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Aircraft door preference

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Dennis Thate

Joined: 18 Nov 2010
Posts: 362

Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 4:38 pm Post subject: Aircraft door preference

.........................Aircraft door preference................................



I'm finishing sowing down my new grass strip. With that done, phase two is adding a new aircraft door to my quonset where my Kolb Firestar is kept.



Would appreciate opinions on what is the best door for a 8' x 30' opening and why ?   Pro's and Con's        please........ :  's

.

_________________
Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute. ~Gil Stern

John Hauck

Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 4639
Location: Titus, Alabama (hauck's holler)

Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 4:49 pm Post subject: Aircraft door preference

Would appreciate opinions on what is the best door for a 8' x 30' opening 

and why ?   Pro's and Con's        please........ : [Idea] 's





Ah......I don't know.  Can't afford a door for my hanger.



Doorless at Gantt International Airport, Alabama.



john h

mkIII

hauck's holler, alabama

_________________
John Hauck
MKIII/912ULS
hauck's holler
Titus, Alabama

ceengland(at)bellsouth.ne
Guest

Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 5:07 pm Post subject: Aircraft door preference

On 5/2/2011 7:38 PM, Dennis Thate wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   



 .........................Aircraft door preference................................



 I'm finishing sowing down my new grass strip. With that done, phase two is adding a new aircraft door to my quonset where my Kolb Firestar is kept.



 Would appreciate opinions on what is the best door for a 8' x 30' opening and why ?   Pro's and Con's        please........ : [Idea] 's

That's a little like asking which airplane is best.
	




Are you buying, or building? If building, what materials are you 

comfortable with? Do you intend to have a powered opener, or must it be 

manually operated? Do you have room for the door to slide out of the way 

to the side of the hanger, or must it stay within the width of the hangar?



Charlie

andysheila(at)eltopia.com
Guest

Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 5:44 pm Post subject: Aircraft door preference

Dennis , build a folding door with equal width vertical section .Top runs in 

a channel guided with nylon rollers. Bottom carries the weight on bearings 

[called trucks] which ride on a 1/4 inch angle iron affixed to the concrete 

slab. No electric, no ice, no maintenance.Can be opened partially. Folds 

back and is hinged at the door jam , out of the way and entirely safe. Andy 

in Mesa, WASH.. WN31

---

Dennis Thate

Joined: 18 Nov 2010
Posts: 362

Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 5:56 pm Post subject: Re: Aircraft door preference

Andy,



   That sounds interesting...can you post a photo or two !

_________________
Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute. ~Gil Stern

Mike Welch

Joined: 13 Feb 2011
Posts: 272

Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 6:03 pm Post subject: Aircraft door preference

Dennis,

  

   Charlie asked all the logical questions we'd need to know in 

 order to properly answer your question, but before we get a

 little more info, I thought I'd let you know what I did for my shop

 that I built 2 1/2 years ago.

  

   My shop is 40 X 48.  The front wall with the big opening (where the

 big door is) has two 30" wing walls, leaving an opening of around

 35'.  The height of the opening is just a couple of inches under 10'.

  

   I went to my local steel sales outfit, and bought lots of 2" x 2" sq.

 tubing......enough to build a 10' x 35' rectangular frame, with about

 8 vertical supports of the same tubing.   Then, I welded on little

 "L" brackets every 2' o.c., and installed wooden 2"x 2" studs, effectively 

 giving me a complete wall of 24" o.c. studs.  I installed vinyl siding

 on the outside of the door that matched the rest of the siding on my 

 shop.

  

   At this point, I have a 2" thick, 10' tall by 35' wide door, covered in 

 matching vinyl siding.  When I began building my house, I made a deal

 with my insulation contractor to blown in the fiberglass into the 2" thick 

 cavities.  He stapled a fabric on the inside of the door, and filled the cavities

 with blown fiberglass loose material.

