Schweiss was the logical choice

Schweiss doors continue to show up in unusual places, around the world. Arizona businessman Phil Kislak said his basic reason for going with Schweiss was simply the strong reputation of Schweiss doors throughout the aviation industry. He shared his experiences as follows:

"My partner has an ultra light sightseeing business on an airstrip in Costa Rica that we developed. Future plans include eventually selling lots adjacent to home building projects. So we needed a hangar, and we needed the best door for that hangar. Because of the reputation of Schweiss and the fact that I've seen their doors in numerous locations around the U.S. we decided to buy a Schweiss door and have it shipped to our Costa Rica location," said Kislak.

The delivery of the door, construction materials for the new hangar, and installation of the door all went very well according to Kislak. The Schweiss door is a 12' x 44' wide bifold with lift straps, very likely the first such door in Costa Rica. And Kislak related, "The door is excellent, the hangar is great, and we couldn't be more pleased." The Quonset corrugated-metal hanger, 60' x 60' was built on site by a San Jose construction company which trucked both the 30' metal roof sections (pre painted) and a special forming machine that put the correct contours plus crimps into each sheet metal section

He tells of meeting Mike Schweiss at the Oshkosh, WI air show in late July. "It was at the Schweiss display and I saw some of the unique and beautiful Schweiss door installations around the country. I asked Mike if he'd like to include some photos of our Costa Rica operation. And that's how our scenically beautiful Costa Rica air strip is now part of the Schweiss web site."

Materials and engineering are mighty important for airport hangars and hangar doors in this part of Costa Rica. According to Kislak, the area gets drenched with 275 inches of rain each year. But because the Schweiss doors are water tight, this high rainfall environment is not an issue with the bifold unit. Also fortunately most showers occur each afternoon so mornings are crisp, clear and beautiful for flying.

Ultra Light aerial tours have rapidly become the most spectacular, breathtaking new adventure for excitement seeking vacationers. Kislak's partner, Georg Kiechle, operates Skyline Tours utilizing two, 2-seat Challenger Ultra Lights. And for an added thrill, Kiechle also uses his Trike (proper name and spelling please) aircraft, a 2-passenger unit guided by weight shifting of its hang-glider wing.

Skyline Tours provides day tours and overnight tours of this ruggedly beautiful Costa Rica coastline area. Uvita is the name of the local community. The airstrip lies just 200 yards from the Pacific Ocean with high-rising mountains stacked up only half a mile away. Best access is to fly to San Jose (Costa Rica's capital city) and then rent a car for a scenic 4-hour drive through the mountains. Or get on board a regional airline for the short flight to the Uvita area.

Because of environmental restrictions, large high-rise hotels are excluded from this area. Skyline Tours operates off a 1200' grass strip. Daytime summer temps average only about 80° F during the day and cooling to 75° F at night. "Weather is much the same year-round in Costa Rica but much less rain and slightly warmer temps from December through March, the ideal vacation time. Costal waters average 79-80° F year round in this area," summed up Kislak adding that excellent fishing, diving, and river trips are additional high lights of this spectacular part of Central America.

He mentioned the professionalism of dealing with the Schweiss people totally impressed he and his partner. "From the start of the manufacturing process on through to finding the right firm to handle the delivery of this door, I just felt the Schweiss crew handled the entire operation flawlessly. And this was all done by phone, and Internet messages. I didn't meet Mike Schweiss until the AEI Show at Oshkosh the last week in July.

"The door was properly packaged in a shipping container. There was zero damage, the instructions were clear and the door was easy to install. We didn't need to call back to Schweiss on a single issue." concluded Kislak who pilots a Piper Saratoga. From his Tucson, AS home base that meant a 9-hour flight to Oshkosh.