Tight Hangar Squeeze

[FL420]

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.

FF beat me to it. An electric winch on the back wall perfectly centered on the door opening with steel U-channel tracks fastened to the floor for all 3(or at least the 2 main gear) wheels will ensure the a/c is perfectly centered every time. A good long-armed towbar for steering is essential.

 

[FlyingFisherman]

It actually sounds like a fun build.

 

[Diesel]

We had this problem in two of our hangers.

The first one we actually just took a cutting torch and cut the sides of the hangers. We only needed about 6 inches on either side. Make sure you cut enough for when the plane is empty and when it's fueled.

Then we had another problem where we would put a navajo in a corner and then the king air "around" it. Took a lot of time and if you got screwed up it would take a long time to undo. We used a lektro tug that made turning on a dime very easy. Sometimes we would have to unhook and then come in at a different angle.

Remember 1 inch on the nose= 1 foot of tail movement. Go slow.

 

[rchcfi]

This coming from an ex-lineboy that had extensive towing experience.

The one other thing you MUST consider is how the door opens and closes. Is it a fold up door or one that runs along tracks? The reason I ask is that pushing a jet or twin into a hangar that has recessed tracks can create some lateral movement. Even if you have all tires lined up on the paint stripes, as soon as you hit those recessed tracks, Einstein's theory of relativity or whatever takes over. The aircraft will settle, shake, wobble, or whatever. That little bit of monkey motion can cause one wing to kiss the side if it is too close.

 

[Cheebs501]

It is a fold up door, the dimensions of the hangar are 54.5Wide X 59.5Deep and it has 19ft clearance under the door.

 

[Diesel]

just cut the sides. will save you a ton of problems