What's the width of your hangar opening?

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kjmeyers1
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Re: What's the width of your hangar opening?

Post by kjmeyers1 »

Video?
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Charles
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Re: What's the width of your hangar opening?

Post by Charles »

Not mine but here's one I studied carefully before attempting it the first time:



A dolly for the nose wheel makes this a virtually hands free operation.
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Bryan
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Re: What's the width of your hangar opening?

Post by Bryan »

I have a 46 foot wide hanger and park my da42 there without problem.

You need a power tug so you can be precise and focused on lining up the aircraft (instead of huffing and puffing and pushing the aircraft) and you need some lines on the ground to line up the wheels. Otherwise, I find it tight but no problem...can push it back with only a minute or two of effort. With that being said, I wouldn't go down to 45 feet. The width of the wings is 44 1/2 (i think) so going from 18 inches of space to 6 inches would be too tight in my opinion.

Hope that helps.

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kjmeyers1
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Re: What's the width of your hangar opening?

Post by kjmeyers1 »

I need to double check my opening. I'm hoping I'm closer to 46 feet. It's encouraging that your able to make things work well.
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dennisvoriespe
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Re: What's the width of your hangar opening?

Post by dennisvoriespe »

HOW TO HANGER A DA-42 IN A HANGER WITH A 40' DOOR

For several years, I've been hangering my DA-42 in a San Diego County T Hanger with about 4" clearance from the strobes. To compound the challenge, there is a small ramp just before the tight clearance that requires acceleration of the plane through the entry. Solution: I use a portable tug with white dots spray painted at 6" intervals for the three wheels. All three wheels must be centered on the dots before entry.

Recently, I purchased a 40'D x 60'W hanger with a 40' wide door also with an entry ramp. Solution: Entry is done by using a modified N pattern. 1) With the center of the plane about 4' to the left of the entry centerline, the plane is sharply turned to the left after the tail enters the hanger. 2) With the plane at about 45 degrees with the center line, all three wheels several feet inside the hanger and the starboard wing still mostly outside, the plane is pulled straight forward on the 45 until all wheels are just outside the hanger with the port wing mostly inside. 3) The plane is then backed into the hanger using a sharp turn to the right. The center of the aircraft is kept about 4' to the right of the centerline as the starboard wing swings through the entry and plane continues straight back into the hanger still 4' to the right of the centerline. Plane removal is simply a reverse of the three above steps and the N can be reversed if parking on the left of centerline is preferred. A second person watching clearances can be helpful at least in the beginning.
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Re: What's the width of your hangar opening?

Post by carym »

I always thought this would work. The (obvious) problem I encountered when looking for hangars is that around here hangars with the more narrow door were associated with internal size that was also more narrow so I wouldn't be able to fit the plane inside the hangar either.
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Re: What's the width of your hangar opening?

Post by arksat »

My hangar is 40' wide. It's super tight for DA40. I have less than two inches of clearance on each side, which requires finesse of handling... definitely more difficult than crosswind landing.

I am using Bruce's wingtip cover for a peace of mind.
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Re: What's the width of your hangar opening?

Post by Sandy »

I am certainly not the first DA40 owner to use a winch to pull the plane into a hangar, but I did put up a YouTube video, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BShoqQG2G8 In response to a question that was raised, I gave detailed instructions regarding my particular installation, as follows:

In order to install the winch (a Harbor Freight 2500# 12v winch that comes with a wireless remote), I first mounted the winch to a piece of 3/4" plywood. The dimensions of the plywood are not critical, as long as it is large enough to have some clearance around the winch. I also mounted a Harbor Freight ATV/Utility WInch Mounting Plate to the plywood in front of the winch. To mount the plate you will need to rout or chisel out the plywood, as the plate needs to be recessed relative to the winch. Then, mark and drill mounting holes through the plywood, and paint the plywood (top and bottom) to protect it from moisture, as it will be in contact with the cement floor. I used T-nuts on the bottom of the plywood, as they allow removal of the winch after the plywood base is affixed to the cement floor. Next I located the rear center of the hangar, and I applied construction adhesive to the bottom of the plywood base. I used .22 caliber Ramset fasteners to attach the base to the floor of the hangar. The winch is powered by a Harbor Freight 12v Portable Power Pack that I turn on only when I use it. This configuration is totally portable, so no AC connection, and no wired remote are needed. To connect the clip on the winch to the plane I use a Harbor Freight 5" Jumbo Aluminum Hook. Altogether, on sale, the winch and Power Pack were $49.99 each, the Mounting Plate was $4.99, and the Aluminum Hook was $1.99. From Home Depot I got the 1/4" T-nuts and 1/4" bolts, the construction adhesive, and the Ramset fasteners.
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Re: What's the width of your hangar opening?

Post by gordsh »

Just picked up a hanger which is also a scarce resource at my local airport. Its only 46 feet wide but I also invested in a BestTug so it makes a one man job of parking and removing the airplane easier...as long as I remember to keep the nose wheel on the center line marking the center of the hanger.
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Re: What's the width of your hangar opening?

Post by dennisvoriespe »

When clearances are that tight, I like to have mains marked as well on my 46'W opening in Calif. I've noticed that the nose can appear to be on the line without the mains being on track. I use a portable tug that also makes it a one man job.
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