The Best Place to Build a Kitplane

Two popular choices for most builders are to either utilize available space at home or a hangar at the airport.

Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 10:35 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

This Sonex fuselage, one wing, tools and a small fridge are ready for the journey to the airport via snowmobile trailer. [Credit: Jon Croke]

Key Takeaways:

Builders decide between a home workshop or an airport hangar, each offering distinct advantages and disadvantages for airplane kit assembly.
Building at an airport hangar provides ample space and eliminates final transportation, but may lack adequate temperature control, power, lighting, security, internet, and can involve significant commute times.
Building at home, often in a garage, is feasible despite space limitations by constructing fuselage and wings separately and accounting for doorway widths, allowing for comfortable and efficient short work sessions.
Transporting the completed aircraft components from a home workshop to the airport is typically managed using a simple trailer, often requiring multiple trips for larger parts.

See a mistake? Contact us.

You and your airplane kit deserve a comfortable workshop area for the many days of building that lie ahead. If you are a first-time builder or are considering an aircraft kit purchase, one of the very first questions you may be asking yourself is, “Do I have enough space to build this thing?”

The two popular choices for most builders are to either utilize available space at home or to build in a hangar at the airport. Everyone’s situation is different so there is no “one size fits all” here. For example, let’s be jealous of those who live on an airport property as their building and flying all take place in the same location.