FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an aircraft hangar and in particular to a prefabricated aircraft hangar for a light aircraft that can be quickly and easily transported and erected on site.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is desirable to house aircraft in hangars in order to protect them while not in use. Typically aircraft hangars are significantly larger than the aircraft they house and therefore have a significant visual impact on the surrounding landscape and are also expensive to construct. Smaller airfields in particular are constantly faced with the problem of providing low cost aircraft hangars for aircraft storage and maintenance. The increased popularity of small aircraft for both business and recreational use has greatly expanded the number of such aircraft. As a result, placement and protection of small aircraft when they are not in use has become a matter of increased concern to their owners.

Many small aircraft are merely tied down in open parking areas on smaller airfields and are, therefore, exposed to damage by the elements and tampering by unauthorized persons. In particular, the theft of engines from light aircraft has become a significant problem, not only due to the cost of replacing such engines but also the significant damage done to the aircraft when the engines are removed by thieves. There is a need for a cheap, easily constructed and secure hangar construction for storing individual aircraft.

One solution has been to provide a lightweight hanger construction using a tubular metal framework supporting one or more fabric covers to define an enclosure within which a small aircraft can be housed (such as that disclosed in US 2,292,078). However, such lightweight hangar constructions are prone to damage in adverse weather conditions and lack sufficient security to prevent theft of aircraft parts and resulting damage to aircraft. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provided an aircraft hangar comprising a first section adapted to enclose the wings and forward section of an aircraft, said first section comprising a rear wall, a pair of opposed end walls, and a front wall, said front wall including openable doors to allow an aircraft to enter and exit the hangar, and a second section adapted to enclose the tail section of the aircraft, said second section defining a box like structure extending rearwardly from a central opening in the rear wall of the first section and having an open side aligned with said central opening in the rear wall of the first section.

In a preferred embodiment said second section is slidably movable between a transport configuration, wherein the second section is located within the first section, and an operative position, wherein the second section extends from the rear wall of the first section. Said second section may comprise a plurality of telescopically arranged portions arrange to be movable with respect to one another to an extended position when in use.

The central opening in the rear wall may be provided with a closable door. The closable door may define the floor of the second section when it is in its operative position.

The first section may include an upper wall defining a roof panel enclosing an upper side of the first section. Alternatively, the hangar may comprise a separate roof section adapted to be located on top of and coupled to the first section on site. In one embodiment the first section may be adapted to be located over the top of the roof section in a transport configuration, such that the roof housed within the first section when in a transport configuration. The second section may be separable into two or more parts to allow it to be located within the first section on top of the roof section when the first section is located over the top of the roof section in said transport configuration Preferably a truss extends between said end walls of the first section above said openable doors. The truss may comprise a triangulated framework coupled to the first section.

The truss may be foldably coupled to said first section to be foldable between a substantially horizontal transport position and an upright operative position. Alternatively the truss may be integrally formed with a removable roof section.

One or more struts may be provided for supporting the truss in its operative position. Said struts may be coupled to the upper wall of the first section to extend perpendicular to the truss. The struts may be foldable between upright operative positions and lowered folded positions wherein they lay flat against the upper wall or be detachable and adapted to be affixed flat against the upper wall when not in use.

A hitch assembly may be provided adjacent a first end of the first section, ground engaging wheels being provided adjacent a second end of the first section, opposite said first end, wherein said hitch assembly may be coupled to a tow vehicle and raised to facilitate movement of the aircraft hangar upon said wheels.

The first section may include a floor formed from one or more removable and/or foldable floor panels.

In a preferred embodiment said openable doors may comprise a first cantilevered door section hingedly coupled to the first section at or adjacent a first of said end walls by means of respective upper and lower hinge assemblies, and a second cantilevered door section hingedly coupled to the first section at or adjacent a second of said end walls by means of respective upper and lower hinge assemblies, each of said upper and lower hinge assemblies having respective vertically arranged pivot axes.

