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T-hangar shortage

Little Wing

Active Member
Hello,
I spent almost eight years building and probably started my hangar wait list a little late. I'm in north Georgia and the hangar lists are 40 or more deep and this seems to be the norm nationwide.
I get the feeling that the county governments do not have much concern for general aviation. With such strong demand what are the issues besides the typical bureaucracy? I know Georgia is sitting on a massive budget surplus. Private construction companies are building everywhere but yet t-hangar construction stagnates?? Is there any motivation for airport managers to expand? Is there little return on investment for general aviation, is corporate big box hangars where all the focus is? I see a lot of corporate hangar construction all over the USA.
Any insider opinions appreciated!!
Rod
 
It’s the same on the west coast. My experience has been that the wait lists can move pretty fast. You have to be proactive and ready to act.

Good Hunting!
Mike
 
It’s politics. People move into a neighborhood near an airport. After a year or so they feel it’s their right to demand that the old neighbor, whether a dump, power plant, or airport, move, because they don’t like it. Airports, whether publicly or privately owned, are all subject to politicians, who hear their voters complain. Complainers equate ‘more hangars’ with ‘more airplanes’.
 
If the local economy is doing well, this always seems to be the case. If there is a lot of demand for hangars, that applies pressure to keep rents high. If a new hangar block was built to absorb the 40 names on the waiting list, it may force rents to drop to ensure 100% occupancy.

Do you have the option to build your own hangar ? There is lots of available land at my county airport for lease if you want to build your own hangar and unless you are thinking of moving that may be the best way to go.

Hello,
I spent almost eight years building and probably started my hangar wait list a little late. I'm in north Georgia and the hangar lists are 40 or more deep and this seems to be the norm nationwide.
I get the feeling that the county governments do not have much concern for general aviation. With such strong demand what are the issues besides the typical bureaucracy? I know Georgia is sitting on a massive budget surplus. Private construction companies are building everywhere but yet t-hangar construction stagnates?? Is there any motivation for airport managers to expand? Is there little return on investment for general aviation, is corporate big box hangars where all the focus is? I see a lot of corporate hangar construction all over the USA.
Any insider opinions appreciated!!
Rod
 
T-Hanger Shortage

As in almost everything else it comes down to money. There is very little money available to build hangers. The FAA does not generally fund revenue producing projects especially if the airport has any safety related items that need to be taken care of first. The state of Georgia might fund hangers if you do not have any other pressing items on your 5 year capital improvement plan. Even then it would 75% state funds with a 25% local match. A 10 unit T hanger will cost upwards of $500,000 and that is probably low now days. Depending on your airport, $125,000 plus may be hard to come by with other more pressing needs factored in. Your airport might qualify for a grant through the One Georgia program. You just a good grant writer to apply for the airport.
 
U waited too long.

U should have been looking for a hangar long ago. I paid for 2 hangars when I moved to GA, for almost a year. One in my old neighborhood where my plane was parked AND one to where I was moving to in GA after having been on the wait list for 4 YEARS. Just like building, gotta look ahead.
 
If your airport also has privately owned hangars then the most effective way to find a hangar is word of mouth; friends and friends of friends. When I was a renter that’s how I found space. Now as a rental hangar owner, that’s how I’ve been renting space. It’s not what we would like but that’s the way it seems to work.
 
Very regional, I’m sure. Up here, T-hangars are running about $170/month at the county regional airport, cheaper at the smaller airports, and are pretty available. They do, however, require that you are keeping an airplane with a valid N number in the hangar, and that it is insured. They do let you keep other non-aviation stuff in them like snowmobiles in the summer and boats/motorcycles in the winter. There are also hangars for sale at a couple of the smaller airports…I was looking at a pretty nice two-plane heated hangar at the lilttle airport 10 miles east of here for $30,000, but passed on it. One of the other little airports 10 miles north is big into hangar-homes and those seem to be pretty available too.
 
Hangars at our airport (KHAO) just north of Cincinnati are all privately owned. I own one of them, and a few years ago I got a contract to build some T-hangars. They wanted us to build three rows, but we wisely decided to start with one. That was about 2007. We had all of them pre-sold, but before we broke ground, all but one of the ‘investors’ backed out because of the deep recession we found ourselves in. It took us two years to sell all of them, but they did sell, and if we had built the three rows they wanted, they would have sold too. But it’s a balancing act. We didn’t (don’t) have deep pockets. After 22 years of hangar ownership, I can say that owning is much better if that’s an option for you. If you own a hangar and don’t need it right now, in most cases, you can rent it at a price that will net you a small profit (per hangar).
 
Hangars are real estate

The three rules of real estate are “location location location” and they apply. Depends where you are located. T-hangar at klmo is about $300 plus 200 miles east it is probably $50. Around here hangars are the cheapest per square foot of most any real estate for return so why would you build a hangar if you can make more on most anything else. Also the hassle of building on an airport is usually a bigger permitting process.
 
The three rules of real estate are “location location location” and they apply. Depends where you are located. T-hangar at klmo is about $300 plus 200 miles east it is probably $50. Around here hangars are the cheapest per square foot of most any real estate for return so why would you build a hangar if you can make more on most anything else. Also the hassle of building on an airport is usually a bigger permitting process.

Absolutely!! Location is key. If you happen to be at an airport that embraces personal aircraft hangar ownership, and you’re in it for the long run, then that option can’t be beat. One guy at my airport owns about 90 T-hangars. He rents them for $285 - $325 per hangar, depending on what it is. Some of them have manual roll around hangar doors, some of them electric bifold. He makes a descent profit on his hangar business. My out of pocket cost for my (owned) hangar is about $135- $140 per month, which includes land lease, property tax, electric, and insurance. This is saving me about $160 per month vs renting, and has been for 22 years. That has more than paid for my cost, and the appreciated value is about 50% higher than when I started. I wish I would have built those other two hangar rows that the county wanted me to when I had the chance.
 
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