Hangar capacity study

MODEL INPUTS

What this study establishes

The two hangars are modelled separately, each with a nominal 50.5 × 53.0 m aircraft floor. The wall at grid B is a continuous barrier. The rear 10 m office and mezzanine zone is excluded.

A320neo / sharklets

37.57 × 35.80 × 11.91 m

B737-800 / winglets

39.47 × 35.79 × 12.55 m

TLD TMX-150 envelope

5.543 × 2.000 m

HYDRO TOWUNIV3S / jets

5.3 m assumed pin spacing

ATR 72-600

27.166 × 27.05 × 7.65 m

Tronair 01-1290-0100 / ATR

4.08 m assembled-length allowance

Building edge reserve

0.75 m assumed

Conventional towing

The aircraft moves through its nose landing gear via a towbar. Both forward towing and tail-first pushback are included. Tail-first parking is followed by tug withdrawal; nose-in parking retains the tug. Coupled routes use a 12 m tractor centre turn radius; tail-first routes include an 8 m curvature transition. Its published outside turning radius is 4.3 m; axle and hitch offsets remain unverified.

Six two-aircraft examples are provided: three aircraft types and two layouts. The optimal-angle layouts use tail-first entry for both aircraft; the mixed layouts use tail-first entry for #1 and forward towing for #2. The RH mixed layout is mirrored into the LH hangar. Sampled horizontal routes are checked against the other bay’s parked aircraft. Tug transfer between separately staged tasks is not animated.

Tug retention and optional side doors

In the mixed layout the tug stays coupled inside after #2 is parked, then pushes #2 out before #1 is removed. This assumes one tug per occupied bay, unless an exit route is provided. Preliminary tractor-only side-door paths are available for the B737 and ATR examples. Their towbar remains with the aircraft. These use an idealised 5 m tractor centre turn radius. No A320 side-door exit has been established. Side openings are proposed modifications and are not assumed in the base layout or videos.

The ATR uses a Tronair 01-1290-0100 body (3.25 m) and 01-0610-0000 ATR head (0.83 m). Their summed 4.08 m length is a conservative assembly allowance, not a verified pin-to-pin dimension. The ATR wheelbase is 10.77 m; the 1.77 m nose-gear setback is estimated from the manufacturer drawing. Confirm the tractor’s towing suitability and aircraft-specific steering limits. ATR propeller discs are included in the plan envelope; engines are assumed stopped.

Limits before a purchase decision

This is a horizontal geometry study, not a certified towing plan. The jet examples require door protrusion. Both ATR examples park fully within the floor footprint in this horizontal model. “Optimal angles” names a searched example, not a proven global optimum. Door openings, raised tail apertures, columns, roof and trusses require a measured survey. The 3D model uses 1 m cutaway walls and omits the roof.

Aircraft shapes are simplified from manufacturer drawings. Route checks use sampled positions, not a continuous swept-volume proof. Towbar pin spacing, tractor configuration, aircraft towing limits, maintenance stands, open panels, egress and operator procedures require confirmation. The displayed apron and protrusion are examples, not proven minima.

Source documents

• Supplied EJA ground-floor and mezzanine plans · January 2011 · JA165/0210.
• Airbus A320 aircraft characteristics
• Boeing 737 NG airport planning
• HYDRO TOWUNIV3S towbar
• TLD TMX-150 tractor
• ATR 72-600 manufacturer dimensions
• Tronair towbar and ATR attachment head

Email-ready MPEG-4 videos

1280 × 720, H.264. Each clip shows entry, parking and exit in one bay, alongside the final four-aircraft layout. Playback is accelerated. The comparison video includes all six complete sequences.

Earlier briefing: original jet 2 × 2 / 3 × 2 comparison PDF. It predates the ATR and mixed-direction options.