At least one of said upper and lower hinge assemblies of each of said first and second door sections preferably incorporates means for laterally adjusting the position of the pivot axis thereof in a direction perpendicular to said first and second end walls. Said at least one of said upper and lower hinge assemblies of each of said first and second door sections may comprise a first hinge part mounted on the respective door section and a second hinge part mounted on the first section to extend outwardly through an opening in the adjacent end wall, said first and second hinge parts being pivotally coupled together and said second hinge part including a threaded portion extending through a respective web located on said front wall of the first portion spaced inwardly from an adjacent end wall, nuts mounted on said threaded portion on either side of the respective web whereby the distance a distal end of the second hinge part extends from the respective adjacent end wall can be adjusted by adjusting the position of said nuts on said threaded portion of said second hinge part of the respective hinge assembly.

The first hinge part of said at least one of said upper and lower hinge assemblies of each of said first and second door sections may have a proximal portion extending laterally from said respective door section and a distal portion extending perpendicular to said proximal portion, said distal portion being pivotally coupled to the second hinge part of said at least one of said upper and lower hinge assemblies of each of said first and second door sections, such that said proximal portion of said second hinge part of said at least one of said upper and lower hinge assemblies of each of said first and second door sections is arranged parallel to said first hinge part when the respective door section is closed.

Each of said first and second door sections may comprise a two or more door panels foldable with respect to one another about respective vertical axes.

In one embodiment the first and second sections may be separate from one another and adapted to be coupled together on site. Said first and second sections may be bolted together.

In an alternative embodiment the hangar may further comprise a roof section adapted to be located on top of and coupled to the first section on site. The first section may be adapted to be located over the top of the roof section in a transport configuration, such that the roof housed within the first section when in a transport configuration. The second section may be separable into two or more parts to allow it to be located within the first section on top of the roof section when the first section is located over the top of the roof section in said transport configuration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An aircraft hangar in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an aircraft hangar in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention with the doors in a closed configuration and the hangar in an operative configuration;

Figure 2 is a is a perspective view of the aircraft hangar of Figure 1 from the rear;

Figure 3 is a further a perspective view of the aircraft hangar of Figure 1 from the front with the doors in their closed configuration;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the aircraft hangar of Figure 1 ;

Figure 5 is a front view of the aircraft hangar of Figure 1 ;

Figure 6a is a side view of the aircraft hangar of Figure 1 ;

Figure 6b is a plan view of the aircraft hangar of Figure with the doors in an open configuration;

Figures 7 and 8 are respectively perspective and side view of the aircraft hangar of Figure 1 with wall made transparent to show an aircraft within the hangar;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the aircraft hangar of Figure 1 in a transport configuration;

RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91) ISA/EP Figure 10 is a plan view of the aircraft hangar of Figure 1 in its transport configuration;

Figure 11 is a front view of the aircraft hangar of Figure 1 in its transport configuration;

Figure 12 is a side view of the aircraft hangar of Figure 1 in its transport configuration;

Figure 13 and 14 are side views illustrating the transitioning of the second section of the aircraft hangar between its retracted and extended positions;

Figure 15 illustrates the two hitch arrangement of the hangar of Figure 1 and it movement between operative and folded configurations; and

Figures 16 to 18 illustrate the adjustable hinge assembly of the doors of the hangar of Figure 1 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An aircraft hangar in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the drawings. The aircraft hangar comprises a first section 2 in the form of a rectangular box having a rear wall 3, a front wall 4 and a pair of end walls 5,6, said first section 2 being dimensioned to house the wings and front section of an aircraft 1 (as illustrated in Figure 7 and 8), the front wall 2 having openable front doors 7,8 along substantially its entire length. A upper wall 12 defines a roof of the first section. A box like second section 10 extends from a central opening in the rear wall 3 of the first section 2, said second section 10 being dimensioned to house the tail section of the aircraft 1 , the second section 10 having an open side to be aligned with said central opening in the rear wall 3 of the first section 2.

The second section 10 is retractable into the first section 2 for transportation, as will be described in more detail below. Alternatively, it is envisaged that the second section may be separable from the first section. A front truss 14, defined by a triangulated framework, is mounted on a front upper side of the first section 2, along a front edge of the upper wall 12, for supporting and reinforcing an upper side of the first section 2 to allow the provision of doors of sufficient width to accommodate the wingspan of an aircraft while preventing sag or deflection of the front wall which would otherwise occur if the upper side of the front wall 4 of the first section 2 were unsupported.

