece saves alot of time and makes a solid door and costs less. last load was 9 doors 11 high and 40 long going to Idaho.We have one on our hanger.R and M in Caldwell is a great company.

I doubt it...

dadroot said:

I hope your airport board isn't like mine. Our airport manager/FBO operator has convinced the county airport board that it is against federal regulation, due to federal and state grants, to lease space for a private hangar.

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Tommy- contact me if you need some ammunition to shoot this one down. Ground leases on airports accepting FAA grants are VERY common. In fact, hangar development would come to a screeching halt in many areas if they weren't legal.

I'm not sure about Tennessee, but the FAA grant assurances are almost always more restrictive than state regulations....but I suppose it is possible. I'd be happy to discuss it, if you like.

Here's the FAA grant assurance that shoots down any argument the airport manager may make regarding the legality of the airport leasing ground....

"38. Hangar Construction. If the airport owner or operator and a person who owns an aircraft agree that a hangar is to be constructed at the airport for the aircraft at the aircraft owner’s expense, the airport owner or operator will grant to the aircraft owner for the hangar a long term lease that is subject to such terms and conditions on the hangar as the airport owner or operator may impose."

Of course the first part of that statement may be a problem as it requires that the airport owner and the aircraft owner agree that a hangar will be built. That's a different issue. It could be addressed via another grant assurance regarding Exclusive Use.

estimate

Thanks for all the input. I got a quote yestarday from ASI, 50x60 w bi fold, not including erection or concrete, $30k. It looks like I will be renting.

building a hanger

Why not just build a pole building??. they have been used as hangers for years and are not as expensive as steel buildings.

Pole Building

Larry,

I don't think that the airport authority of the airport where I need the hangar would approve a pole building.

Actually a pole building is not that much cheaper than steel and when you get over 60x60 they are the same or a little more expensive. Don

hanger

I have a 52 x 60 steel hanger. Steel building package was approx 1/3 total cost of hanger after concrete floor, engineering fees, architect fees, contractor cost, etc. It all adds up. I used a Horton (same company that makes the STOL kits) stack door. They make a quality product and are a pleasure to work with. I chose the stack door because I wanted manual door operation.

Robert Young

I just had a local contractor erect a 60x60 Butler Steel Hangar on my lot at Kiona Airpark (WN55). It was spendy, and Lewis County was difficult with the permit, at first limiting the hangar to a single aircraft unless structural fire suppression was added. Also 50' setbacks were required, and no structures closer than 50' on the property. Eventually the contents were waived if not being used as a commercial facility, and setbacks for structures was reduced to 20' on the property. New codes were cited. No home attached to or in the hangar is allowed I wanted my bedroom to look into the hangar at the back
The wife and I, her eldest and his wife and kids had a picnic dinner in it last night. We're all stoked, it's fun.
Now to pick doors and front slabs etc, wiring, utilities etc over time.
Then Airframes!! If You Build It They Will Come!!!

Thanks for the concerns. I have gone to the airport owner (County) on several issues concerning the airport manager. He has been the manager for 40 years and his entire family is a local political machine. He has "exclusive" rights to the airport and has gone as far as giving friends keys to the terminal for 24/7 access and refusing to give me access to the terminal, bathroom, weather information or any other area except during 9A - 5P, 6 day per week hours. His contract even gives him right of first refusal on any other services. If you have an STC for autofuel, you must purchase his permit, let him approve of your fuel tanks and funnels, pay a per gallon flow fee and provide copies of your STC to him. After you do this, he can change the "LOCAL" rules and regulations at any time.

I have complained to the local government, state and FAA in Memphis. They are not interested. The FAA office in memphis said " I do not have the time to call out the calvery to take care of a disagreement between you and your airport manager." The state is very tight with him and his political family members.

No one is accountable anymore.

Part 16 Complaint

See if this is a viable option

http://part16.airports.faa.gov/index.cfm?page=FAQ.cfm