  

   Now, for the opener;  I did some eBay shopping, and found some guy

 selling (2) 2" x 60" hydraulic cylinders.  They were used, but in pretty good

 condition.  IIRC, I paid about $175 total for the pair.  Next, I grabbed my

 latest edition of Northern Tool, and found the 220V, fully self-contained

 hydraulic pump and tank, all in one unit.  Seems like it was around $500,

 more or less.

   I got some 1/2" steel pipe, and some fittings, plus a couple of expensive

 hydraulic lines made ($110), and plumbed the whole arrangement.  Add in

 the electrical wire/plug and misc., and that about does it!

   

   So, in the final analysis, I've got a hydraulically operated 10' x 35' insulated

 and covered shop door.  Total cost.....maybe around $2000 or so.

  

   Very nice to have such a big door!!    Photos upon request.

  

 Mike Welch

 		 	   		    [quote][b]

Dennis Thate

Joined: 18 Nov 2010
Posts: 362

Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 6:22 pm Post subject: Re: Aircraft door preference

Mike,



   Photos would be nice !



Thanks

Here is what I'm looking at, I can get the steel for cost and mfg it my self. I just don't want a design that sticks past the quonset, purely for aesthetic reasons. Prefer it fold internally.



http://www.bifold.com/photo_roundroof.php

_________________
Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute. ~Gil Stern

Dennis Thate

Joined: 18 Nov 2010
Posts: 362

Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 6:55 pm Post subject: Re: Aircraft door preference

Another good option .... Out Swinging Doors

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_________________
Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute. ~Gil Stern

Mike Welch

Joined: 13 Feb 2011
Posts: 272

Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 7:21 pm Post subject: Aircraft door preference

Dennis,

  

   What size opening are you talking about?

  

 Mike Welch

 Do not archive

 		 	   		    [quote][b]

flypoker(at)windstream.ne
Guest

Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 7:37 pm Post subject: Aircraft door preference

I have stacked sliding doors. Cheap and easy to build.

Jerry

---

andysheila(at)eltopia.com
Guest

Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 9:00 pm Post subject: Aircraft door preference

Here are some pictures.  I had the steel company cut the 2" X 2" tubing to

desired lengths from banded 20 ft stock on their band saw.  Welded one frame

up and used it as a pattern for the rest with C clamps.  Trucks are easily

made with 6 sealed bearings each.

They run on 2, with 4 to guide.  Short pieces of angle iron and short axles

easily made with a drill press and a hack saw.  Hinges are steel pipe and

accommodating steel pin.  If you want to be fancy you could make brass

bushings.  Top hinge corresponds to the other two except it has a nylon

roller which runs inside the full length channel under the weather flashing.

Belting on the bottom keeps mice out.



3rd  of series showing door frame inside.  Sorry it is out of focus.

---

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zeprep251(at)aol.com
Guest

Posted: Tue May 03, 2011 5:05 am Post subject: Aircraft door preference

Hydro Swing requires no reinforcing of the structure,and are built to your dimensions. Only installed one,but it was quick .

 G.Aman 



 

 



 



--

Dennis Thate

Joined: 18 Nov 2010
Posts: 362

Posted: Tue May 03, 2011 7:16 am Post subject: Re: Aircraft door preference

http://www.dhc-2.com/Monthan_Memories.html

Thanks Mike,



I'd call that an accordion door, much like my closet door in my house. Has some nice advantages !

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_________________
Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute. ~Gil Stern

Dennis Thate

Joined: 18 Nov 2010
Posts: 362

Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 4:19 am Post subject: Re: Aircraft door preference

Thanks for the input and photos;



I can go up , but I can't go wider. So it will be external Bi-Fold or Swing-out style.

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_________________
Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute. ~Gil Stern

ceengland(at)bellsouth.ne
Guest

Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 12:01 pm Post subject: Aircraft door preference

On 5/4/2011 7:19 AM, Dennis Thate wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   



 Thanks for the input and photos;



 I can up , but I can't go wider. So it will be external Bi-Fold or Swing-out style.

