MAU MAU wrote:Holy smokes Nizina! That is a ton of work!

Just curious, what do you do for work out in the boonies? Do you commute to work in your Husky?

Where is the closest town?

Closest town is McCarthy -- about 10 miles away -- and it has a winter population of 20. We also have a Condo in Palmer which is about 220 miles away and its a lot warmer there in the deep part of the winter. We use the Husky for getting around most everywhere.

We are both consultants (I'm and Engineer) and that work is ideal for living out in the middle of the mountains. But we are both pretty much retired now. We have internet access by way of satellite, and we power everything with solar power (but augment it in the winter time with Honda generator). We heat exclusively with fire wood so I'm always looking for that next big standing-dead white spruce tree.

That's pretty cool Nosedragger!

I guess I have the smallest hangar so far, 28' by 40'. 10' high door is all. Plenty big for the type of bird I fly. HydroSwing door, it'll open with any amount of drifted snow, I just make sure I clear snow away before closing else it compresses to ice in the jambs. For my setup this door is the best, I really like the big shade awning in the summer plus all the windows you can frame in it, plus a man door.

But, it is just down a flight of inside stairs from my 40' by 40' shop, built into the hillside below. The shop has a full bathroom complete with washer and dryer (that's also the laundry room for the house) and a 14' ceiling with beam trolleys and chain falls. I really like being able to weld or run the table saw or both, and then go downstairs and open the door to a clean airplane. I also have a lot of business visitors that I can receive in the shop without having to have them come into my house. They don't even know I have an airplane until I feel they are worthy enough, ha ha, then I take them downstairs and it's always a hoot when we walk in the hangar, great fun! Where's the airstrip is usually the next question.

I have outbuildings for misc/junk, just unheated polebarns for that stuff. No use cluttering up the prime real estate in the hangar. All structures except the outbuildings have radiant heat floors, solar thermal, a homemade wood boiler, and electric boiler for the heat source. Underground insulated piping allows all the heat to be channeled wherever as needed: all to the hangar if I know in advance (a long thermal lag time) I'll be working there, all to the house when really cold, usually some split between shop, house, and hangar. The shop has large south facing windows so if sunny it'll keep in the mid to high 50's all winter. The hangar never goes below 42 or so, (no south facing windows there) usually mid 40's to mid 50's, all for free. It's walls are 8" concrete right up to the ceiling on three sides, with spray foam on the inside then furred out with 2x4's and sheeted with OSB for something I can staple pictures and maps to. A 6 KW electric heater and a ceiling fan can make it t shirt comfortable once that concrete floor is not cold. Earth bermed on three sides it stays nice and cool in the summer also. It's small but big enough and comfortable year around.

A 6 KW solar electric array (3 actually, built up over time, for 6 KW total) a 2.5 KW wind turbine, and a 800 watt micro hydro pelton wheel (from April to late November it runs 24/7) all direct grid tied to Idaho Power. No battery backup, if the grids down I go into Inkom and drink beer. 100% electric, no propane. It's out maybe 20 minutes a year, damn it. I was off grid, by necessity, for 28 yrs on my previous property,, the new place had lines close thus the grid tie is the best of both worlds. I haven't paid a power bill or a heat bill for well over 30 yrs.

Nizina: My Honda welder/generator was my best friend when I was off grid, they sure make good small engines!

Here's mine. Everything a hangar needs, A plane, a sports car and a project. There's even a dog hiding in there somewhere.

Thanks for the information Ninza.

I did a little research on your closest town of McCarthy and it certainly has a history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthy,_Alaska

The hanger pictures are great, but where some of them are located is simply amazing.

It is certainly junked up right now. A 50x50 steel package that I paid $4,750 about 20 years ago. I bought it from a lady who's husband ordered it and had delivered in a pile. That's when he had a heart attack and died. After 6 inches of concrete, a 45ft bifold, insulation, and electric, I was in the high 20's when finished.

Here is mine with all the important things, Skywagon, jet boat and beer fridge

You guys are filling me with hangar shame! I don't know if I can post pics of mine now!

NZMaule wrote:Here is mine with all the important things, Skywagon, jet boat and beer fridge

.

I'm going to have to make a trip to NZ. You guys with those mini jet boats are insane...looks like a way too much fun!

Ya'll got hangars with beer and no stripper poles?

This is my hanger in early spring few years back

Two small planes in a small T hangar. My hangar mate is a College student that's graduating this quarter so I'll probably go back to trailering from home to the airport.

tcj wrote:Two small planes in a small T hangar.

Why is the rear planes tailwheel on an end table?

rw2 wrote:

tcj wrote:Two small planes in a small T hangar.

Why is the rear planes tailwheel on an end table?

Looks like a book on an end table. Clever paperweight for the FarAim.

rw2 wrote:

tcj wrote:Two small planes in a small T hangar.

Why is the rear planes tailwheel on an end table?

To provide clearance with the rear lift strut for the smaller planes tail.

The weather was very clear on the coast of Oregon this January. Here is a picture before some night flying, it was about 03:00 PST.

Hey guys

Here are a few pictures of the "man cave"

Winter Time



Best Part



Lit up for night



Beginning of summer



The pity Cabinet!



End of summer and usually broke by this point!!



This is one of my favorite places to hang out!

Cheers

I love how big and open your hangars are! Hangars over here are packed full if aeroplanes to the point you need to pull 3 planes out to get to your own! Plus when your not steeping over aeroplanes your steeping over someones half built engine or tool box!

Sidewinder wrote:

rw2 wrote:

tcj wrote:Two small planes in a small T hangar.

Why is the rear planes tailwheel on an end table?

To provide clearance with the rear lift strut for the smaller planes tail.

Yes, to provide clearance for the Sonix's tail under the kitfox wing and clearance for the sonix wing under the kitfox nose. Also so the kitfox can be pulled farther back into the hangar or the Sonix nose sticks outside and can't close the hangar door.

When you lift the tail on the kitfox the wings and nose rise and the wings move forward.

These hangars are only 32 feet deep which for a T hangar means only 16 feet between the short walls and the door. We tried fitting the planes with scale models before committing to a one year lease. The Wings spread option is the easiest.