Hangar cost worth it?

[aviatoreb]

2 hours ago, sufferingcadet said:

I have been on the hangar wait list forever at KART.  One just opened up.  It is $325 a month which I believe is highway robbery.  A tie down is $75 a month.  I would say go with the tie down except it snows a LOT in upstate NY. 

However, $3900 a year is a lot.  Sitting outside would not cause $3900 worth of damage to the plane per year.  I could get a new paint job every 3 years!  This is for a T-hangar.  Only other benefits I see would be not having to brush snow off, being able to preheat in the hangar vs outside (hangar is unheated, but at least out of the wind), and potentially working on the plane/storing plane stuff at the airport. 

How does everyone deal with this? 

KART?!  No way!  I fly over you all the time - I'm up at KPTD.

[Jeff_S]

+1 to everyone's comments...meaning no one is right or wrong, and you just have to do what's best for your budget and your situation. I kept a Warrior outside for four years, with a good sturdy Bruce's cover on it to protect the cabin. If you're diligent about cleaning and waxing the structure, you can keep it looking pretty good, but it does take some work. And every time there's any sort of major storm, you've always got that nagging concern about hail, wind damage, etc.

Both my Mooney's have been in a hangar, and I'm in the crowd that says I wouldn't really go back outside unless I have to for other circumstances (e.g. moving to a place where I can't get a hangar).  It's just a nice comforting feeling to know that your pride and joy is well protected and ready for you next time you want to go burn dinosaur juice. But there is a cost to this security, so you have to determine if the benefit is worth it to you.

[carqwik]

Would you park your $60,000 car (Mercedes E-Class) outside for years?  Would you park your $100,000 car (Corvette Z-06) outside for years?  Would you park your $200,000 car (Porsche Turbo) outside for years??  And what about your $350,000 car (Rolls-Royce Wraith) outside for years?

I don't think so...

[peevee]

I'd go covered parking but if I couldn't afford a hangar I'd do something else, take on a partner or something to make it work 

[steingar]

I'd like to see the 12 AMU Mooney paint job to which the OP refers.  My guess is a good paint  job runs well north of that.  One fool told me he could get one down for eight.  I told him to get his airplane painted and charge ten more for it, he'd have gotten it.

Problem is storing an aircraft outside does a number on a lot more than just paint.  The temperature changes are really bad for avionics, you'll find radio gremlins becoming more common as your avionics wear from the exposure.  Sitting outside in the sun is the worst thing for everything inside.  If any liquid gets in it will do a number on whatever it touches and maybe give you some corrosion issues.  Yeah you can cover the thing, but covers cost money too, and if they aren't sufficiently secure can do a number on the paint as they whip in the wind.  And yeah, you get to deal with snow and frost during the winter.  I just pull the aircraft out of the hangar.

It even goes beyond that.  I have a little portable heater thingie on the engine, keeps it toasty warm all the time.  My old airplane had a Tanis heater, came on automatically on the weekend because my hangar has an electrical outlet.  Good luck doing that outside.  I just pull my airplane out in the winter.  If yours is outside you get to prewarm it in some fashion while you're brushing off snow and ice and whatnot.  Oh, and animals love airplanes!  Lost the airspeed on takeoff one time because of bugs in the pitot line when we stored outside.  Birds, mice, all sorts of critters get into airplanes.

Thing is, if you're really trying to make some sort of financial sense out of owning an airplane, stop right now.  Sell the bird for what you can and get out.  You don't belong here.  Airplanes don't make financial sense for the vast majority of owners.  I could easily take a jet just about every other weekend for what I spend on the aircraft.  I could easily go to Europe at least once a year.  The travel I could do on aircraft money would be spectacular.  

But I'd rather own and fly an aircraft.

[DonMuncy]

57 minutes ago, bradp said:

In full disclosure there are no hangar fairies allowed ever in my hangar.  I don't even know what a hangar fairy is.  Don will have to fill me in on that.

I prefer the term hangar elf. The FAA regulations only allow a short list of maintenance items to be performed by the owner. Everyone knows we would never violate those regulations. If some relatively minor work needs to be done on the plane that is not on that list, if I show up at the hangar and find that work has been done, I assume that my resident hangar elf must have done it.

[C-GHIJ]

At that price I would jump on it.  I pay $500 a month for mine.  Personally it is so much nicer not to have to worry about snow on the airplane and easier to preheat and pre flight in a hanger.  I hate paying the rent but wouldn't be without a hanger.

[Bob_Belville]

The hanger, along with insurance, the cost of the annual inspection, garmin subscriptions, flight reviews and other currency training, medical and maybe another line item or 2 (payments if you finance the plane) are the fixed costs of owning an airplane. Once you've done the initial calculations and bought the plane it is probably a bad idea to think about these costs as optional. They are there whether the plane flies 30 or 300 hours per year.

My cost of flying is the avgas I buy. With this approach I fly more which is a good thing.

[NotarPilot]

I think I have you all beat. I pay $625 a month and all I get is a t hangar with one working outlet and fluorescent lights. The remainder of the outlets do not work because the wiring is old and they trip the breakers too often to even bother resetting them anymore. I refrain from complaining or asking them to get fixed out of fear that those repairs would result in an increase in my monthly rent. My rent has held steady for nearly four years.

[alex]

Take the hangar, you'll be glad you did. It may not be a requirement for airplane ownership but you'll smile every time you drive in and see planes covered in snow and all you have to do is open that door....convenience alone is worth the $$$$$$$$$.

[carl]

I pay $137 including taxes . I thought I was being taken for a ride, over the mountain that would get you a little more room. Now over in Indiana Pa they want $168.

