Tearing Down a Hangar - Page 2

Stu McCurdy · #11 09-20-2016, 08:45 PM

Talk to the Aviation Dept at TxDOT. They may have an answer for you and may be able to influence the airport.

Abraham · #12 09-21-2016, 07:17 AM

1. Don't listen to rumors.
2. You lease is the end all, read it.

DonFromTX · #13 09-21-2016, 07:53 AM

I guess I should have made more complete comments. I was NOT looking for legal advice from the forum, only experiences of others that might have had the same experience.
Our airport is the worst I have ever seen in their attitude towards plane owners and pilots. A recent closing (for several months) of the airport was accomplished by putting a notice on the hangars the day before the closing. Most of them blew off! Getting a straight answer from the city who owns it or the airport manager has long ago been discarded as not only a futile drill, but filled with misinformation as well.
Some unexpected information has been from AOPA that we may be responsible for removing the building and concrete floor even! Our leases are for 12 months, and renewed every year. That has caused the hangars to be in a less attractive state, who wants to paint one with that short life. We are looking forward to TXDOT and FAA feelings about this. The hangars often sell, value seems to be $15,000 to $20,000 (I paid $17k for mine back in 2011). That don't bother me too much, I have had the use of mine long enough that monthly rental amounts would zero it out in another two years. Where to move to is the big issue.

Auburntsts · #14 09-21-2016, 08:08 AM

So did you confirm your second hand info that you described in post #1?

DonFromTX · #15 09-21-2016, 10:48 AM

I just came from a meeting I had requested with the airport manager, newly appointed. The teardown of the hangars is definitely on the agenda, but they would intend to pay us for our hangars and provide some new hangar facilities so we would not leave the area. New plans are to have a monthly meeting with us in attendance if we want, of the airport board! Things are looking up!
Money is the holdup, TexDOT and other funding sources are being sought, since our hangars are in the airport restricted area that the FAA wants cleared of hangars.

az_gila · #16 09-21-2016, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonFromTX

...
Money is the holdup, TexDOT and other funding sources are being sought, since our hangars are in the airport restricted area that the FAA wants cleared of hangars.

Does your airport have an IFR approach?

Abraham · #17 09-21-2016, 11:02 AM

Don, that is much better news!

SteinAir · #18 09-21-2016, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonFromTX

I guess I should have made more complete comments. I was NOT looking for legal advice from the forum, only experiences of others that might have had the same experience.
Our airport is the worst I have ever seen in their attitude towards plane owners and pilots. A recent closing (for several months) of the airport was accomplished by putting a notice on the hangars the day before the closing. Most of them blew off! Getting a straight answer from the city who owns it or the airport manager has long ago been discarded as not only a futile drill, but filled with misinformation as well.
Some unexpected information has been from AOPA that we may be responsible for removing the building and concrete floor even! Our leases are for 12 months, and renewed every year. That has caused the hangars to be in a less attractive state, who wants to paint one with that short life. We are looking forward to TXDOT and FAA feelings about this. The hangars often sell, value seems to be $15,000 to $20,000 (I paid $17k for mine back in 2011). That don't bother me too much, I have had the use of mine long enough that monthly rental amounts would zero it out in another two years. Where to move to is the big issue.

We actually went through something very, very similar...I'll say this. Get a good, knowledgable real estate attorney and have him/her review it in detail. In our case we indeed had to put the property "back into the shape it was in before the hangars" (which included removal of the concrete floors). It was painful, but a year later we all got checks from the original landowner that covered our teardown and moving costs (not so much the core hangar). Took a long time working through administrative judges, courts and finally our state Appelate and Supreme court, but in the end it all worked out. There are many experts here, but nothing replaces good expert legal counsel with issues like this. Just make sure they are well versed in real estate dealings....

Cheers,
Stein

DonFromTX · #19 09-21-2016, 11:30 AM

Ths airport is T65, Weslaco Texas. You can blow up the photo in this link, the hangars in question are on the West side of the runway, lower left position of the airport property. https://www.google.com/maps/@26.1822.../data=!3m1!1e3

DanH · #20 09-21-2016, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonFromTX

I just came from a meeting I had requested with the airport manager, newly appointed. The teardown of the hangars is definitely on the agenda, but they would intend to pay us for our hangars and provide some new hangar facilities so we would not leave the area.

At one time I was spending 20 hours a week on airport affairs...call it temporary insanity. I did learn a few things, and 08A is still on the map.

Best I know, every airport sponsor is required to name a consulting engineering firm in order to qualify for Federal money. Silly pilots may see them as being on the enemy team, but the reality is you want to make them your best friends.

They're every bit as interested in planning and project management as they are in actual engineering design; it generally pays a percentage of the project value. In the case of real or personal property acquisition involving Fed money, they also get paid for handling the required multiple appraisals, negotiations, surveys, etc. So, it is much better for them to recommend a buyout and rebuild (which they will cheerfully handle), as compared to condemning and throwing you out (the city attorney's job). This particularly true since it became allowable to use AIP money to build new hangar space about 12 years ago.

Short term goal? Make friends quick, because they recommend what the airport sponsor should do. They also help decide how much you get paid for what you have, and recommend, design, and build what you get in the future.

Your long term goal is to guide them toward airport projects you want, projects that also make money for them. They will sway the sponsors for you when it is in their interest. Be careful around that two-edged sword.

I don't know the current Fed requirement, but 15 years ago the building restriction line for a new runway at our airport was 500 ft from the centerline. A glance at an overhead of T65 says yes, your old hangars are a problem.