T-Hangar neighbor. WWYD?

cowtowner

cowtowner

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Cowtowner
So I’m a T hangar. Been great the last two years as my two neighbors never flew much. But the owner just leased one to a flight school.

The CFI’s have decided that it’s ok for them to leave the doors open while they go fly

Then when I want to fly I have to shut their door to get my plane out. This flight school is where I got my ticket, so I’ve texted the owner and gotten no response

This morning it was open again

They have the “inside track” of the sliding doors and I’ve debated putting some gravel down. But I don’t want to be petty…..but I’m getting to the point where next time I’m gonna wedge something in the track so when they come back at least the owner of the flight school has to contact me to get his plane back in the hangar

WWYD?

Edit: this is the third time in the last month
 
UngaWunga said:
is it really that hard to close the door?
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Contact the school’s Chief Pilot and tell them you are seeing lots of bird activity in and around the hangar, and ask him politely to tell his CFIs to train the students that proper protocol is to shut the doors after moving a plane in and out of the hangars. I.e., start nice. Then you keep a compliance log…

-Skip
 
cowtowner said:
Been great the last two years as my two neighbors never flew much.
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Well, thankfully only one side has changed.

I say have a conversation with the CFI's before anything else. It's a little bit rude, but if they don't know/think it's a problem.....
 
Speak to the owner. Explain the situation. Ask politely for him to speak to his folks and require his CFI's to close the doors.

If that doesn't work, weld the doors closed.

Problem solved.
 
I wouldn't start a dispute (which you will if you wedge the door or do anything that can seem vindictive) over failure to respond to your text message. At a very minimum talk to someone that can actually be held responsible for fixing the problem first.
 
Skyrys62 said:
Well, thankfully only one side has changed.

I say have a conversation with the CFI's before anything else. It's a little bit rude, but if they don't know/think it's a problem.....
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I did that Wednesday

He didn’t understand why I would ask such a thing

When I explained to him he was just like, you shut the door
 
Shawn said:
Close their hangar and put on a combo lock with a note that says "when you agree to stop blocking my hangar, I will agree to give you this code..."
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My exact thoughts..
 
cowtowner said:
I did that Wednesday

He didn’t understand why I would ask such a thing

When I explained to him he was just like, you shut the door
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Well he is being a dick then, and next step is to choose one of the other actions mentioned.

Willing to bet there may end up being other types of birds flying before it's over :D
 
close the door, put wooden wedges in your hanger so the door cannot be opened, pull your plane out, lock your door and go flying for a while........
 
Review the airport rules and hangar lease. If there is a clause in there about not leavingnyiur doors open and blocking neighbors’ hangars, point it out to him. If he still thinks he’s King S*%+, take it to the manager. CFIs and flight schools aren’t special and aren’t any more important than any other tenant.
 
ateamer said:
Review the airport rules and hangar lease. If there is a clause in there about not leavingnyiur doors open and blocking neighbors’ hangars, point it out to him. If he still thinks he’s King S*%+, take it to the manager. CFIs and flight schools aren’t special and aren’t any more important than any other tenant.
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This. Thankfully our t-hangars have bifold doors so I haven't had to deal with it, the airport rules accepted as part of the lease require the hangar door to be closed any time someone is not present.

Option B to the OP, start "borrowing" their stuff and leaving it in the apron.
 
Alternative.

Each time it's open, call the line guys to come close it. The airport manager will soon have a talk with the flight school.
 
ateamer said:
Review the airport rules and hangar lease. If there is a clause in there about not leavingnyiur doors open and blocking neighbors’ hangars, point it out to him. If he still thinks he’s King S*%+, take it to the manager. CFIs and flight schools aren’t special and aren’t any more important than any other tenant.
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Private airport.
 
FancyG said:
You can't push both your door open and their door closed at the same time?
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1. They have to use ramps to get in and out. They leave them in place so I have to move them to close their door

2. While I keep my wheels on my door greased, theirs is hard to push. I can’t push both at the same time.
 
cowtowner said:
I did that Wednesday

He didn’t understand why I would ask such a thing

When I explained to him he was just like, you shut the door
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You open a door. You close a door. Was this dolt born in a barn?
 
any pictures?
 
