Can you build a 32' airplane in a 18'x18' two car garage?    

Ideally you will have a barn, large shop, or hanger at your disposal to build your aircraft because having lots of space really speeds the building process.  If like me, you dont have access to a large workspace, then there are a number of things you can do to make building in the garage more efficient and pleasant.

	To make it as easy as possible to build in a confined space I chose an aircraft design with folding wings which lets me build the plane to completion, fold the wings, and tow it to the airport.  Especially in the later phases of construction, the folding wings are very helpful.  I can wheel the airplane out into the driveway, open the wings, do rigging of the ailerons, the fold the wings back and roll the plane back into the garage for the night.  There will be nothing I need to do once I get the plane to the airport.  Click here to see a video clip of the wings being folded.
	When building in a garage, space is at a premium and nothing can be in the garage that isn't absolutely required to build the airplane - no recycling bins, no yard tools, no storage boxes as there just isn't room enough for tools, a workbench, wings, a fuselage, and all the parts to build the plane. The first step in building a plane is to clear out the garage - everything.  In my case, I needed to build a shed to hold all my large woodworking tools and the yard tools.
	I'm in California and 9 months a year its above 60 degrees so I dont have to worry about heating which is a good thing since my garage is not insulated.  For the winter months I have this natural gas heater, not really recommended.  Because of the open flame on this space heater (and the water heater behind it), I cant use anything which produces combustible gases in the garage during the winter.
	I put outlets on the ceiling in 8 places for both the lighting fixtures and for power tools.
	You can never have too much light.  With energy costs the way they are, fluorescents are the only way to go.  I have eight dual 4' fixtures spread evenly over the garage area and I never need a flashlight to see into nooks and crannies on the plane.
	The next step is careful layout of the shop area.  With the plane in the position shown, I can open the garage door and let the other wing stick out into the driveway.
	Finding room to store all the parts for the homebuilt aircraft is a challenge, especially the larger ones like engine cowls and windscreens.  I am fortunate that our garage is not sheet-rocked so I can use the peaked garage attic to store these large items.  If your space is limited, I wouldn't suggest buying the entire kit at one time like I did - you end up storing a lot of very large pieces that will just get in your way.
	For small parts that I need multiple times a day, this floor to ceiling shelving unit saved the day.  Shelving units over the workbench add additional storage for tools.
	Any large tools which must be left in the garage must be on wheels to make them easier to move out of the way.  Of my large tools, the band-saw and lathe are the two that I need constantly so they got to remain in the garage - all others are stored in the shed.
	Lastly, and most importantly, was devising a way to quickly and easily lower the wings to waist level for work and then hoisting them back up to the ceiling out of harm's way.  It turns out that pulley systems are made to store bicycles on the ceiling that work perfectly and are inexpensive, two sets on each wing and I can raise or lower the wing simply with one hand.  As an added bonus, the wing can be held at any angle, height, or orientation for ergonomic work placement. The pulley system also allows me to safely mate the wing to the fuselage or the flapperon to the wing by simply putting the wing in the proper position using the pulleys and dropping in the hinge pins.  The pulley set is Item #00-0807B from Performancebike.com, the price is $40 and it has a self locking mechanism.  Click here to see a video clip of the wings being lifted off the plane using the pulley system.

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