Aircraft Hangars
Aircraft Support Industries (ASI) specialises in the design and construction of all types of hangars including:
- Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) heavy and line maintenance facilities
- Fixed-Base Operators (FBO)
- Paint hangars, Airship hangars, and
- De-icing facilitiess
Our design and construct services cover the full range of equipment and facilities needed to complete effective maintenance operations. This includes the hangar building itself right through to aircraft docking systems, cranes & teleplatforms, service pits, landing gear pits and workshop services, apron parking and taxiways.
ASI has in house specialised technologies which allow Aircraft maintenance hangars and the associated equipment to be designed and delivered effectively. These technologies, together with our team of specialists allow cost effective designs to be produced whilst optimising operational efficiency of the hangars and workshops allowing ASI’s clients to gain operational advantage.
FIXED-BASE OPERATOR (FBO) FACILITIES AND TERMINALS
Modern MRO facilities hangars vary a great deal in planning and design. The type of hangar used depends on the type and number of aircraft to be serviced and on the nature of the maintenance to be performed as well as the extent of existing facilities at the maintenance base to carry out associated aircraft repair and maintenance works. This functionality determines the shape, size and arrangement of the hangar and the extent of workshops to be provided.
The most common hangars have a rectangular footprint and are of arch or frame construction. They often are more than 100 m wide and are provided with an associated annexe structure which houses various workshops, control rooms, offices, staff facilities and services essential for the effective and efficient maintenance of aircraft.
Hangars can be designed for a Nose-in or Tail-in configuration. The use of a Nose-in configuration allows the opportunity to design a ‘stepped’ hangar which can realize significant project cost savings. Tail-in aircraft arrangements allow a simple tail dock arrangement to be provided with minimal impact on the hangar roof structure. In either option, the provision of an internal open mezzanine provides an efficient materials handling and aircraft access route within the hangar envelope which allows a smaller workshop footprint.
ASI is able to provide various hangar options to determine the most appropriate facility to meet the Client expectation in terms of appearance, functionality and cost.
MAINTENANCE, REPAIR AND OVERHAUL (MRO) FACILITIES
Modern MRO facilities hangars vary a great deal in planning and design. The type of hangar used depends on the type and number of aircraft to be serviced and on the nature of the maintenance to be performed as well as the extent of existing facilities at the maintenance base to carry out associated aircraft repair and maintenance works. This functionality determines the shape, size and arrangement of the hangar and the extent of workshops to be provided.
The most common hangars have a rectangular footprint and are of arch or frame construction. They often are more than 100 m wide and are provided with an associated annexe structure which houses various workshops, control rooms, offices, staff facilities and services essential for the effective and efficient maintenance of aircraft.
Hangars can be designed for a Nose-in or Tail-in configuration. The use of a Nose-in configuration allows the opportunity to design a ‘stepped’ hangar which can realize significant project cost savings. Tail-in aircraft arrangements allow a simple tail dock arrangement to be provided with minimal impact on the hangar roof structure. In either option, the provision of an internal open mezzanine provides an efficient materials handling and aircraft access route within the hangar envelope which allows a smaller workshop footprint.
ASI is able to provide various hangar options to determine the most appropriate facility to meet the Client expectation in terms of appearance, functionality and cost.
PAINT HANGARS
All aircraft hangars are capable of facilitating a small amount of aircraft painting. However, to provide a high quality paint finish and coating to aircraft, purpose-built hangars are constructed with dedicated ventilation supply and exhaust for the express purpose of stripping, spray painting and application of decorative features
The climate control system as well as the airflow arrangement within Paint hangars is critical to their effective operation to ensure the safety of personnel and the efficient coating application and curing process. Often they need to be heated and/or air conditioned. In addition, the sealing of the hangar to prevent dust ingress is critically important and impacts on the door system. It is therefore critical to design a paint hangar facility to meet the exact aircraft models nominated for the facility to ensure the most efficient system possible.
Of critical environmental importance, is the need to contain and treat the effluent from the painting process to avoid air or ground based contamination. This requires the exhaust air system to be treated to remove any paint particles as well as any volatile gases via high quality filtration including water scrubbers and/or carbon impregnated filters.
AIRSHIP HANGARS AND PRODUCTION FACILITIES
Airships are making a comeback, not just for advertising and military purposes, but as a sustainable solution for transportation and shipping. Numerous corporations around the world are investing in the development of a new generation of Airship, often known as Lighter than Air Transport (LTA), for a multitude of purposes. These enormous dirigibles can reach up up to 200m in length with a diameter of 50m and capable of carrying a payload of 60 tonnes.
For both the production and subsequent maintenance an enormous and very specialised fully enclosed hangar with a unique profile is required. A typical aircraft hangar requires a large span to accommodate the wings whereas for an Airship hangar the span is lesser however the overall length and height will be well above the average. There will be a need for a support building, stores and workshops, to be integrated into the design to allow for effective and efficient manufacturing and subsequent maintenance checks to be undertaken. Incorporation of overhead travelling cranes and possibly tele-platforms will require a very rigid steel structure to support the live loads.
ASI’s proprietary ‘Stressed Arch’ building system is ideally suited to an airship hangar/production facility for the following reasons:
- The natural arch shape can be designed to meet the required high profile.
- The post tensioned system greatly reduces the weight if the steel structure therefore cost.
- Capable of withstanding cyclonic wind loads and stability in seismic regions.
- The inherent strength allows for heavy cranes and tele-platforms to be incorporated in the roof.
- Can be designed as a permanent or relocatable structure if required.
The ‘Stressed Arch’ building system has already been successfully adopted for the construction of an Airship hangar in Australia. ASI has continued to develop multiple conceptual designs for production facilities around the world capable of accommodating up to four Airships under the same roof.
DE-ICING FACILITIES
De-icing of aircraft before take-off is critical in ensuring the safety of the aircraft and passengers and is a critical facility at airports where the temperatures are likely to be below the freezing point. Icing affects the critical control surfaces of the aircraft particularly the vertical and horizontal stabilisers and ailerons. In addition, ice falling off the control surfaces during take-off may result in damage to the engines or propellers.
De-icing facilities can be provided in many options such as fully enclosed areas, overhead open structures or simple manual application of de-icing fluids. The use of structures can provide de-icing services via anti-ice fluid or infrared systems. In conjunction with the liquid-based de-icing systems, a contaminant control system is necessary to minimise the environmental impact of the liquid.
The use of portable/relocatable structures is becoming more prevalent as they can be positioned immediately before the runway during the colder weather to minimise the time between taxiing and take-off. During the warmer weather, the enclosure is located in a remote area of the airport.