Sport Pilot Talk

designrs · Joined: 23 Sep 2009 Posts: 144

Do airports give hangar wait list priority by how much fuel you use and of what type?
If you are going to carry in Mogas does that create a problem in obtaining a hangar?

spooky981 · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 45

I was always told there are two waitlists for hangars. The standard one, which typically doesn't have a vacancy for many years. And the black market one, which is where you have to know the right people.

bryancobb · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 3:28 pm Post subject:

spooky981 wrote: I was always told there are two waitlists for hangars. The standard one, which typically doesn't have a vacancy for many years. And the black market one, which is where you have to know the right people.

OMG is THAT true!!! You have to be in the "clique" or it will take forever.

I was lucky enough that I kept my helicopter at my house, but several of my
airport buddies could give-up and get hangers at will, while some poor souls
stayed on the list for years.

designrs · Joined: 23 Sep 2009 Posts: 144

Good feedback. Awesome heli photos on front lawn too!!
So other than "who you know" in general.
Suggestions for getting hangar priority for a new guy?

3Dreaming · Joined: 10 Jan 2010 Posts: 301 Location: noble, IL USA

I manage a small airport and we have plenty of space to rent, but for you you need to figure out a few things first. Is the airport where you want to rent public owned or private? Who has control of the hangers? Airport manager, FBO, City, other governing agency? What is the policy for rented hangers, Are they being used for aviation purposes? Do people on the list own an aircraft? Find out what the policy is for getting on the list and the requirements for getting an hanger if you are on the list. If it is a government funded airport follow the money. Find out if it is county run, city run, airport authority, or someone else that pays the bills. Go to thier board meeting and ask what the policy is.
If you have purchased an airplane and need a hanger you need to find these things out IMO. Someplaces don't have the space and they do have a legitimate list, but others do not. Sometimes you find boats, cars, and otherthings taking up hanger spaces. IMO I think airport shuold be used to support aviation. Tom

dstclair · Joined: 06 Mar 2008 Posts: 212 Location: Allen, TX

Don't know the hangar situation at your intended airport but I'd suggest looking into shared hangar space. Go to your local EAA meeting/website or other sources and you'll often find someone who has a 60x60 hangar looking for a tenant or two. Walk or drive around the hangars and look for space available signs or look for people in their hangars and ask them. The aviation community is a close-nit group and I'm sure by networking you'll find something.

bryancobb · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 9:41 pm Post subject: Become an Airport Guy

designrs wrote:
So other than "who you know" in general.
Suggestions for getting hangar priority for a new guy?
Just be a nice guy and network with all the folks who hang out at the airport every weekend. That can't hurt.

zaitcev · Joined: 05 Jan 2010 Posts: 256 Location: Albuquerque, NM

bryancobb wrote: Just be a nice guy and network with all the folks who hang out at the airport every weekend. That can't hurt.
The trick is how to accomplish that. We have a bunch of T-hangars at the field, between the kinda-FBO Atlantic Aviation and the FedEx cargo ramp. So far I was unable even figure out who is responsible for those hangars, let alone finding the insiders' hangout.

bryancobb · Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 6:36 am Post subject: Listen to Tom

3Dreaming wrote: I manage a small airport ...Tom
Sounds like Tom is from MY home airport!!

As he says...follow the money. If you are having trouble finding just who to go to, you can start with county tax maps to see who pays the taxes on the hangers and the dirt they're on.

Jack Tyler · Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 1:52 am Post subject:

Richard, a large number of GA airports are municipal or county owned & operated. In those cases, there's a good deal more transparency to wait lists and hangar occupancies because those leases are public records. IME there's far less arbitrariness involved than some folks might think.

But a guaranteed way to optimize your chances are to select an LSA with folding or removable wings, as these kinds of a/c can sometimes be sandwiched in with other GA a/c in a typical hanger...or other LSA owners are looking for a partner for their overly large hangar.

Jack

drseti · Joined: 28 Nov 2009 Posts: 1387 Location: Lock Haven PA

Jack Tyler wrote: But a guaranteed way to optimize your chances are to select an LSA with folding or removable wings,

Folding wings tend (with possible exceptions) not to have fuel tanks in them. So, with such a design (e.g., Remos), you end up with your fuel tank in the fuselage, which I believe compromises safety. Like everything else in aviation, it's a tradeoff.