Hangar Availability Poll - Page 4

9GT · #31 02-11-2020, 08:18 AM

This poll really has no value in itself because it will all depends on where you live and supply and demand. Where I am at in Gladwin MI at KGDW, we have several hangers available that are fairly new, good electricity, (lots of amps available on the panels), and a really nice runway. $95 -$125 per month. It is a homebuilder friendly facility, and the rules are pretty relaxed as far as storage goes. My build buddy lives in Venice Florida and hangers his Cozy MKIV there. The rules there are very limiting and strictly enforced, though it is a nice facility and reasonably priced rent considering. Your lucky to be able to run a SMALL air-compressor with the single 20 amp outlet if you have the ceiling single light on!

azflyer21 · #32 02-11-2020, 08:46 AM

Sounds like EAA and AOPA should get involved to help remove some of the government red-tape at the city/county airports. I know the ones in my area have the space for many hangars to be built.

Snowflake · #33 02-12-2020, 08:02 AM

The problem at the last two airports i've been based at is the lack of enforcement of "aircraft related uses" for the hangars. As others have indicated, it's common for 25% of the hangars to be chock full of everything *but* an airplane. Once the car guys realized that they could rent storage space inside a locked gate on federally-protected property, for 1/2 to 1/3 of the price of renting a storage locker, it was open season for a while.

Recently the local tax authority has been trying to ramp up property tax assessments by comparing the properties to... Storage lockers and other commercial space off-airport. Never mind that most of the hangars are unfinished, unheated, not even 100% waterproof, poorly secured, etc. $100K for a 40 year old building that's on a 5 year renewing lease is not uncommon. Prices have doubled in the last five years and for no reason.

AlpineYoda · #34 02-12-2020, 09:25 AM

It's a 2 year wait list at several fields near me. Maybe if they kicked out the microbreweries and start-ups that are taking over all the cheap open-floorplan buildings around my local airport there would be a lot more space for the actual planes.

Our city's GA airport does allow you to build your own hangar and will give you the space to do it, but they get to take it over after 20 years.

fl-mike · #35 02-12-2020, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 9GT

....My build buddy lives in Venice Florida and hangers his Cozy MKIV there. The rules there are very limiting and strictly enforced, though it is a nice facility and reasonably priced rent considering. Your lucky to be able to run a SMALL air-compressor with the single 20 amp outlet if you have the ceiling single light on!

That's because I'm stealing his power! LOL

(I think I'm in the hangar next to him) The enforcement seems to ebb and flow with the managers. But, amazingly the prices haven't gone up since the economic downturn.

pilotgabe · #36 02-14-2020, 04:37 PM

I'm the President of our airport association here at KEMT in the San Gabriel Valley. I did a hangar survey across the basin because we find that the LA Co. aviation div. tends to over charge their LA Co. airports by about 25%. In other words an average T-hangar here runs us about $450 while the closest non-LA Co. airport is at $350. We also found that because of this outrages pricing 4 out of the 5 LA Co. airports have major vacancies, in fact they are 20% to 40% vacant, while every airport other than the 4 airports mentioned above are full with waiting lists.

We also found that these 4 LA Co. airports by FAA rules are allowed to fill these empty hangars with non-aviation as long as there's no aviation demand. We point out that the LA Co. aviation div. cause's the non-aviation demand by keeping the rents to high. No the LA Co. div. is allowed to charge street value on the Sqft of these hangars which can be as much as 98% higher rents. Mind you these non-aviators don't mind paying this because where are you going to get this size storage without a lease, 24-7 access and in a guarded area ? Now with this all said the LA Co. aviation div. has no incentive to try and get aircraft into these hangars because they don't get as much money as non-aviation brings in.

So this is our on going battle with the LA Co. Aviation div. that loves collecting as much money as they can so they can go on a spending spree. By the way that 5th Co. airport is priced like all the non-LA Co. airports because they claim it's in the dessert and lo and behold it's full with aviation.