Here's what I did for a 30 foot opening, with intent to do something 
	


similar on the 42 foot opening next to it. The tall tube is a 

counterweight. It's offset in front of the door due to structural 

constraints of the building. If you can put the door on the face of your 

building, the counterweight(s) can be an extension of the two end 

vertical members of the door itself. The hinge would be at the top edge 

of the door. With a round-top building, it's  much simpler to get the 

counterweight arms to clear the roof. This door is constructed of 6" 

aluminum irrigation tubing (kinda Kolb related, I guess...), with 

aluminum gussets made from old highway signs & assembled with both 

bucked rivets & pulled rivets. Skin is 'SunTuff' from Home Depot; lots 

of natural light in the day time. The door weighs around 500-600 lbs, & 

the bare frame was light enough for 2 people to tilt it up in place for 

hinge attachment.



It takes about a 20-30 lb push to start it opening. If you build one 

with the weights as extended verticals, it would take much less to get 

it moving. The horizontal bar is manually pinned when the door is fully 

open to keep it from acting like a kite in the wind.



Charlie

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capedavis(at)yahoo.com
Guest

Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 1:10 pm Post subject: Aircraft door preference

I PUT A 40 FOOT HYDROSWING DOOR ON MY 45 FOOT QUANSET HUT , IT WAS SELF SUPPORTING AND THE MOST PLEASURABLE PART OF THE HANGER THE DOOR  IS BEAUTIFUL EVERYTHING RIGHT DOWN TO THE HYDRAULICS WAS PERFECT IT WORKS GREAT ---NOT CHEAP BUT PERFECT----  IHOPE THE RUMER ABOUT THEM GOING UNDER IS NOT TRUE THEY ARE A GREAT BUNCH OF PROPLE.

 

Chris Davis

KXP 503 492 hrs

Glider Pilot

Disabled from crash building Firefly  



 

   From: "zeprep251(at)aol.com" <zeprep251(at)aol.com>

To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com

Sent: Tue, May 3, 2011 9:02:00 AM

Subject: Re: Aircraft door preference



Hydro Swing requires no reinforcing of the structure,and are built to your dimensions. Only installed one,but it was quick .  G.Aman 



 



 

 



 



 --

Dennis Thate

Joined: 18 Nov 2010
Posts: 362

Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 5:50 pm Post subject: Re: Aircraft door preference

Charlie...Thats the most unique door feature I've seen so far . Thanks for sharing !



The flying season is upon us soon, so I have to get rolling on this soon. After looking into many possibilities and options, we've chosen  to MFG our own Bi-Fold/Hi-Fold door using the latest features of many different designs.



Our total cost estimate will compare to a low cost roll-up door. Esthetics is important so we plan to make it a showcase door to enhance the looks of the building, so I'll post a couple photos when it is completed.



Thanks Again all for your interest !

_________________
Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute. ~Gil Stern

captainron1(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 6:35 am Post subject: Aircraft door preference

I think that would depend on the budget, my hanger door is a bifold door electric and I like it. Only gripe is the slow opening and closing speed. In the open position the door has about an 6 foot overhang which is great sometimes for shade and rain. So I recommend it. A slider side opening door is also good except you gotta push and pull and got to keep the wheels and tracks lubricated and free of crap. Also the bigger the door the better off you are, the worst thing is to try to thread and airplane through a needle, hanger rush is proportional to lack of space. Bigger is better, and powered is better than manual.

I think an oversized home garage door with a remote door opener may also be a good inexpensive alternative, and its something you can install yourself. A 3 car garage door may be able to work for a Kolb.

---- Dennis Thate <retroman(at)frontier.com> wrote: 



=============




........................Aircraft door preference................................



I'm finishing sowing down my new grass strip. With that done, phase two is adding a new aircraft door to my quonset where my Kolb Firestar is kept.



Would appreciate opinions on what is the best door for a 8' x 30' opening and why ?   Pro's and Con's        please........ : [Idea] 's

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