Days as a hanger rat

I think I've logged about four days of hanger rat duty over the past two
weeks. Still have a long way to go in terms of accommodations (chairs,
table, shelves, etc...but having your own hanger sure makes it more fun
(and, IMHO, justifiable) to hang around the airport.

Yesterday's mission: bug killing. Bug bombed the hanger (after pulling
the plane out...went flying while bugs were dying). Also used up a can
and a half of wasp spray, the stuff that kills them on contact from 20
ft. away. Found two birds nests (unoccupied). Basically, all critters
not paying hanger rent have been eliminated.

Power sure would be nice. I have a friend who has rigged up a couple of
solar panels and he powers a couple of fluorescent lights and a radio
from them. If we get a chance to move to a hanger with power, we'd
probably go for it.

--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-IA Student
Arrow N2104T

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

Hangar ratting is fun. Before I tapped into the night light pole and stole
110 for the hangar by snaking some "outdoor romex" from Home Depot, I had a
small (500 watt) Honda quiet generator that I put out back with a sound
reflector/absorber. Unless you are running a refrigerator, there is no
reason to have power ALL the time, just when you are there. It ran for
about six hours on a gallon or so of gas and easily powered a couple of
fluorescent lights, a hand drill, and even a small compressor (VERY small
compressor) when required.

It is also a neat repository for the gas samples, as opposed to tossing them
out onto the taxiway.

Jim



Power sure would be nice. I have a friend who has rigged up a couple of
solar panels and he powers a couple of fluorescent lights and a radio from
them. If we get a chance to move to a hanger with power, we'd probably go
for it.

In article ,
Jack Allison wrote:

I think I've logged about four days of hanger rat duty over the past two
weeks. Still have a long way to go in terms of accommodations (chairs,
table, shelves, etc...but having your own hanger sure makes it more fun
(and, IMHO, justifiable) to hang around the airport.

[snip]

fyi - here is a (poorly formatted) list of the stuff recommended for hangars
from the collective wisdom of rec.aviation folks.


First Aid Kit

Small "dorm room" refrigerator for beverages and snacks.

A couple of "chocks" nailed to the floor (to prevent the tail
from hitting the back wall)

chocks

Table/bench
rolling work table

Cabinet

Small wet/dry vac

Rubbish barrel

Push broom

Fire extinquisher

Extension cord and portable light

Small tug (& fuel container for tug - it also runs on 100LL)

Airplane supplies/parts

Whiteboard with maintenance status (e.g., ELT due date)

A couple of folding chairs

small compressor for inflating the tires

papertowels and other cleaning supplies

Snow shovel and ice chopper

FAA-approved sand in a bucket or container



I'd drill into the concrete something that I could use to lower the
tail and get the nosewheel off the ground.

When I got my current hangar, it had a D-ring already there right
under the tail, so it makes servicing the nosewheel easy.



* 36" - "long handle" floor Squeegee - maybe wider
(Thank God for spell checker)

* Minivan third row bench seat, on a 2x4 frame w/casters.
(Seats are free if you look around)

* Small college fridge, or a $50 used regular fridge
(already mentioned)

* A few 5 gallon plastic buckets w/handles
(Free if you look around - We have some green pickle buckets from Margene's
farm in our garage, use them all-the-time)

* Old stereo with some old (80's) speakers attached up high on the wall.
(Very available at garage sales)

* Scanner on shelf, with aux. scanner speaker attached up high on the wall.

* Bucket filled with Floor-Dri for oil spills...from the car.

* I've seen medium sized picnic tables - Nothing beats sitting at a nice
comfortable picnic table.
(down caster for easy moving - up caster for sitting in place. We do this
with theater pieces all the time)

* Microwave

* Bathroom in the corner? Walk up a few steps RV/houseboat set up?



To add a few items that perhaps were missed (I can't "see" this entire
thread, for some reason...):

- A workbench! Absolutely invaluable...

- An oil filter cutter mounted to aforementioned workbench.

- Shelves, shelves, shelves. It's amazing -- no matter how many you have,
you fill 'em.

- Astroturf on the floor. We covered the entire hangar floor with
astroturf -- it REALLY keeps the dust and dirt down. (Our floor is only
concrete under the plane itself -- the rest is gravel.

- A kitchen! Our T-hangar is a corner unit, giving us about a third more
space than an average T-hangar. I built a counter-top with shelves
beneath, and then equipped our kitchen with fridge, microwave, pantry, and
food prep area.

- A torpedo heater that runs on Jet-A.

