Is a hangar worth the cost?

[Piloto]

Another way to see the benefits from your point of view.

 

Would you rather put a couch and live at the tie down spot or put the couch in a hangar and live in it.

 

Caveman realized this long time ago.  

 

José 

[WardHolbrook]

In south Florida the difference between tie-down and t-hanger is $550, which changes the math a bit, that's a paint job every 2 years.

Or enough money saved you could buy a new plane every 6 years.

That makes perfect sense too. I guess that there's no such thing as one size fits all. I've done it both ways. If you're flying made of wood or fabric then I don't think you have any viable options. You do with everything else. All in all, I'd rather keep any airplane in a hangar but most of us do have to take a hard look at the math involved. 

[Piloto]

In south Florida the difference between tie-down and t-hanger is $550, which changes the math a bit, that's a paint job every 2 years.

Or enough money saved you could buy a new plane every 6 years.

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Which one?

[ArtVandelay]

Which one?

The OP's

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[carusoam]

No, it's not. It is not worth it!

Not at all.

It takes a lot of effort to destroy a paint job evenly. You get this for free when you store outdoors.

You can't get rain water to seep into your tanks in a covered tie down.

Things take forever to rust when you keep them indoors.

It's unlikely that birds or other creatures will build a needed house if your plane is kept in a hangar.

The price of airplanes is unrelated to their condition, when you find the "right" buyer.

People that have hangars still have plane covers, no savings there.

Your plane will never get randomly run into while it's in a hangar.

You can't win the insurance lottery, if you protect the plane indoors.

[carusoam]

On the other hand....,

If your plane is a ratty, crusty old airplane that has lived out doors it's whole life. And you like to work on it, a lot...

There are good covers that can keep most of the rain out of most of the important places.

Keep it outdoors.

My 65C loved it's outdoor tie down.

Best regards,

-a-

[bonal]

And from a previous post no random FAA ramp inspections.

[Piloto]

No hangar = hail damage = bird droppings = faded windows = engine corrosion = strong wind gust damage from lose plane next to yours = hot seats in the summer = faded paint = rusted screws = water in tanks = stolen fuel caps = stolen radios = bugs seeking shelter.

 

With hangar = none of the above + peace of mind, specially during gusty thuderstoms, hail storms and pouring rain.

 

José

[aaronk25]

one other thing in northern cold climates or occasional sub 30 temps in south how do you adequately pre-heat on a ramp? Sure you could buy a portable generator but even with the fastest engine heater the rieff turbo model with 600watts of power it's still should run for at least a couple hours, preferably 4 or more to truly warm the crank and main bearings......gonna leave the honda purring away unattended??? .

[DaV8or]

I would keep it outside, save the $1800/yr for five years then use the money to have the plane completely stripped and painted. It will be worth a lot more when you put it up for sale.

 

This is a common argument against the hangar. It assumes that the only real damage to a plane on tie down is paint oxidization and fading. However, if you do some reading around here and particularly on the general pilot forums like AOPA and Pilots of America, you'll soon learn that often what causes flying airplanes to be scrapped is corrosion. Not surface corrosion you can see, treat and take care of with a repaint, but interior corrosion. The kind that surprises you at annual, or when you go to do a special repair, or mod. The kind of corrosion that suddenly makes your pride and joy "unairworthy", grounded and in need of repairs that may cost more than the plane is worth. Insurance won't do a thing. It's on you.

 

Hangars are good. Only pass on a hangar if you really can't afford it.

[BigTex]

Living in Texas, we have hail every spring. In fact, my airport just was hit with some baseball size hail come through. It sure is a nice feeling to know your plane is out of harms way. Also, where would I put all of my crap?

[N601RX]

I've noticed insurance companies always want to know if it is Hangered or not when providing a quote. I'm not sure how much price difference there is. A hanger also gives you many more options as to who you use for your AP/IA and how the work is done. At $65 month my hanger has saved me a lot of money, but at $500 I would have to rethink that.

[Mooneymite]

 Also, where would I put all of my crap?

 

Now THAT's the crux of the matter!  I may get rid of my planes, but I'll keep my hangar because I won't be able to afford anyone to haul off all my valuable....er, crap.

