Hung up on A Hangar

The author’s plane in the first hangar.

There can be hail in Colorado. The weather on the front range can bring about spells of large and destructive ice pellets falling from the sky. That wasn’t my only motivation for a hangar, but it was certainly a big part. I wanted the plane to be protected and not only from the hail, but the sun too.

I was very fortunate that my maintenance shop gave me a call and tipped me off about a T hangar becoming available. I reached out immediately by text to express my interest. I was was very excited when later that afternoon I got a text back, and I was the first of 6 people to have contacted the owner that morning.

Things went smoothly, and before I knew I was agreeing to a handshake deal over text messaging, sending a check for first months rent and dreaming about moving in. The owner had told me about a sticking door, but I didn’t care. It was a roof over the plane right?

The first time I tried to open the doors, it truly was a bear. I worked for 15 minutes and couldn’t get the tricky door closed. I found one of the line guys who the owner had indicated knew the trick, and he came in to help me. The sequence required the use of a bent piece of rebar to get some leverage. Even after he showed me, it still took almost 15 minutes for me to get the sequence right.

The next day I came back, and after trying it several times I had it down to a minute or so. I bought a crow bar with proper leverage and added some grease to the slides of the door. A little more practice and I had the door down to a few seconds. I was in heaven! The plane was now protected. Even coming back from night flights I had a light overhead to put the plane away and unpack under. It may have been a bare metal T hangar, but it was a significant upgrade.

The Arrow put away after a night flight.

The first challenge came in winter with snow. I learned that with snow on the roof, it could be challenging to close the doors after they are opened. That can create a problem where the plane almost becomes trapped in the hangar. I learned to make sure the snow had sufficiently melted before opening the doors.

I hung up some posters and learned that the hangar doesn’t shed water the best, and it actually leaked over the airplane and down the walls. It was still better than sitting out in the rain. Overall the hangar was better, but started to take on a life of it’s own.

I’m a big advocate of having one if you can afford it and there is availability. If you’re even considering it, get on the waiting list now. It’s easier to turn it down but have the option. And it spoils you. It’s hard to park the plane on the ramp anymore…