- A screened in tent. (Really!) This is in the kitchen area. It's not used
to keep bugs out, but to keep the heat down, closer to the floor. In cool
weather, the heat from our torpedo heater doesn't go very far in such a
large spacer. We have found, however, that by directing it into the tent
area, the canvas roof keeps the heat in pretty well. (We've attached
several small electric clip-on fans inside the tent's ceiling, blowing
downward -- which also helps keep the heat where we want it.) With this set
up we're able to have cookouts in the hangar comfortably down to about 40
degrees.

- A TV/VCR. If you have kids, the ability to let them watch a movie while
you sip a few cold ones with friends is awfully nice.

- A gas grill. (Of course!)

- A porta-potty. The girls insisted on this, and it's made hangar parties
much more enjoyable. Use 4 x 8 foot sheets of foam insulation to "wall off"
a privacy area around the potty.

- Speaking of 4 x 8 foot sheets of insulation, we have used industrial
adhesive to glue a bunch of these sheets to the bare metal walls of our
hangar. Not only do they provide a little "R" value, but they are terrific
for stapling your printed digital photos of your flying exploits to. We
have a complete wall, floor to ceiling, covered with 8.5 x 11 inch photos of
our flying trips, going back to 1998 when we bought our first plane. It's
really a conversation starter! (The lighter colored walls also REALLY help
brighten up the place.

- Lots of lights! I replaced the single little 60 watt bulb with a
three-way splitter, and three big halogen spotlights. Haven't blown a
circuit breaker yet, in almost five years, and it's lit up like day
inside...

- A rolling utility cart. Makes working on or cleaning the plane MUCH nicer
to have your tools right at hand.

- Several creepers, both prone and sit-up versions. No matter how many you
have (we have three), they will NOT be where you want them.

- A big dry-erase board, to track maintenance, your biennial, your medical,
how much you owe the kids for opening the door, etc.

- A big, industrial vacuum cleaner, with 30 feet of hose.

- Bicycle(s). They make the long walk to the terminal or maintenance hangar
a LOT quicker.

- Snow shovels, brooms.

- A couch and several chairs.

- A patio table and chairs.

- Lots of electrical outlet strips. We've only got two "real" outlets in
the hangar, split into about a billion with electrical strips. (Make sure
you get the fused kind, and take care not to turn on everything at once!)


A LOT of bench space and pegboard for hanging tools. One curious thing about
my hangar. I have an overhead light. When I raise the door, it vibrates the
hangar and the light goes OUT!!! It comes on by itself later on. It is not
an incadescent light, but it is not a long tube flourescent either. Looks
more like a streetlight. Why would it do this?

--
Bob Noel
no one likes an educated mule

I think I've logged about four days of hanger rat duty over the past two
weeks. Still have a long way to go in terms of accommodations (chairs,
table, shelves, etc...but having your own hanger sure makes it more fun
(and, IMHO, justifiable) to hang around the airport.

Ah, Jack. You are discovering the truly BEST part of owning an airplane.

Last night, Montblack and his girl were at our hangar, supping on burnt
offerings and sampling the many fine microbrewed products that they had
contributed to the effort. We spend many hours enjoying the beautiful
evening, and each other's company, whilst absorbing the soothing absolution
of hops and grains.

Tonight, Mary and I were attending one of the too-frequent dinners required
by our position as innkeepers. The food was mediocre, the entertainment
dull, and (worst of all) everyone was smoking, which made for a bleary-eyed,
smelly evening.

On the brighter side, it was an open bar... ;-)

Still, at our earliest convenience, we "stepped outside for some fresh air,"
hopped in the Mustang, dropped the rag top, and made a bee-line for the
sanctuary of our hangar, where we proceeded to bask in the glow of Atlas,
and a few more of Montblack's excellent left-over microbrews.

There is nothing -- NOTHING -- better than hanging around YOUR hangar, with
YOUR airplane, at the end of a long day. Maybe it's the bottled-up
potential of an airplane that you own -- or maybe I'm just nuts -- but the
atmosphere is at once laid-back and electric.

To look at your plane and *know* that you can be in Florida by lunchtime (in
our case) is simply an intoxicating elixir -- even if you never, ever use
it.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:
Ah, Jack. You are discovering the truly BEST part of owning an airplane.
Hmmm, I'd vote that the best thing is actually flying the plane you own
and hanging around before/after flying is a very close second.

Last night, Montblack and his girl were at our hangar, supping on burnt
offerings and sampling the many fine microbrewed products that they had
contributed to the effort.
You did eat your two fruit meals first, right? Just checking :-)

We spend many hours enjoying the beautiful
evening, and each other's company, whilst absorbing the soothing absolution
of hops and grains.
Mmmmmm, sounds very much like Oshkosh to me. Did Paul bring the mini
van? How many coolers and BBQs?

