Chip Ottinger’s Big Top hangar at Cross Keys, New Jersey, took about a day to erect. All-in cost, less paving, was $10,000.

by Ben Barnard

What is it about hangars? Most airports have a years- long list of owners wanting them, acres of open land to build them and plenty of suppliers willing to do the work. Yet hangar construction seems to be a rarity. Airport boards drag their feet on permitting or simply reject the idea outright.

In desperation, this has caused some hangar-starved owners to consider so-called soft hangars—tent-like structures with fabric pulled over metal frames. Obviously, they should be cheaper because they’re quicker to erect than metal hangars and shouldn’t require much site work or permitting, right? Not really. …