Common Types of Aircraft Hangar Doors

If you own an aircraft, you likely know the benefits hangars provide in terms of keeping aircraft safe and sound. Whether you need to protect your aircraft from the cold, moisture, or other various things that may deter overall health, it is important that your hangar of choice suits your needs while being a reliable solution for protection. While factors like space and ease of use are crucial, there is also the matter of what type of door that is present. As doors may vary in their design and configuration to accommodate diverse needs, it can be beneficial to have a basic understanding of common options so that you are more prepared for when the time comes to make a decision.

In general, hangar doors carry out the roles of keeping elements out, keeping climatized air in, and preventing the entry of animals or creatures. While all three of these tasks are important, doors may balance how they tackle each differently. Nevertheless, all good hangar doors should have ample sealing capabilities while presenting high durability. For ease of access, such doors should also be fairly easy to open.

Across all options, the three primary types of hangar doors are hydraulic swinging, bi-fold, and bottom rolling variations. With hydraulic swinging hangar doors, the entire structure is raised and lowered through the use of hydraulics, and construction is fairly lightweight. Because of this, hydraulic doors should only be used in environments where there is no risk of chronic high winds, as the weight and lifting motion of the door will lead to various hazards if the wind is powerful enough.

Bi-folding doors are a common type that has been around for many years, and they are fairly reliable for general aviation aircraft as a result of their low vertical space efficiency. Despite this, they present much easier maintenance, as nylon straps and steel cables are used to winch the door open with ease. While not having hydraulics, bi-folding doors still present motorization for simplistic opening and closing procedures. To ensure that the aircraft can clear the opening, these hangar doors often require a taller hangar than is necessary, which may potentially be a downside.

As the last common form of hangar door, bottom rolling options are best for single-aisle passenger jets and larger models. Because these doors are regularly large structures that may weigh as much as multiple tons per unit, it would be unfeasible to use hydraulic actuators or other motors for lifting. As such, bottom rolling hangar doors are generally unpowered units or structures that are assisted by a large electric motor and drive wheel. While bottom rolling hangar doors are known for being extremely heavy duty with low maintenance needs, they can be prone to jams on the rails.

With a better understanding of your operations, you can ensure that you make the right decision based on cost restrictions, aircraft size, and other such factors. Here on NSN Sourcing, we can help you secure competitive pricing and rapid lead times on every item of interest you come across, and we encourage you to submit completed RFQ forms to receive quotes for your comparisons. With team members working around the clock for customer needs, you can expect quick responses to any quote request or inquiry.

With dedication to the quality of our offered parts and services, we proudly conduct operations with AS9120B, ISO 9001:2015, and FAA AC 00-56B accreditation. Give us a call or email today to connect with one of our industry experts, and we would be more than happy to assist you however we can!

1. michael williams
2. Posted on January 23, 2023
aircraft parts

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