Tonight, Mary and I were attending one of the too-frequent dinners required
by our position as innkeepers. The food was mediocre, the entertainment
dull
Well, sure, I mean, Paul is pretty entertaining so anything is dull by
comparison :-) And, we all know his burnt offering abilities at the BBQ
so I'm sure the food wasn't nearly as good as his.

, and (worst of all) everyone was smoking, which made for a bleary-eyed,
smelly evening.
One of the things I like about CA...no second hand smoke to deal with.
"Smoking or non-smoking?" is a question you just don't hear when going
to a restaurant.

-- or maybe I'm just nuts
You're really wondering about this? Survey says?...you're nuts Jay!
Then again, so are the rest of us...um...so where were we? Oh ya,
discussing the finer points of being a rat in your own hanger. Yes, I
could get very used to this. If only the hanger wasn't a 20 mile drive
from the house.


To look at your plane and *know* that you can be in Florida by lunchtime (in
our case) is simply an intoxicating elixir -- even if you never, ever use
it.
Ok, in my case, I can be over lake Tahoe in about 35 minutes...on a cool
day when there are no nasty T-storms building...San Francisco is just
over an hour the other direction...but yes, I get the point. Florida by
lunchtime for me would require a jet (and the requisite larger bank
account) :-)


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-IA Student
Arrow N2104T

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

Wow Bob...that's quite the list you've compiled. I'll have to save a
copy of this one...lots of good ideas.


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-IA Student
Arrow N2104T

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

Jay Honeck wrote:
dull, and (worst of all) everyone was smoking, which made for a bleary-eyed,
smelly evening.

Which is why I can no longer work as a bartender. If I'm anyplace with
smoking, the clothes immediately go into the washer (even if I don't
turn it on) and I head for the shower no matter how tired I am. Seems
that my tolerance (which used to be fairly high) has gone to
absolute zero.

A joy of Oshkosh is no smoking in the North 40!

For those of you who smoke, take all the offense you wish. My mother
smoked until the last 6 weeks of her life, so I've been around it
forever. And am one of those children who suffer the effects of
pre-natal smoking mothers. Afterall, the physician said it wouldn't
hurt the baby...

[end of soapbox]

A LOT of bench space and pegboard for hanging tools. One curious thing
about
my hangar. I have an overhead light. When I raise the door, it vibrates the
hangar and the light goes OUT!!! It comes on by itself later on. It is not
an incadescent light, but it is not a long tube flourescent either. Looks
more like a streetlight. Why would it do this?

Bob,

Based on the info you provided ... here's my wild guess: you might have a
mercury vapor or metal halide lamp. They take a few minutes to warm up
before you get light. If you have an intermittent contact (loose wiring,
socket etc), then the bulb will shut off and come back on in a few minutes.
It could also be defective.

Here's a good link. You can probably identify your bulb throught this link
(or others):

http://www.neon-lighting.com/article...of%20Lamps.htm

Last night, Montblack and his girl were at our hangar, supping on burnt
offerings and sampling the many fine microbrewed products that they had
contributed to the effort.

You did eat your two fruit meals first, right? Just checking :-)

Absolutely! 179 pounds, as of this morning!

Mmmmmm, sounds very much like Oshkosh to me. Did Paul bring the mini van?
How many coolers and BBQs?

Nope, he and Margene drove the "fancy car" to Iowa. (He didn't need to haul
grills this time!)

, and (worst of all) everyone was smoking, which made for a bleary-eyed,
smelly evening.
One of the things I like about CA...no second hand smoke to deal with.
"Smoking or non-smoking?" is a question you just don't hear when going to
a restaurant.

Well, this was at a private club. No rules allowed, if you know what I
mean.

Yes, I could get very used to this. If only the hanger wasn't a 20 mile
drive from the house.

Ouch. That does put a damper on the "spur of the moment" stuff -- but it's
better than no hangar!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

For those of you who smoke, take all the offense you wish. My mother
smoked until the last 6 weeks of her life, so I've been around it
forever. And am one of those children who suffer the effects of
pre-natal smoking mothers. Afterall, the physician said it wouldn't
hurt the baby...

On her death bed, when she could no longer speak, my mother was still
clutching burned-out cigarettes, and instinctively dragging on them. It was
absolutely pathetic.

Of course, when she was pregnant with my sisters in the 1940s, her doctor
PRESCRIBED cigarettes, to help "calm her nerves."

I can't believe I ever smoked. More amazingly, I can't believe Mary married
me when I was a smoker! (Quit in '86, haven't had one since...)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"