Photos courtesy Aero Country East
The incorporation of hydraulic doors stands as a testament to efficiency, versatility, and operational excellence within aviation facilities. Offering an abundance of benefits, hydraulic doors in airport hangars can enhance performance and provide convenience for pilots and aviation enthusiasts. The swift and reliable operation allows for efficient and rapid access to hangars, can minimize downtime and streamline the aircraft storage process.
Hydraulic doors are particularly advantageous in accommodating a variety of aircraft sizes. The smooth vertical opening of hydraulic doors maximizes the available height within the hangar, optimizing storage capacity for larger aircraft and facilitating easy maintenance tasks, as is the case with Aero County East airpark.
Relaxation haven
The concept of airparks is not anything new; in fact, they are all over the world. They provide aviation enthusiasts with the opportunity to live near their aircraft and fellow pilots, and they are becoming increasingly popular in the United States. In the case of Aero Country East in the North Dallas Metroplex, the concept has been taken to another level.
Aero Country East not only provides convenience of airport access to a large population of pilots who commute in and out of Dallas, Tex., it gives them a comfortable home. A total of 39 customized townhomes are on the site, offering buyers the option to design the interior of their townhomes exactly to their liking. The benefits do not end here, however. Residents and their families can relax poolside, where the Aero Country East logo can be spotted from the air. Other amenities include a 14-person hot tub, a fire pit, two barbecue grills, and full accessibility compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A six-phase long-range plan will add an additional 16,546 ha (40,888 acre) to the current 7,003 ha (17,305 acre) as well as landscape and stormwater improvements and plans for retail and restaurant additions.
Prime aircraft shelter
A new 914- x 18-m (3,000- x 60-ft) runway and a 336 m
(1,104-ft) grass runway can accommodate most piston and turbine aircraft. Aero Country East hangars currently house 40 aircraft and the nearby westside airport has an additional 120 aircraft including T-6 “Texans,” Stearmans, and Pipers.
The first floor of each two- or three-story townhome comes with an all-steel 18- x 18-m (60- x 60-ft) pre-plumbed hangar, fitted with a hydraulic door.
Seventy-nine first-grade hangars, three deep along the runway, await owners of a single aircraft or multiple aircraft. Hangars all feature Schweiss Doors hydraulic doors, featuring an all-steel tube frame, though aluminum and stainless steel are also options. Based in Hector, Minn., Schweiss has been manufacturing doors since 1980. This April, the owner, Mike Schweiss, will be inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame for designing the bifold and hydraulic door.
For the Aero County project, most of the hydraulic doors measured 16 x 4.6 m (54 x 15 ft). The weight was determined by several factors, including the door’s size, wind loading, features such as windows and walk doors, and the type of cladding applied. In this case the steel tube framing weighed 2,330 kg (5,137 lb) plus cladding at 388 kg (856 lb). According to the manufacturer, these doors were primer painted gray, which is standard, but there is also the option to third-party galvanize, zinc dip, and powder coat the doors. For the Aero Park project, the customer provided the cladding and insulation so it would match his buildings. The lead time from approved shop drawings to the order leaving is five weeks, though doors can be produced in about two weeks if needed.
When it came to installation, these hangar doors were installed by the customer’s construction crew, which is common.
According to Schweiss Doors, approximately 85 percent of their customers install their own doors, or their contractor installs their doors; however, Schweiss is available to offer support when they do not perform the install.
Schweiss Doors acknowledges the numerous benefits of hydraulic doors, as described by the company’s customers who see them as “an extension of my hangar/shop/etc.” These doors have fewer moving parts, are one piece rather than two-piece, and offer a clean interior and exterior aesthetic. Additionally, a unique selling point is the shade they provide when open, which is perfect for the Texas climate.