A hangar of his own

While Steve Vihlen makes his living as a captain of a 767 FedEx cargo plane that takes him all over the world, his real passion is flying sailplanes.

He owns an American-made classic 1964 Schweizer 126-B glider with a 59′ wingspan and a German-made Alexander Schleicher ASG-29 single-place racing glider he bought new from the factory in 2006. The ASG-29 has a wingspan over 113′.

He also flies a 7AC Aeronca Champ and uses his vintage 1952 Cessna L-19/O-1 to tow the gliders. The L-19 is in its original colors and was Air Force from 1952-1973. The Civil Air Patrol used it until it was civilianized in 1978.

To house his many planes, Vihlen built a 70′ by 70′ hangar adjacent to his home and to the runway at the Mallards Landing Airpark in Locust Grove, Ga.

The four-plane hangar erected by Watford Steel Buildings of Adel, Ga., has a Schweiss Doors 60′ by 12′, 6″ bifold liftstrap door with a manual side latch system and exterior sheet metal cladding.

The interior features a 15′ by 32′ man cave that connects to an outside bar, guest quarters with a living room, bathroom, shower and kitchenette.

“The hangar is wonderful,” Vihlen says. “We poured the foundation within a week of when we poured the foundation for our own house. When we lived in Memphis, I rented a hangar at a nearby privately-owned public use grass airstrip. We built this hangar because we wanted our own hangar near our home.”

The love of flying has worked its way to the next generation as two of Vihlen’s sons are also licensed pilots. Ryan, the oldest, has a private certificate and glider rating. Nolan, the second oldest, is a captain in the Marine Corps and has flown Sikorsky CH-53 Heavylift Transport helicopters the past seven years. Nolan soloed his first glider at 16 and a year later soloed in a Super Cub.