cliff wrote:The hangar is erected. The Amish guys built it in 4 days. Their work is top notch. Now we are waiting for the concrete floor to be poured. Watching the young Amish men work made me realize that I was a fool, in the beginning, to think I could build it myself.

I have plans to build a big pavilion with the 64' trusses I bought a couple of months ago and I will be calling Levi to build it for me. They can probably build it in 2 days.

We are very close to having all our junk on one property, I can't wait.

Awesome Cliff. I need to get down to see you soon.

Post some pics!

cliff wrote: The hangar is erected. The Amish guys built it in 4 days. Their work is top notch. .....

Reading this, I had a vision of the barn-building scene from the movie "Witness" with Harrison Ford-- no power tools, just hand saws & augers, and pounding in wooden dowels. Was it like that?

The Hangar has been finished since Sept 8th, I just got the "Occupancy approval letter" from the township yesterday. I made my first trip to the township office back in December of 2015. It was a learning experience, next building will go up with less township involvement because I was informed that after all the stuff I went through and all the fees I paid, I am exempt from much of the inspections because the majority of my property is farmed. Of course I didn't find that out until the inspector, A private contractor, came out to inspect and let me know that we were exempt from water run off inspections.
My old 53 180 is back in a hangar. It has never sat outside until I got it. It spent a year and a half outside and now looks very cozy in the back corner of the hangar. We have the 180, Champ, and a 182 with Wing-X in there right now. With a little shuffeling I'm sure we can get at least another airplane in it.
My next structure will be a 64'X48' pavilion that will double as an airplane shelter when not being used for events. I hope to have this project completed by the end of next summer.

Yes indeed, it's good to live on a farm, or at least property that meets the legal definition of one. My hangar isn't a hangar.... it's a "farm equipment shed", and what the hell, I DO keep some tractor implements in there also, so close enough.

How did the Amish guys get the trusses up, with a crane?

Yes it is an equipment shed, All my tractors and gang mowers are kept in it. The Amish used a crane to lift the trusses.

Perhaps anything aviation related is an act of perseverance. I wanted to build a Bearhawk. So in 2006 I rented the old empty grocery store here in town. Got started. In 2007 the owner offered to sell me his assets at a really reasonable price. In anticipation of having a finished aircraft I bought a steel building 40'X44' with 16' eves and a 40'X12' bi fold door. It sat unassembled until the property issues were settled..3 years. Once that was out of the way had to haul in 320 yards of fill and compact it. Did some work for the contractor who built the new airport...he let me use their truck, loader and compactor. Then the foundation....that was another favor in exchange for a favor...plus I bought and had the concrete shipped in. My daughter and I built the forms and erected the hanger using another piece of equipment by trading machine work for its use. Needed to pour the pad in the hanger...needed to screen gravels...so bought a mixer truck, rented a P.O.S. screen deck in Bethel..spent a bundle fixing it. Finally poured the pad this summer... Just about finished building a new powerhouse...steel building from the same manufacturer...spray foam interior...bout an hour of spraying remains...then the hanger gets insulated...10 years. The Bearhawk is on the back burner whilst I finish restoring the pacer...nearly 3 years into that project...


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Don't build a small hangar regardless of price...Mine is 60x40 and wish it was larger...and FOR SURE have a 50' bifold door..

When I was in Cold Bay, Alaska, we ordered a 60 x 50 (as I recall-close anyway) steel building, which was delivered. I've forgotten the brand, but it was one of the major companies. We contacted one of the builders that company recommended, who was based in Anchorage. Getting people and "stuff" to CDB is difficult and expensive to say the least. What we wound up doing was hiring the builder to bring him and his tools out to CDB and use the two of us as grunt labor. We had the dirt work and concrete done before he arrived. He arrived on a 10:30 AM flight, and four days later he departed on the 2:00 or 3:00 PM flight, with the hangar erected. Still needed some finish work, but it was up and functional at that point. It's pretty amazing what can be done with these big tinker toy buildings.

And, two of us slept well for a few days after we were done.....those were some 14 hour construction days. No Amish were harmed in that project. That said, sounds like your project worked out perfectly, and getting the Amish to erect it for you was likely a brilliant move.

MTV

I dunno, I remain perfectly satisfied with my 28' by 40' hangar, its more then big enough, and not filled with non airplane junk like a lot I see. I'd get ANY hangar ASAP, but design it so it can be added on if needed in a coherent way. Mine is easy to heat anyway, light, and keep clean. I still pay property tax on it, though a " farm building", and insurance of course, so an annual cost saving there also. Just another way of looking at things I guess. Go big, but smaller has many advantages and still gets the job done.

courierguy wrote:I dunno, I remain perfectly satisfied with my 28' by 40' hangar, its more then big enough, and not filled with non airplane junk like a lot I see. I'd get ANY hangar ASAP, but design it so it can be added on if needed in a coherent way. Mine is easy to heat anyway, light, and keep clean. I still pay property tax on it, though a " farm building", and insurance of course, so an annual cost saving there also. Just another way of looking at things I guess. Go big, but smaller has many advantages and still gets the job done.

Oh, there's no doubt that ANY hangar your airplane will fit in is FAR better than no hangar. I bought a T-Hangar when I moved here. Room for the Cub and motorcycle, a workbench, etc. I still think I've died and gone to heaven......

MTV

The feeling I get every time I open the hangar door and pull the plane back in, nice and safe again, is priceless. I'm pretty sure tying it down outside isn't the same?!

My only point (if I had one) was a just right sized hangar with heat, light, etc., may be preferable then a very large tin box that's either cold or hot. Of course a very large heated and lighted one would be best of all! For me anyway there is no doubt my flight safety is improved by the relative plushness of my hangar: I enjoy spending time in it and/or working on the plane, in comfort. My shop is up a flight of stairs, so one reason I didn't really need a larger hangar. Coming up in the ranks flight wise in hang gliders and ultralights, with their dacron sails, I've always hangared anything I've flown, the concept of tying an aircraft up outside 24/7 is foreign to me. It'd be like tying my dog up outside overnight, instead of having him on his heated cushion by my easy chair, it just wouldn't be right!

I'm just renting mine but...

Hey, rental hangars, at a fair price are almost as special as owning one. When I was in MN, the airport had really nice T-Hangars for rent at very reasonable rates. First time in 30 years of flying that my personal plane ever lived in a hangar......and man was that nice. Unheated hangar, in cold country, but still waaaaaay better than fighting wing and engine covers, shoveling snow, and sweating bullets every time the wind blew.

I have no idea how many nights I've spent out in the dark and cold, baby sitting airplanes tied outside, both personal and work airplanes.

Hangars are a VERY special blessing in my book.....ANY hangar.

MTV

I have a 50x80 and 33x48. There is a staggerwing project and a Stinson sr5 in the smaller one. It's about filled. I can cram 5 airplanes into the bigger hangar but it's a pain. I'm planning on building another 50x70 with a house above. You can never have enough room, right?
The 50x80 has a shop along one side and a small paint booth and my dad built a workbench along the other side.