Protect Your Investment -- Monolithic Dome Airplane Hangars
October 10, 2003; Updated on May 8, 2006
by David B. South
Rendering by Rick Crandall
In the business world, private airplanes are often a necessity, rather than a convenience or a luxury -- especially since 9/11/01. Long security delays and the uncertainties of commercial air travel contribute to the practicality of private aircraft use.
But an airplane is a major investment, one of corporate America's largest. It stands to reason that such an investment needs protection. Most hangars, however, do little more than keep the aircraft shaded from the sun. Many are simply wrinkled, tin sheds that could not endure a high wind, tornado or hurricane.
The Monolithic Hangar can provide needed protection. It is an ideal, permanent and secure structure. Monolithic means one piece, massive, without seams. Consequently, the Monolithic Hangar is essentially a cavelike rock, that provides superior temperature control and security as well as protection from natural disasters.
Many conventional hangars lack structural strength and use flimsy doors. The doors are light, multi-sectioned, movable and therefore weak. They must depend on their hinges and fasteners for strength.
The new Monolithic Hangar Door is both strong and simple. It is a single-piece, compound, curved door that rotates within the hangar. The door's patent application* describes it as a unitary, contoured, laterally moveable, access door.
*U.S. Patent 7,013,607 was issued to David B. South on March 21, 2006 for his invention: the Monolithic Contoured Laterally Moveable Access Door.
Unitary or single piece: The Monolithic Hanger Door can be built of a metal frame with a light metal or fabric covering. It can also be made using plastics or concrete. In any case, it is a single piece door, and that alone makes it strong. The Monolithic Hangar Door does not rely on hinges, nor does it have to be particularly light. It can be easily insulated so the Hangar becomes climate-controlled.
Contoured or rounded or curved: This door has the same shape as the segment of the Monolithic Hangar that it replaces. Since a curved surface is generally stronger than a straight one, the Monolithic Hangar Door gains strength through its very shape. Also, it's a three-dimensional door. That third dimension adds a tremendous amount of stability, so much so that the door can generally sit on its own wheels. The door easily opens or closes, guided by trolleys on an overhead guide rail. One or more of the wheels can be powered, giving the door a self-powered open/close function. The wheels support and transport the door, while the track at the top does the guiding.
Latterly Moveable: The Monolithic Hangar Door travels horizontally parallel to the hangar floor. It rotates within the inner surface of the hangar, so it always stays within the protective environment of the Monolithic Hangar.
Access Door: The Monolithic Hangar Door can be made to fit any size hangar. It can also be made wider at the bottom than at the top. Such an opening conserves the hangar wall, providing greater structural integrity to the total structure.
The Monolithic Hangar with its specially designed door is a leap forward in hangar technology. Obviously, as hangars get bigger so will their doors. Nevertheless, the same parameters apply. A Monolithic Hangar is the best way to protect any size aircraft.
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