The front truss 14 is preferably pivotally mounted on the first section 2 to be movable between an upright operative position, as shown in Figures 1 to 8, and a folded transport position, as shown in Figure 9 to 12, wherein the front truss 14 lies flat against the upper wall 12 of the first section when the hangar is in a transport configuration.

Suitable actuators, such as one or more rams, may be provided for raising the front truss 14 to its operative position.

Struts 15a, 15b are provided on the upper wall 12 of the first section, extending perpendicular to the front truss 14, for supporting the front truss 14 in its upright operative position. The struts 15a, 15b may be mounted on the upper wall 12 to be folded flat against the upper wall 12 or detached and affixed to a rear portion of the upper wall 12 when not in use.

In an alternative embodiment the front truss 14 may be detachable from the first section 2.

The upper wall 12 of the first section preferably has a shallow slope to allow run off of rain water.

In an alternative embodiment, the front truss 14 may be incorporated into a front region of the roof section and the roof section may be detachably mounted on top of the first section. The second section 10 may be adapted to slide into and out of the first section 2 to be enclosed therein when the hangar is in its transport configuration or to extend rearwardly from the first section 2 when the hangar is in its operative configuration, as illustrated in Figures 13 and 14. Guide rails may be provided in the first section 2 for guiding movement of the second section 10 into and out of the first section 2 between its transport and operative configurations, the second section being provided with slides, rollers or similar guide means engaging said guide rails of the first section 2.

As shown in the drawings, the opening in the rear wall 3 of the first section 2 through which the second section 10 passes may be closable by a rear door 11 when the second section 10 is located within the first section 2. The rear door 11 may be arranged to fold downwardly about a hinge coupling at a lower end thereof such that the rear door 11 defines a floor of the second section 10 when the second section 10 is in its extended or operative configuration.

The second section 10 may be comprised of two or more telescopically extendable portions to facilitate enclosure of the second section 10 within the first section 2 when in its transport configuration while provided sufficient length for the tail of an aircraft to be contained within the second section 10 when it is extended or operative configuration. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, and as best shown in Figures 13 and 14, the second section 10 may be formed from two telescopically extendable portions 10a, 10b. The rear door 11 may be formed from two or more foldable parts to increase its length when used as the floor of the second section 10, particularly where the second section 10 comprises two or more telescopically extendable portions.

The openable doors preferably comprise first and second cantilevered door sections 7,8, each door section 7,8 comprising a respective pair of foldable door panels, foldable about a respective vertical axis.

The first and second door sections 7,8 are hingedly coupled to the remainder of the first section 2 of the hangar at or adjacent each end wall 5,6 thereof by means of respective upper and lower hinge assemblies 16,18, the upper and lower hinge assemblies of each door section 7,8 having vertically aligned pivot axes such that the door sections 7,8 can be moved between a closed configuration, wherein they securely close a front side of the first section 2 of the hangar, and an open configuration, wherein the folded door sections 7,8 extend rearwardly and outwardly from the end walls 5,6 of the first section 2 of the hangar to allow an aircraft to be placed into and removed from the hangar.

As illustrated in Figured 16 to 18, the upper and lower hinge assemblies 16,18 of each of said first and second door sections each comprise a first hinge part 20 mounted on the respective door section 7,8 and a second hinge part 22 mounted on the first section 2 of the hangar to extend outwardly through a respective opening or slot 23 in the adjacent end wall 5,6, said first and second hinge parts 20,22 being pivotally coupled together. The second hinge part 22 of each of the upper and lower hinge assemblies (or at least each upper hinge assembly) includes a threaded portion 24 extending through a respective web 25 located on said front wall 4 of the first section 2, inwardly spaced from the respective end wall 5,6, said threaded portion 24 having a respective pair of nuts 26,27 mounted thereon on either side of the respective web 25, whereby the distance a distal end of the second hinge part 22 of the respective hinge assembly 16,18 extends from the respective adjacent end wall 5,6 of the hangar can be adjusted by adjusting the position of said nuts 26,27 on said threaded portion 24 of said second hinge part 22 of the respective hinge assembly, thereby facilitating alignment of the doors. The threaded portion of the second hinge part of each of the upper and lower hinge assemblies may be enclosed within double skinned portions of the front wall of the first section of the hangar, access panels may be provided, preferably in an inner skin of the double skinned portions, to allow access to the nuts for adjustment of the alignment of the doors sections 7,8 with the front wall 4 of the hangar.