[Hector]

Hanger yes. Here in Florida I consider it a must. Lots of Sun which means UV degrading your paint and transparencies, and heat slowly frying your avionics. We also get some pretty severe thunderstorms and there is hail damage and wind damage and humidity and corrosion to consider. There is also maintenance that I do on my own that would not be possible without a hangar. For example, I do owner assisted annuals. Essentially, I do nearly all the work in my hangar and my A&P/IA checks behind me. OccasionalIy, hangar fairies visit and take care of something minor that they just won't do outside. I pay $267 for my hanger, but I think I probably get most if not all of that back because all of the above reasons.

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[ArtVandelay]

I've noticed insurance companies always want to know if it is Hangered or not when providing a quote. I'm not sure how much price difference there is. A hanger also gives you many more options as to who you use for your AP/IA and how the work is done. At $65 month my hanger has saved me a lot of money, but at $500 I would have to rethink that.

About 5%, here in Florida where there is no hail! but tropical storms and hurricanes

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[Cris]

If all else is equal a hanger is the way to go but the key is being equal.

I base at Atlantic City Int. with great approaches etc. but no T hangers. Ground personnel can help push plane or I use my robo tow.

Common hanger only with a differance of $400/mo. My tie down comes with an electrical outlet so I can preheat. I have full covers for the A/C but they are a pain so I generally only use the extended cabin cover. I think it actually takes longer to tie the plane down than to put it into a T hanger like I used to have. Certainly takes longer than with a common hanger but I would worry about the ground personnel dinging the nose gear or causing hanger rash which the manager readily admits occurs occasionally.

ACY is 20--25 min drive while next closet airport is double the drive but has T hangers with same cost differential but with much higher approache mins. and shorter runways.

As much as I would like to be in a hanger it is not equal so I do the corrosion x and grit my teeth but every 5-7 years I get a new

paint job if I like. LOL

[rbridges]

 The one advantage to tie down is how quick you can get and go.

 

I flew with a friend, and it seemed like time came to a standstill while I watched him remove the cover and the untie the plane.  Then I got to watch it in reverse after we landed.  Seriously it wasn't that bad, but I remembered thinking that I was grateful to have a closed hangar.

[Oscar Avalle]

yes

[DaV8or]

OccasionalIy, hangar fairies visit and take care of something minor that they just won't do outside.

 

Good point. It's always so useful when the hangar fairies visit. I have never heard of tie down fairies. Maybe they exist in the bush?

[Danb]

Chris. I actually didn't drink there coolaid we go head to head all the time, I own one of the condo hangers and am on the board of two of the hanger assn's. Needless to say I'm not on there Xmas list..

[Danb]

Btw they now have vacant hangers. Life's good

[SkyPilot]

Yes 100%.

I pay $450 month for a heated hanger. When it hits -43 here, my plane is nice and toasty. It stays that way because there is no way in hell I'm going flying in -43. But it does give me a nice shop area to do cleaning work then

Also, my buddy with a J model had his outside parked airplane tied up for 4 months while they reskinned the wings and painted after a hail storm went through.

[Marauder]

Btw they now have vacant hangers. Life's good

Of course they have open hangars! They drove me out when the price hit $325/mth. Want to hear a funny one. When I first moved to Delaware, I could have bought one of those condos for $11k. What do they go for now? Also what are the "grounds" fees these days?

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[Mooneymite]

Yes 100%.

I pay $450 month for a heated hanger. When it hits -43 here, my plane is nice and toasty.

 

My company has paid more than $450 for one (1) night in a heated hangar when frost/snow/ice is a possibility.  De-ice fluid can be over $11/gallon applied; we've spent in excess of $12,000 to de-ice the little jet when we couldn't get a hangar.  $450/night is a bargain if you positively have to have your plane available in the morning!

 

Of course, it there's too much snow on the hangar roof, this could happen!

[bnicolette]

 

Of course, it there's too much snow on the hangar roof, this could happen!

 

 

I remember when that happened.  It was at IAD or DCA?  Crazy.

 

In any event I am also in the camp that thinks the hangar is totally worth it.  I for one spend more time with the airplane because it's in the hangar.  It has become the "club house" or the proverbial "man cave".  I know I take better care of my airplane because it's under cover and rub her down often.  Not to mention all of the other benefits already mentioned as well.

 

Get the hangar if you can manage it.