Published in Midwest Flyer Magazine – Aug/Sept 2016
Lured by a love of fishing and hunting, Illinois natives Steve and Ellen Riggins purchased a cottage north of Dryden, Ontario, in 2003, and made the permanent move in 2007. Another hobby – flying – led the Riggins to build a hangar for their Cessna 185 floatplane, complete with a hydraulic door from Schweiss Doors of Fairfax, Minn.
“We’re now permanent residents in Canada,” Steve Riggins says, “but I still have the farming operation in Illinois and go back there for planting and harvesting seasons. My wife and I are both outdoors people and have fished in Canada for years. Canada just seemed like a good choice for us to go where we have unlimited fishing and hunting opportunities. There’s almost as much water as there is land, and there are moose up there — something we didn’t have in Illinois.”
The Riggins hangared their plane at Dryden Regional Airport when they first arrived in Ontario. When they made the move to Inorwic Lake, they worked on plans for their own hangar. Their experience with hangars and with their farm buildings provided some knowledge of bifold doors.
“I never had a hydraulic door before; I wanted to try one,” Steve Riggins said. “Headroom was the main factor in my choosing a hydraulic door.” The Riggins chose a hydraulic door from Schweiss Doors, with a remote control opener.
Schweiss Doors manufactures hydraulic and bi-fold lift-strap doors. Doors are custom made to any size for any type of new or existing building for architects and builders. For more information, visit www.bifold.com.
