Why Having Hangar Space Is Important in the Up-Keep of Your Aircraft

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The obvious purpose of having hangar space is the storage of your airplane. While the FAA regulates the use of aircraft hangar space, as long as you are using it to store your aircraft, you can also use it for storage of non-aeronautical items as well.

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A hangar protects your aircraft from the elements. All aircraft needs to be kept clean. Having to constantly clean off dirt, ice, or snow prior to flying is time-consuming and inconvenient. Even exposure to heat, cold, and rainy weather increases the amount of maintenance you will need to perform on your aircraft.

With the protection of a hangar, your aircraft will stay in better condition. It will not require cleaning as often and will reduce the frequency of paint touch-ups. If you live in a cold climate, a hangar with a heating system will keep the oil and engine in better condition.

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The combination of protection from the elements, dirt, and insects will reduce the overall cost of maintenance. If an airplane is not protected from the weather, its operation will show the effects of exposure. The plane will age at a faster rate. Aircraft construction uses metal making them inherently subject to corrosion.

 

​Contributing to the development of corrosion on an aircraft is the environment, how often it is cleaned, and whether or not it is stored in a hangar. Aircraft kept in coastal areas are more prone to corrosion.

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Aircraft available for sale in areas such as the Pacific Coast, Gulf Coast, and Florida are less popular with buyers because of a greater risk of hidden rust. Buyers are suspicious of a newly painted aircraft because it could potentially be concealing corrosion.

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Airplane corrosion does not appear in the rust color the average person thinks of. It usually appears as a gray or white dulling of the aluminum surface. It will then progress and become more severe, pitting, and destroying the metal.

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If corrosion remains untreated on an airplane, it will cause the airplane to become unairworthy within a few years. Storing aircraft in a hangar combined with frequent washing and treatment with rust inhibitors dramatically reduces the risk of deterioration from corrosion.

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