But you can put up a pole barn structure no problem , 

If I were you I'd call up to Maxson airfield and see if they will let you stay there.

Here the number,  they might say nope! , they might say sure. Especially if you offer to build your own pole building in the spring.

Maxson airfield manager DAVID LABRECQUE
	2706 POPPLETON RD
	DURHAMVILLE, NY 13054
	315-525-7632

[Piloto]

I pay $710/month at KFXE for a T hangar. I do all maintenance and annual in the hangar and save some money. If you leave the plane outside it is subject to hail which is expensive to repair. Sun damage to the paint, windows, interiors, instruments and hoses can be more expensive than hangar rent. Not to mention potential corrosion problems due to rain. I also use the hangar for storage to have more room in my home garage to park the cars inside. You can set working benches in the hangar to work on home or aviation related projects. Nothing nicer than having your tool chest next to your plane to take care of it.

José

[Guest]

A typical Tee hangar here is 350-400.  My buddy and I own one bay in a six unit hangar.  We store the 400, his Twin Comanche, and this year I installed a modified car lift to store my RV4, eventually the Mite will join them.  The monthly ownership costs are more than rent but at least we own it in the end.

Clarence

[DAVIDWH]

As JD Rockefeller replied at a party when asked about the cost of his yacht:

"If you have to ask, you can't afford it".

And with a tie down, where would you keep the golf cart??

Best,

[nels]

So, if the rent was $2500 a month would everybody still insist on a hangar? Personally I think most of them are way over priced actually to the point of insulting! I have to admit $10k a year can buy a hell of a lot of toys, even  a descent radio every year or an engine overhaul every two years or a paint job every year. The list goes on. Tie down with a nice canopy cover is not a bad option. A hangar at $150/month would get me interested.

[ryoder]

I too didn't think the cost was justified but now I wouldn't dare leave it outside.  You owe it to,yourself to try the hangar for a couple of months.  I can half finish work, leave tools,on the ground, I have a fridge, lost of chairs, a portable AC. 

[gsxrpilot]

I had my hanger for two months before I had the airplane. Personally I wouldn't own an airplane without a hanger to keep it in. Currently I pay $225/month for a full square hanger but without electricity or water, it's also almost an hour drive from where I live. I'm on the waitlist at two different airports much closer to me, but it will probably be years before I get to the top of either list.

[Hector]

I pay $265 a month for a very old hangar in northeast Florida. In the summer here it is VERY hot and it rains almost every day. I do all my maintenance in the hangar including annuals. Last year I put my plane in my mechanics hanger for a couple of days for the alternator conversion and got some hangar rash near the left wingtip. Never again. Because I have a hangar I can do owner assisted annuals (I do nearly all of it) and save money. Minor issues get fixed in the hangar too by elves. I have a fridge, cold beer, lots of tools, and good hangar neighbors (including two other Mooney owners) and I consider the $265 more than reasonable for what I get in return.

[Raptor05121]

I'm at $165/mo. I love mine. I have a mini fridge, all my parts are laying exactly where I left them. Engine stays warm in the winter (which Florida does not seem to be participating in this year) and cool in the summer. My paint was done in 1990 and since new, my plane has been outside for less than 30 days of its life. The paint is still a good 7.5/10 with a good shine to it.

[Bob_Belville]

I want to point out that the cost of a closed, secure, hangar is only the difference relative to tie down or community hanger.

At our publicly owned airport I think it costs $50/month for a tie down. It costs $250/month for a T hanger.  

So, it really only costs me $200 for a locked private hanger with a bi-fold door, a concrete floor, lights electricity and multiple outlets (inc. 230V for a 5 hp compressor). I have a place to keep a vacuum and cleaning and polishing supplies and tools, hand and power tools, work benches, jacks, log books, oil and supplies... I have a 75,000 BTU kerosene heater which will warm up the hanger if I want to work on something in the winter. Last month I replaced all the windows in my Mooney. I saved the annual cost of the hangar in this one project. The plane was torn apart all month. Between the windows, rebuilding the fuel selector, rebuilding the trim gear box, and the annual inspection, I saved $2500+ in labor. While learning a lot. (The maintenance shop would not have room to have my plane in there for a month so the windows would not have been possible on any reasonable schedule. That happens all the time. Lynn likes to be able to work on customer planes in their own hangers. Particularly since I have almost any tool he needs.) 

[steingar]

My hangar is a he bargain, you couldn't buy storage space on that scale for that much money anywhere.

I once totaled up everything I'd spent on my airplane and flying one year.  I prompt vowed never to do so again.

[aaronk25]

I think we're spoiled in MN 9000ft and 6000ft runway and newer hangers for $135 a month!

But that's cause no one wants to live here it's to darn cold!!!! Brrr

I always though all hangers were similar until I heard what some pay on the east coast!

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[ArtVandelay]

I think we're spoiled in MN 9000ft and 6000ft runway and newer hangers for $135 a month!

But that's cause no one wants to live here it's to darn cold!!!! Brrr

I always though all hangers were similar until I heard what some pay on the east coast!

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If that global warming thing ever comes to fruition, count me in.

[aviatoreb]

2 minutes ago, teejayevans said:

If that global warming thing ever comes to fruition, count me in.

In years past, by now I have been XC skiing since mid November on a daily basis.  Now we have had weeks of mid 40s to mid 50s with mid 50s a lot of next week incl on Christmas.  It is dramatically warmer here than I have ever seen.

[flyboy0681]

21 hours ago, co2bruce said:

That price will get you 2 weeks in a hanger in South Florida. 

Very much a true statement. Oh what a pleasure $325 would be.