So if you don't mind paying premium prices we have hangars available. And we are still fighting the LA Co. on their pricing. So what I would say to you is find out if there's anyone just using a hangar for pure non-aviation storage as most airports are suppose to allow aircraft first and if they have to they need to kick out the non-aviator.

plehrke · #37 02-14-2020, 06:08 PM

Private owned, public use airport seems to work great. No red tape, airport owner builds more hangars when demand requires more hangars. Owner builds more hangars if someone wants to buy a hangar. I have owned my hangar there for 20 years. In 20 years airport owner has put up 25-30 50x50 or larger new hangars and 15-20 t-hangars.

Just have to find someone with lots of money dumb enough to want to own and run an airport. Our airport owner truly is proving the adage “how do you make a small fortune in aviation? You start with a big fortune.” Luckily he loves aviation.

avrojockey · #38 02-15-2020, 11:46 AM

I got real lucky in KATW

When I starting getting serious about a purchase I started hunting for a hanger. None to be found, so I was put on the bottom of a waiting list of 10...they said it could be years before I get one.

Talking to a few folks at other fields yielded limited results, all with disadvantages...long drives, lack of services, etc. Then after a couple weeks a Air Wisconsin vacated a large county owned hanger near the FBO and said they would rent it out as shared space immediately, so I bit and looked to sign a lease for about the same price as the t-hanger ($200-ish/month). A week later, and before signing the shared-hanger lease, a t-hanger became available and everyone above me on the list passed on it!

I had a hanger! I needed an airplane thought! A couple weeks go by and I'm getting closer to an aircraft purchase and airport admin calls to advise me of another t-hanger opening. Are they not all the same? Nope! This one is south facing so its warmer in the winter and ice/snow clears up fast after they plow/broom the ramp.

So short story long...KATW has a waiting list but it was really quick for me (3 weeks) last fall 2019.

RV7A Flyer · #39 02-15-2020, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotgabe

I'm the President of our airport association here at KEMT in the San Gabriel Valley. I did a hangar survey across the basin because we find that the LA Co. aviation div. tends to over charge their LA Co. airports by about 25%. In other words an average T-hangar here runs us about $450 while the closest non-LA Co. airport is at $350. We also found that because of this outrages pricing 4 out of the 5 LA Co. airports have major vacancies, in fact they are 20% to 40% vacant, while every airport other than the 4 airports mentioned above are full with waiting lists.

We also found that these 4 LA Co. airports by FAA rules are allowed to fill these empty hangars with non-aviation as long as there's no aviation demand. We point out that the LA Co. aviation div. cause's the non-aviation demand by keeping the rents to high. No the LA Co. div. is allowed to charge street value on the Sqft of these hangars which can be as much as 98% higher rents. Mind you these non-aviators don't mind paying this because where are you going to get this size storage without a lease, 24-7 access and in a guarded area ? Now with this all said the LA Co. aviation div. has no incentive to try and get aircraft into these hangars because they don't get as much money as non-aviation brings in.

So this is our on going battle with the LA Co. Aviation div. that loves collecting as much money as they can so they can go on a spending spree. By the way that 5th Co. airport is priced like all the non-LA Co. airports because they claim it's in the dessert and lo and behold it's full with aviation.

So if you don't mind paying premium prices we have hangars available. And we are still fighting the LA Co. on their pricing. So what I would say to you is find out if there's anyone just using a hangar for pure non-aviation storage as most airports are suppose to allow aircraft first and if they have to they need to kick out the non-aviator.

I'm at another of those LA Co airports...every month, the county commission reports the % of hangars occupied and what % are non-aviation use (check the minutes of the county commission meetings). The figures given are absurd...reporting 95% aviation-use, when you can look around with your own eyes and see that's not true. For one, I think they're only counting *county-owned* hangars, not privately-owned ones (e.g., the hangars around me, all privately-owned, are about 50% non-aviation, just from seeing who has what inside them when they're open).

It's a farce, and yet if you go ask the FBO for a hangar, they'll tell you flat-out there's a years-long waitlist, because they don't want to evict the higher-paying non-aviation users. And the airport management doesn't do s**t about it.