I'm right there with you, Scott. I'm #14 on the hangar list at my home field; been there four years, no movement. There are twelve (12) rental T-hangars, so not much to share. Looks like I should have a hangar [maybe?] around the time I overhaul my engine, which hits TBO in another 1500 hours . . .
— Hank
1970 M20-C
Scott, I have been a pilot and airplane owner for 30 years. I have never owned a hangar, mostly have not had access to one.
It would be great to have one, but not required to fly.
Would you quit driving if you did not have a garage?
Those of us who fly tube and fabric airplanes would not be flying long without a hangar...;D
Cheers,
Jerry
NC22375
65LA out of 07N Pennsylvania
Jerry, my J3 Cub is a tube and fabric airplane,and I don't have a hangar.
Do you really think all the Cubs, Champs, etc. that taught so many people to fly spent their days in a hangar?
My other airplane is not tube, but has fabic covered elevator and rudder.
Yes. being outside is hard on paint, but it doesn't prevent or preclude flying.
I know people that say they couldn't buy a house if it did not have ganite countertops in the kitchen.
Maybe they wouldn't own or fly a plane if it didn't have a hangar.
Last edited by Bill Greenwood; 09-28-2011 at 02:14 PM.
Scott, where do you live? Is there really that much breaking into and stealing things out of planes there?
I live in a small town with a very low crime rate, so I may not see the same environment as you do.
How many instruments does a Zodiac have ?
Well, I can't speak for Scott as far as the crime situation in Jeff City, I would recommend another reason for a hanger- the environment here in Missouri can be wildly variable- not at all unusual to hear of golf ball sized hail, or thunderstorms (or worse, tornados) with gusts up to 75-80 mph. Not to mention, the airport in JC is located on the flood plain, less than 1/4 mile from the Missouri river.
Scott, I would talk it over with some of the folks at EAA 429, imagine they are as "up" as anyone can be about the local airports.
I was the pilot for the county owned airplane, we had space in a small oil company hanger, 20,000 population city with a medium crime rate, thieves broke into the hanger and stole the radios out of our Cessna. Probably the somewhat larger hanger had a lot bigger bullseye on it compared to the planes in T hangers. There was at least one time when planes tied down in the free tie down apron were vandalized, so tying one down outside isn't something I'd like to do.
As I look for hanger space there's a long waiting list to get into the overpriced T hangers, which is very discouraging for me.
Last edited by John Owens; 09-29-2011 at 04:08 PM.
When I had my T-Craft it spent most of its time tied down outside. No, it's not optimal, and I had to deal with faded paint and rusty tubes in the tail... but the cost of a hangar was out of the question. Didn't have to worry about radios being stolen though, since I didn't have any... didn't even have working locks on the doors. That was in New Jersey and later Connecticut in the 1980s.
Bill, That is most interesting! How long do you get to go between recoverings with the airplane outside all the time? Do you cover it to protect the fabric from UV damage or do you use a special wax or protectant? You might just save me some money....Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood
Cheers,
Jerry
NC22375
65LA out of 07N Pennsylvania
Jerry, I don't do anything special to protest the CUB except have a canvas cover for the wood prop which has clear varnish. Some people say to me that all that snow, I live in Colo, must be hard on the plane. But except for the weight, snow is just clean water. The big impact from weather comes from the U V rays which are harsh at 8000 in mostly clear air. Bad for paint or skin.
Sure, having a hangar would be great, but it shouldn't keep one from flying. I recovered the Cub once, but that was from ground damage when the wind blew a dumpster into it.
Remember, the original CUB was covered in cotton, which can last 25 years if hangared, but much less outside. Many modern planes use some form of dacron, Ceconite, etc. which last longer.
Some type of wax might help a little, I don't know.
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