14 years ago today. Tornado at the Airport!

[Sky King]

We almost never have tornadoes but here's the aftermath of the one that hit my hanger at the airport, It was 62'x96'x20'h ceiling, the biggest on the airport. It hit the front half,the workshop in the back was untouched except for standing water. I lost my pristine 1938 Taylorcraft B model,the 14th produced that hung in a barn from 1941-1991 50 years before being restored. Delivered to Kellogg airport 12/24/38 about 40 miles away. It's now flying in Brazil. I had broken my back 1.5 years before. Taylor invented the Cub, later partnered with Piper who knew nothing about aircraft & later forcrced Taylor out of his own company like they did Ford. Taylor went on to build a far better side by side plan that cruised 50% faster on the same engine.
https://www.heraldpalladium.com/loc...cle_73f2bbf3-46a0-5b7e-9f41-08f72afec5f9.html
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-a...igh-winds-destroyed-a-hanger-at-42350907.html

 

[user 22017]

We almost never have tornadoes but here's the aftermath of the one that hit my hanger at the airport, It was 62'x96'x20'h ceiling, the biggest on the airport. It hit the front half,the workshop in the back was untouched except for standing water...

The Herald link has a pay wall, but the alamy link worked. Yikes!

 

[Sky King]

Yep it was ugly! The HP paywall I clicked on the X in the corner which opened a current page then hit backspace & the orig story came up but no big deal. I had insurance but the city insisted I made it "Blast Proof" which ran the cost to $350k which when each time I bought a hanger I asked & was told No taxes as we leased the land from the city. Then they started property taxes. I was the AOPA rep & took the city all the way to the state & lost. I couldn't afford taxes on a $350k commercial building, couldn't get into many planes anymore including the Tcraft so I took the ins settlement as I'd built a 52'x 84' hanger on the farm 18 miles away & put in 2 grass runways in 2000. I cut all the lumber to build it on a farm we had in the U.P. on a Mobile Dimension 3 bladed sawmill I bought in Oregon. I kepi the 2 small hanger & sold them a few years ago. Time to "Turn the Page!"