Hangar questions for vintage owners

[rawheels]

Hey all,

I'm looking for some ideas regarding hangar lots, with the idea of creating an airport that draws vintage aircraft. The airport is about 20 minutes from a major city and has a 3000+' sod runway.

If you own a vintage aircraft (and would base it at a field with a sod-only runway option) could you help me with some answers to the following questions?

What is a realistic size hangar that should be planned for the lots?

Hangar homes would not be allowed by local code. That being said, I know that some individuals would still like to have a "lounge". Electric is available, but water/sewer would be expensive to run to the lots. Would not having those utilities be a dealbreaker if there was a pilot's lounge with public bathrooms?

One idea I had was to make smaller lots with two rows back to back. That way we don't price out the smaller guys, but others could buy two lots if they wanted a wider or deeper unit. The issue would be that the only access to the buildings would be from the front, and it eliminates add-ons like side windows/porches/etc. Is this an issue?

What other airport amenities would be required (a.k.a. would be worth additional costs for each lot)? Fuel is not currently available on the field, but being in a metro area it is available all around. Looking in to fuel sales, restoration companies, and encouraging existing private collections to move to the airport, but obviously some of these are "cart before the horse". As they need to be in place to draw planes, but we need aircraft in place to make them financially viable.

thanks in advance for your suggestions.

[Mike Switzer]

One thing to consider, some of the vintage aircraft (for instance some of the Stinsons) have a wingspan that is too wide to fit in a 40' T hangar - you might want to consider making some of the hangars a bit wider than normal.

[rawheels]

Good point Mike. I imagine that most people wouldn't mind a few extra feet at each wingtip. If we assume a 42' door, I believe we are looking at 48'-50' wide hangar. Would ~50'wx40'd sound like a popular option? Is that too big for the cub/champ owner. Or, too small for the gullwing owner?

[crusty old aviator]

Make it 60' wide and allow multiple aircraft in a hangar. Most antiques, like Stinson's, Waco's, and Beechcraft are good sized aircraft. The wee classics can be fit in among them. Are you located in the snowbelt? Will you plow the runway in winter, or have everyone fly off skis, like the strip I'm based out of? 100LL is toxic to most antique engines, so a self-serve fuel farm with straight mogas, which goes for about $30K, would be the better investment. Are you planning on a septic tank and drainfield system for the public bathrooms? Why couldn't individual hangars have their own, too, if the owners wanted it? Would you allow a hangar owner to run a water line from your well or water main to his hangar? Electricity is important. If 3 phase is available, that would afford more options in the machinery and tools used in restoration work. 3000' of sod is better than a golf course. Well done!

[FlyingRon]

My Navion has a wingspan of 36'. I have a 45' door on my hangar.

Hopefully you've worked out all the other land use problems with operating an airport.

[rawheels]

Make it 60' wide and allow multiple aircraft in a hangar. Most antiques, like Stinson's, Waco's, and Beechcraft are good sized aircraft. The wee classics can be fit in among them. Are you located in the snowbelt? Will you plow the runway in winter, or have everyone fly off skis, like the strip I'm based out of? 100LL is toxic to most antique engines, so a self-serve fuel farm with straight mogas, which goes for about $30K, would be the better investment. Are you planning on a septic tank and drainfield system for the public bathrooms? Why couldn't individual hangars have their own, too, if the owners wanted it? Would you allow a hangar owner to run a water line from your well or water main to his hangar? Electricity is important. If 3 phase is available, that would afford more options in the machinery and tools used in restoration work. 3000' of sod is better than a golf course. Well done!

60' seems a bit much, what do you guys think? Other than the Stinsons, I really haven't seen many single engine aircraft with wingspans of 40' or larger. Seems like it might be better to see if a couple guys wanted to buy 1.5 lots as opposed to pricing out a group of other owners who only need 40x40 hangars.

No snow removal, it's too much fun! Mogas (or better yet, Swift fuel) would be nice.

Yes, the pilot's lounge would have well/septic if we didn't have to provide those utilities to the hangar lots. I'm not sure how you would allow that for each hangar lot, pretty sure you'd have to run in city water/sewer.

My Navion has a wingspan of 36'. I have a 45' door on my hangar.

And it is perfect, wider than required, or too small?

What size hangar does everyone have right now? I'm in a 40' x 30' (Hatz Biplane).

[FlyingRon]

More than enough probably. I have a 40' door on the Culpeper hangar I think and that's not a problem either (actually you have to watch hitting the horizontal stab on the necked down part of the T hangar before you worry about the wings hitting the sides of the door.

The hangar floor area is roughly 50x40 (again to dodge a 2000 sf limit on the building code). Non structural walls separate two storage areas and my work shop which would add another 1000sf. The open area is more than enough from for the Navion (36' wings 28' long) and my 24' tripple cockpit wooden runabout (on it's trailer) with room left over for some workbenches and shelves, a sink, the air compressor, and the dust collector for the workshop. Half a flight of stairs up to the garage also come out of that.