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Aircraft Hangar Soars in Minnesota Elements

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steel airplane hangar custom front minnesota
Mark Hobson is an aviation enthusiast who has flown various types of aircraft and has his pilot’s license. But when the time came for Mark to purchase his first airplane, he decided it would be best to purchase land and a hangar first.

That’s when Mark turned to SteelMaster.

Mark learned about SteelMaster through a friend, who purchased a SteelMaster building secondhand from someone who had never assembled it. The building looked like new, Mark says. He was sold on the idea of purchasing his own SteelMaster after seeing his friend’s building up close and watching the 20’ x 20’ structure go up without a hitch, even though the men who assembled it had no previous experience putting such buildings together.

He was familiar with Quonset HutsTM and liked the idea of a Quonset-styled roof — especially given Minnesota’s snowy winters.

“A standard ‘pole-type’ wood frame building was not even a consideration for me,” Mark says. “I’ve seen these buildings collapse under the weight of Minnesota snow loads, which can be particularly heavy at times.”

Mark’s hangar is located at the private Sky Manor Aero Estates airport in Park Rapids, Minn. The hangar — with its green-painted arches, custom end walls and wooden add-on structure featuring double-hung windows — could almost pass for a home.

Actually, Mark uses the structure at the front of the building as an office. The office attaches to his 50’ x 50’ SteelMaster airplane hangar, which features a double garage door. The gap of cleared trees at the rear of the building is the airport taxiway. Mark’s SteelMaster backs right up to the airstrip, and bi-fold doors open outward, providing an optimum starting point for flights.

Mark has been impressed with his SteelMaster building’s ability to protect his airplane from Mother Nature’s wrath.

“I had a tree fall on it that would have taken out a less sturdy building,” Mark says. “I was left with only a small dent on my roof. That says a lot about the integrity of the materials SteelMaster uses in their buildings.”

Michelle Wickum, SteelMaster’s director of marketing says Mark made a smart decision in choosing a SteelMaster building over a pole barn.

“Steel does not warp, shrink, or split and it is non-combustible,” Michelle says. “SteelMaster buildings are easier to handle, stronger and less expensive than any other common building materials. Our rugged and resilient metal and steel prefabricated buildings will take the bumps and bangs common to any working building.”

SteelMaster aircraft hangars are both economical and durable. The clear span design allows for spans up to 150 feet wide, with unlimited length. With no need for interior supports, maximization of the unencumbered space is a definite plus.

SteelMaster would like to thank Mark for sharing his SteelMaster experience with us. We are thrilled to be able to add Mark to our list of satisfied customers and wish him many enjoyable flight hours in the years ahead!

–Tammy Kistler
Tammy is a freelance writer and resides in Hampton Roads.