Tight Hangar Squeeze

[Cheebs501]

Does anyone have any experience putting an aircraft in a hangar without a lot of room to spare?
I am currently operating a Citation 501 and have an offer in to buy an SII. The wingspan on the SII is supposed to be 52.2 ft. According to the airport authority the opening of the hangar is 54.5 ft. I measured it myself and came up with about 53.8 ft. Once the aircraft is in the door there is probably a little bit more room.
We are currently using a crappy tow bar and a John Deere 400 tractor as our tug.
Do you think this is doable, and if so are there any ideas anyone has for making sure you are centered when pushing or pulling in besides a yellow line. Keep in mind that I would be flying this single pilot so I wouldn't have anyone to help me when pushing or pulling out.

 

[h25b]

Does anyone have any experience putting an aircraft in a hangar without a lot of room to spare?
I am currently operating a Citation 501 and have an offer in to buy an SII. The wingspan on the SII is supposed to be 52.2 ft. According to the airport authority the opening of the hangar is 54.5 ft. I measured it myself and came up with about 53.8 ft. Once the aircraft is in the door there is probably a little bit more room.
We are currently using a crappy tow bar and a John Deere 400 tractor as our tug.
Do you think this is doable, and if so are there any ideas anyone has for making sure you are centered when pushing or pulling in besides a yellow line. Keep in mind that I would be flying this single pilot so I wouldn't have anyone to help me when pushing or pulling out.

So you're asking if a hangar with less than an inch clearance on either wing (assuming it's absolutely perfectly centered upon entry) would be adequate ? My answer would be a huge NO...

You'd be asking for big trouble. Even if you had another couple feet to work with it would be too tight. Pretty nickle and dime way to house a multi million dollar asset. What exactly do you plan on telling the boss when (not if) it gets damaged in the process ?

 

[BoilerPilot]

I agree with H25B...We operate a 501 out of a 60ft door and that is close enough for me. I've have put a 550 in there, but that's about as much as I'd want to do. Plus, remember those width figures probably don't include the $40 static wicks on the end of each wing.

 

[Cardinal]

I think the yellow line is your only reliable option. With some help, position the aircraft perfectly centered just in front of the door, and mark the pavement where both the mains and the nose rest. Extend those lines 50-odd feet out on the pavement with your MIL-STD-57698372-9 yellow paint and then make absolutely darn sure the aircraft is on those lines every time you push it in. Since your circumstances are particularly tight, you might get off the tug and check the clearance every time right before the wings pass the door. If the "crappy" towbar has lots of play in it or is unreliable in any way, replace it. The Tronairs seem like a good brand. Way cheaper than a wingtip.

Better yet - Call the FBO and have them do it, since they'll probably have more than one lineguy to wing walk.

 

[SkykingC310]

My suggestion would be a better towbar and wingwalkers. You're setting yourself up for disaster if you plan on pushing it in by yourself with a hokey towbar. Are you putting two aircraft in this hangar or getting rid of the 501? With two planes in this hangar, you risk damaging both of them in one bad move. Sounds sketchy to me. Plus, you'll be doing this after a flight...maybe a bit tired...careful! Good luck just the same.

One of the guys I worked with backed a Beech 1900D into a Emraer ERJ-135. He had a good towbar and three other dudes guiding him in. Still resulted in grounding both aircraft for days. Gotta be careful.

 

[Cheebs501]

So you're asking if a hangar with less than an inch clearance on either wing (assuming it's absolutely perfectly centered upon entry) would be adequate ? My answer would be a huge NO...

You'd be asking for big trouble. Even if you had another couple feet to work with it would be too tight. Pretty nickle and dime way to house a multi million dollar asset. What exactly do you plan on telling the boss when (not if) it gets damaged in the process ?

It would be more than an inch clearance on each side, it would be a little over a foot on each side. Check your math.
We really don't have any other choice at the moment. There are only 4 bigger hangars on the airport, and we have been number 2 on the waiting list for 6 months.
The difference in wingspan between a 501 and S550 is 4.7 ft. I just went out and centered our airplane in the doorway and measured from the strobe cover to the door, and I have 3.7 ft on one side and 4.0 ft on the other for a total of 7.7 ft. So that gives me 3 ft of play or 1.5 on each side.
I know it will be tricky but I just wanted to know if anyone else has had to do something like this.
I flew a 560 a few times that was kept in a hangar only 55.5 so thats only one more foot.

 

[h25b]

It would be more than an inch clearance on each side, it would be a little over a foot on each side. Check your math.

O.K., I'll check my math... 53.8 ft. - 52.2 ft. = 1.6 ft. (Total Clearance)

This would mean that if the aircraft were perfectly centered you would yield a clearance of .8 ft (9.6 inches) on each wingtip. Not over a foot.

So I was a little off but you are still dealing with less than a foot of clearance on either side... You better be sure to have about 4 people putting it in to the hangar every time. (1 driving the tug/tractor, 1 on each wingtip, and 1 watching the tail as it goes in...) I would call up a parking lot stripe company and have them mark off centerline guide strips as well as main landing gear position strips going in the the hangar opening and about 10 ft. out of the hangar.

Good luck...

