Schweiss donation helps EAA Chapter 25 build new hangar

by anthony_capkun_2 | 10 June 2026 10:39 am

Group of people standing in front of a large metal aircraft hangar with an open bifold door and EAA Chapter 25 signage.[1]
Chapter 25’s new hangar provides adequate space for storing member aircraft, holding meetings, and hosting aviation gatherings.

Founded in January 1953 in Milwaukee, Wis., as a local club for those who built and restored their own aircraft, the Experimental Aircraft Association[2] (EAA) has since grown into an aviation community of 300,000 members spread out over 100 countries.

“We strive to make aviation easier, more accessible, more rewarding, and more fun—igniting and nurturing interest by embracing ‘The Spirit of Aviation’ in all that we do,” says EAA.

Based in Lakeville, Minn., EAA Chapter 25[3] had been fundraising for several years to build a new hangar. The existing one was running out of space for chapter events; plus, the furnace system was loud, and the hangar door was acting up.

Fundraising had been going well, but the chapter felt they were still years away from a new hangar.

That all changed when Chapter 25 board member Patrick Halligan approached Mike Schweiss, owner of Schweiss Doors[4], to secure a deal on a hangar door.

Group posing outside a metal aircraft hangar with an open bifold door and a small airplane visible inside.[5]
A team from Schweiss Doors, including owner Mike Schweiss (fourth from right), came to see Chapter 25’s newly completed hangar.

“[Schweiss] looked at me and said, ‘I’ll give you a door’,” Halligan recalls. “That was his exact wording to me. I think I shook his hand, probably shook his hand too long. It was a very generous offer. I was hoping he’d give us 20% off.”

With the gift of this door, Chapter 25 decided to sell the old hangar and use the proceeds to build a new structure. Within a few months, the chapter was breaking ground and putting up walls.

An additional donation from the widow of a late chapter member helped pay for the Extreme Panel insulation kit from Schweiss Doors[4], as well as the 54 x 16-ft bifold door’s installation.

Group of men holding a ribbon during a ribbon-cutting ceremony inside an aircraft hangar.[6]
Members of Chapter 25 held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new hangar at Airlake Airport in Lakeville.

Located at the Airlake Airport, the new home of EAA Chapter 25[3] is a 4,800-sf wooden hangar that provides enough space for meetings and events, as well as for storing a few project aircraft.

The new hangar will help EAA Chapter 25 continue its mission of bringing aviation enthusiasts together. It is one of the first local chapters formed in the United States and boasts around 130 members, with many building planes of their own. The group welcomes anyone who loves aviation, regardless of whether they fly or have a plane.

“Some guys thought it would never happen, thought we were crazy,” Halligan says. “We’re happy that it has all worked out.”

If you’re in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region and have an interest in aviation, EAA Chapter 25[3] welcomes guests to its monthly meetings, which are normally held at 7 pm on the third Wednesday of each month (with a potluck beginning around 6 pm).

— With files from Schweiss Doors

Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: https://www.metalconstructionnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Schweiss-Doors-EAA-Chapter-25-donation-01-800.jpg
  2. Experimental Aircraft Association: https://www.eaa.org/
  3. EAA Chapter 25: https://chapters.eaa.org/eaa25
  4. Schweiss Doors: https://www.bifold.com/
  5. [Image]: https://www.metalconstructionnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Schweiss-Doors-EAA-Chapter-25-donation-03-800.jpg
  6. [Image]: https://www.metalconstructionnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Schweiss-Doors-EAA-Chapter-25-donation-02-800.jpg

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