The first hinge part 20 of each of said upper and lower hinge assemblies 16,18 has a proximal portion 28 extending laterally from said respective door section 7,8 and a distal portion 29 extending perpendicular to said proximal portion 28, said distal portion 29 being pivotally coupled to a distal end of the second hinge part 20 of said the respective hinge assembly, such that said proximal portion 28 of said second hinge part 22 is arranged parallel to said first hinge part 20 when the respective door section 7,8 is closed. This allows the door sections 7,8 to swing through at least 180°, more preferably up to 270°, between their closed and open configurations.

A floor of the first section 2 may be formed from a plurality of removable floor panels.

To facilitate movement of the aircraft hangar on site, a pair of wheels 30 are mounted on a first end of the first section 2 and a hitch assembly 32 is mounted on a second end, opposite the first end, whereby the hitch assembly 32 may be coupled to a towing vehicle and raised so that the wheels 30 on the first end engage the ground and support the hanger thereon.

As illustrated in Figure 15, the hitch assembly 32 comprises a tow hitch 34 arranged centrally adjacent said first end of the first section 2 of the hangar and coupled to the hangar via a pair of first and second struts 36,38, each of said first and second struts 36,38 being coupled to a respective corner post of the first section 2 on either side of the adjacent end wall 6. As shown in Figure 15, the hitch assembly 32 is adapted to be moveable from an operative configuration, wherein the first and second struts 36,38 are coupled to the respective corner posts of the first section 2 of the hangar and the tow hitch 34 is centrally located adjacent said first end of the first section, and a folded configuration, wherein one of the struts 36 is detached from respective corner post and the other strut 38 is pivoted about a pivotal connection with its respective corner post such that the struts 36,38 and tow hitch 34 lie flat against the rear wall 3 of the first section 2 of the hangar. In this folded configuration access may be provided a pedestrian door 40 which may be located in the adjacent end wall 6 of the first section 2 of the hangar.

In one embodiment, one or more floor panels may be provided within the first section. The floor panels may be pivotally coupled to a lower side of the front wall of the first section to allow the one or more floor panels to be moved between a flat operative configuration and a raised configuration. Said raised configuration may allow the second section 10 to be slid into the first section 2. The or each floor panel may each comprise two or more foldable sections should the width of the or each floor panel be greater than the height of the first section to facilitate movement to said raised configuration.

Preferably each of the sections of the hangar are made from steel panels welded over a steel frame, providing a weatherproof and secure enclosure for a small aircraft. The inner walls of the roof section and/or first and section sections may be coated within a thermally insulating material, such as polymeric foam or thermally insulating panels, to provide improved thermal insulation and reduce condensation issues.

Preferably the first section 2 of the hangar is provided with lifting eyes 42 to facilitate lifting onto and off a trailer for transportation when the hangar is in its transport configuration with the truss 14 lowered and the second section 10 retracted within the first section 2.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but can be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.

Other door arrangements are envisaged. For example, the openable doors may comprise upper and/or lower door sections extending along the length of the front wall of the first section, the upper door being pivotally coupled to an upper side of the front wall about a first horizontally extending pivot, the lower door being pivotally coupled to a lower side of the front wall about a second horizontally extending pivot axis, parallel to said first axis. Where provided, the lower door may define a loading ramp for loading an aircraft into and out of the hangar. The upper and lower doors may be arranged to meet one another, when closed, or to overlap one another, when closed. Rams or other suitable actuators may be provided for moving the upper and/or lower doors between there open and closed positions.

One or more additional sections may be provided adapted to be located on top of the first and/or second sections to define a multi-story construction. The upper sections may be used for other purposes, such as office space or living quarters.