 

[Cardinal]

_
Ignore all the above. Solution: Buy a CJ2 - Wingspan 49'10"
http://cj2plus.cessna.com/specifications.chtml

 

[CitationXDriver]

If you are confident in your tug driving ability, I think you should be good to go with the stripes painted for all three gear. Although if you live in a area that gets snow and ice I would think twice. An airplane can start sliding very easily and often you just have to let it slide. This can easily happen coming in and out of the hangar, if there is any sort of lip between the interior hangar floor and the exterior ramp, you have to make double sure that both mains hit that lip at the same time or the aircraft may shift drastically. If in doubt, get the FBO to put it away, they should have more experienced tug operators, wing walkers and insurance. Good luck

 

[Gatorman]

That is a piece of cake, do you want it tailed in or nosed in?

Put the plane in at an angle!

You might need to get someone to show you how it is done first. Make sure that you mark where the mains need to run, etc. but once you do it a couple times with walkers, you will be able to knock it out by yourself......just don't get cocky and go slow.

 

[mobie]

Pilots as a rule make poor tug drivers, although I have known some that started out working the line that do a good job. It is not worth taking a chance that close if you do not have walkers. I would not want to do it on that cold raining night without wing walkers. I also would not want to call the boss and tell him I just bent the plane.

Mobie

 

[FlyingFisherman]

I used to work the line and was able to stack 4 jets and 3 king air B100s in a (i'd guess) 70' hangar door at both ends. Maybe an additional 5' on either side available once in the doors in the folded position. I'd estimate 100' length of hangar (will have to look into actual dimensions)

Had 2x C-550's, 1 C-560 and 1 C-650 and the three king airs.

It was a nightmare and took about an hour but it was done every single day. I never put two together but it happened more than once. Those little fins on the tail of the B100 (with a tiedown hole?) took a beating. I never did it myself, wouldn't want to. Each time an airplane was dinged it was an improper (or sudden) reaction of the guy driving the jetporter (the only way to stack!).

A 9" gap on each side is plenty (in my own humble opinion) but it's not my money either. A good lead in line and an absolute zero tolerance policy for being off the line (no "correcting" with the jet halfway in the hangar) and you're good to go. It will make preflighting in the hangar miserable, crawling under the wing and what not but at least you'll be warm pre cold-soak.

 

[dhc8fo]

There are over 15 aircraft in my corporate hangar at any one time: 3 MU2s, a 340, no less than 6 R44 helicopters, 2 Barons, and 2-3 small singles. It is a bi*ch to get out any of the planes and that hangar is 80x100 (the door is 50' wide). My saving grace is using an electric golf cart and a good towbar. The electric cart allows me to creep at a snail's pace and it doesn't fume me to death. It also allows me to concentrate. As someone else mentioned, it will SUCK when you are tired after a flight and have to monkey it in. I think it can be done easily too with the right markings, but it going to suck for you. I recommend a better tug personally....

 

[G100driver]

_
Ignore all the above. Solution: Buy a CJ2 - Wingspan 49'10"
http://cj2plus.cessna.com/specifications.chtml

Best suggestion yet. Either that or build a new hanger.

.8 of an inch is not an acceptable margin when moving airplanes.

Ask your boss if he wants you to start landing with 5 minutes of fuel because this is about the same thing.

Also, remember damage history hurts the resale of an airplane.

 

[propsarebest]

Get rid of that towbar and pony up the cabbage for a Lektro- that's the thing that lifts the nosewheel up off the ground.

 

[H.Agenda]

I have 3 to 6 inches wing clearance a side depending on fuel loading. Its never fun, but you get used to it.

Stripes on the ground are a must..and a more precise tug would help.

Tug suggestions; do a google for "lil sherman," and "getjet" you'll be able to navigate to the main page and find different sizes.

 

[jaxpilot]

dang, when I worked the line at CRG we had a few Piper Malibus that had their own T-hangars. There would be maybe 3 inches on each side of the wing as it was going thru the hangar door. We always used a wing walker and made sure we got it right on the line, no correcting halfway in. We used a Lektro but there are other brands (JetPorter, etc). Im a pretty good tug driver thanks to working the line for a few years.

 

[NewBlue]

And when you start to push, make VERY sure that the hangar doors are open all the way.

 

[Cheebs501]

Has anyone ever seen tracks built into the floor. I saw a 182 in a hangar that barely fit. Someone built metal tracks into the floor so that all three wheels had to be perfectly positioned in the tracks to be centered. The only problem I see with this is getting off a little bit and chewing up the tires. Seemed like a good idea though.

How much do Lektro's run?

 

[FlyingFisherman]

Neatest thing I've seen is in a really really really tight broom closet of a hangar there was a winch fixed to the back wall of the hangar with a metal track guiding in the tailwheel of the airplane. Fix winch to tailwheel and crank airplane into hangar.

Probably wouldn't take too much imagination and some 4" steel bent square fixed to the floor (2" up, 2" holding it down) as a wheel guide. Turn on your fancy electric winch and crank the airplane in.

Oooh even better...took my truck through the car wash. pulled the left side onto their track, in neutral and it pulled me through the wash. Same deal with the hangar conveyor