Published in Midwest Flyer – December 2018/January 2019 issue
FAIRFAX, MINN. – Winning an award for a job well done is surely gratifying, but a satisfied customer is the top priority among craftsmen in any field.
Bill Buckner of B&B Welding in Sallisaw, Okla., installed a 46- by 15-foot Schweiss hydraulic door, on the Ely Helicopter Services hangar, complete with two remote openers. The hangar was constructed with products from Star Building Systems. The building measures 70 feet long with a 16-foot eave height and a 2:12 slope on the roof. The hydraulic door is positioned in the middle of one 98-foot end wall. The project was submitted for Star’s Master Builder Contest and won “Best of Hangar.”
Jason “Hoot” Ely of Ely Helicopter Services is the satisfied customer on this project, constructed for his Sallisaw crop-spraying business. Ely also offers aerial sightseeing, videos and photography, wildlife surveys, land surveys, cattle gathering, pipeline and powerline patrol, and aerial hog eradication and predator control.
“I really like the one-piece door,” says Ely. “It also gives you more shade and keeps the hangar cooler. I’ve seen Schweiss doors on other hangars. I’m totally pleased with the construction of the door.”
Ely learned the flying business from his father, John, at the age of 17, and now spends most of his time as the operations manager. He employs two helicopter pilots. Crop spraying makes up the bulk of the family business with an air fleet that consists of two helicopters: a Jet Ranger B3 and a Robinson R44 Raven II. Ely also owns a Cessna Ag Truck and an American Champion Scout.
Schweiss Doors, located in Fairfax, Minnesota, is the premier manufacturer of hydraulic and bifold liftstrap 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.
