July 30, 2017 - New Hangar Doors, Polishing the RV
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I have been unhappy with my hangar doors for years. They slide into the hangar next door so I have to physically squeeze through the space into the adjoining hangar and drag the door in. The metal on metal screeching is so loud that I really should have been wearing ear protection. For the last year, I've been having trouble with the tracks coming apart where the ends butt together. Three years ago I got a quote from FoldTite doors but decided not to pull the trigger. When the track came apart for good about two months ago, I knew it was time.
The dream was an electric door where all I had to do was push a button. The reality was that the electric door was too expensive. The FoldTite accordian doors were roughly one fourth price an electric door. Plus, four Essex Skypark hangars have FoldTite doors so I knew I could get help and advice with the install. FoldTite still had my quote from three years ago so it didn't take long to update it and get things going.
Here are the old, sliding doors.
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After three full days of work by Claudius and myself, the new doors are fully operational! As you can see, they are accordian style. The move easily and silently, and look great. The top third of the panels are transluscent plastic which lets light into the hangar when the doors are closed and really brighten the place up.
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| I dug two shallow rectangular ditches in front of the hangar -- it's been quite some time since I've dug dirt, I can tell you -- and filled the trenches with white rocks. So now, even after a heavy rain, I can walk on the rock path instead of mud. |
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| The doors are a big improvement -- both functionally and aesthetically -- over the old. The upper third is opaque which makes the inside much brighter, even when the doors are shut. During daylight, of course. |
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With the hangar doors (mostly) done, it was time to get the RV ready for AirVenture 2017. That means polishing! Last time I did it -- for Sun 'N Fun 2015 -- it took 30 man hours. This time, it ended up taking me .... 30 hours. But the RV looks great and is AirVenture-worthy.
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I finished polishing on Saturday and Bruce and I left for Oshkosh the next day.
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| Bruce is also working on his hangar and getting his RV-3 ready for Oshkosh. He reskinned his hangar doors and will be putting in a new floor coating. The RV-3 is all waxed and polished and ready to go to the Big Show. |
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Bruce put a new floor coating on; looks great! Best floor at Essex Skypark!
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| The Skypark is really getting upscale. |
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| My old heavy, screeching, rusted steel doors -- loaded into a truck -- headed for the dump. RIP. |
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