To answer the question, I guess after trying to have a conversation with the CFIs and the flight school, I would first see if there is another hangar to rent away from these guys. Failing that, since I am a nice guy, I would just close their door, but I would not be very careful about where those ramps end up.
 
TCABM said:
Shut hangar. Bill flight school.
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Don’t forget to post a note with a log entry…
“Inspected door. Found to be open, preventing alternate door from opening. Corrected by closing door in accordance with CC (Common Courtesy) bulletin #1-1. Checked Alternate door for proper function. Signed, PPL #…..”
 
I had two hangar neighbors at CJR. One would periodically go flying leaving the doors on his hangar opened. I just pushed his closed. I had the inside doors.
The bizaare one was the time something fell over in the hangar on the other side such that I couldn't slide my door. I didn't want to just force it, so I had to go get the master from the airport office (and figure out what it was, it was a bicycle, if I recall).
 
Our T-hangar doors slide in two halves, such that when open the doors are only aligned with the back of the hangar on the opposite side of the building. No way for the door to block a neighbor.

Crude illustration:
1711311854266.png​

Have you considered just beating the snot out of the little snot?
 
Half Fast said:
Scatter birdseed inside their hangar and leave their door open. They will have to learn to close it to keep the birds out.
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I like this, better plausible deniability.

Alternately, close their door and use safety wire or tie-wraps to hold it shut. Safety wire would be better, one of the CFIs might be carrying a pocket knife. The OP has a perfect excuse, the owner told him to close the door.

I'm in one of those hangars where my doors slide behind the doors on either side. One side is owned by the airport, and they occasionally pile junk too close so my door won't open.

Years ago, I was sliding the hangar door open when it bounced off something in the next bay. I shoved the door again, hoping to push the obstruction clear. No joy, bounced back again. Got a flashlight and peeked into the next bay.

The obstruction was the back end of the airport manager's Corvette.

Ron Wanttaja
 
wanttaja said:
I like this, better plausible deniability.

Alternately, close their door and use safety wire or tie-wraps to hold it shut. Safety wire would be better, one of the CFIs might be carrying a pocket knife. The OP has a perfect excuse, the owner told him to close the door.

I'm in one of those hangars where my doors slide behind the doors on either side. One side is owned by the airport, and they occasionally pile junk too close so my door won't open.

Years ago, I was sliding the hangar door open when it bounced off something in the next bay. I shoved the door again, hoping to push the obstruction clear. No joy, bounced back again. Got a flashlight and peeked into the next bay.

The obstruction was the back end of the airport manager's Corvette.

Ron Wanttaja
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So did you get a running start and shove again?
:devil:
 
On some t hangars you can push both locked doors together to one side or another, then enter the hangar on the side of one of the doors.
 
Half Fast said:
Our T-hangar doors slide in two halves, such that when open the doors are only aligned with the back of the hangar on the opposite side of the building. No way for the door to block a neighbor.

Crude illustration:

Have you considered just beating the snot out of the little snot?
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That's the way my hangars are. That is why I had a little trouble understanding the problem in the first place. But I guess there are different designs.
 
cowtowner said:
1. They have to use ramps to get in and out. They leave them in place so I have to move them to close their door

2. While I keep my wheels on my door greased, theirs is hard to push. I can’t push both at the same time.
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Ah. This seems like critical information. Did you point these things out to the owner when you spoke to him? You've had to close this door three times in a month. If the CFIs close the hanger every time they move the plane, they probably have to open and close it multiple times every day, and it sounds like a pain in the butt. So I wouldn't expect them to be very sympathetic to your having to do it every other week.

My suggestion is have a conversation about the above two items and let them know that if they'll keep the ramps inside and lubricate the wheels, you'll be happy to roll the door closed when necessary, but as is, it's very difficult for you to do. (And if they do those things, they might even close the doors themselves.)

Since you're a pro at lubricating your door, you might even offer to help them do theirs.
 
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Half Fast said:
Our T-hangar doors slide in two halves, such that when open the doors are only aligned with the back of the hangar on the opposite side of the building. No way for the door to block a neighbor.

Crude illustration:
Click to expand...
Except it still looks like when your doors are open, the neighbor can't open his.
 
Or pour some quickcrete in the rail. Not a lot just enough that makes it impossible to open.
 
Lindberg said:
Except it still looks like when your doors are open, the neighbor can't open his.
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No, the doors are offset, even in his diagram.
 
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