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Finding the Perfect Hangar Isn’t So Easy

When the search for an aircraft home starts late, a stressful chase ensues, and lessons are learned.

A safe, secure place to keep your pride and joy can be difficult to find, but is well worth the effort. [Photo: Jason McDowell]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The search for airplane hangar space is often difficult, with public airports typically having no availability or high prices, and online resources proving unhelpful.
  • Exploring private airfields offers more diverse and potentially affordable options, though these may involve compromises like open-sided hangars or less ideal conditions.
  • Securing a suitable hangar often requires a proactive, multi-step approach, including cold-calling airport managers and private airfield owners, and may involve settling for an interim solution.
  • It is crucial for prospective airplane owners to begin their hangar search early and be creative, as finding a secure and affordable spot can be a lengthy process.
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When your airplane search becomes serious, with money in the bank and the initial research complete, other aspects of life tend to fall to the wayside. Like a shark sensing blood in the water, your focus narrows. You fixate on locating your prey and making the kill. Things like grocery shopping, household maintenance, family functions, and most other normal adult responsibilities all take a back seat to the hunt. In my case, so too did the whole idea of finding a hangar.

I always had a vague, nebulous notion that at some point, I’d have to learn about hangars. I certainly knew they existed, but I had no clue how to determine which airports had availability and what the going rates were, much less how to get one of my own. These were details that could be ironed out later, I reasoned. No sense in entertaining such distractions until it became absolutely necessary.

Jason McDowell

Jason McDowell is a private pilot and Cessna 170 owner based in Madison, Wisconsin. He enjoys researching obscure aviation history and serves as a judge for the National Intercollegiate Flying Association. He can be found on Instagram as @cessnateur.

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