At this point, many would say there is no longer any concern. But once all the technical and financial problems have been resolved, the new owner must once again navigate murky and unfamiliar waters for the first time: the culture of the local airfield. Among the pitfalls of rumors, reputations, gossip and grudges, it is wise to make a good impression and avoid stepping on toes.

Here are five key tips to ensure your integration into your new hangar tenant micro-company goes as smoothly as possible.

While this tip applies to any ramp or parking area, it’s especially important to make sure your prop wash doesn’t create chaos behind you when driving past busy sheds.

Aircraft parked in hangars are rarely secured, so in addition to potentially damaging control surfaces, a sudden, abrupt gust of wind blowing through an open (or partially open) hangar door can actually move the aircraft out of position. Some hangar doors ride on overhead tracks and can derail if blown too hard from the front or rear while open.

Additionally, sheds often serve as workshops, in which projects involving paint, fabric, or other easily damaged materials take place. Filling a neighbor’s workspace and covering their freshly painted project with a swirling cloud of grass and dust is a surefire way to ruin their day. In such cases, simply keep your tail pointed toward the hangar and turn your aircraft only toward or away from a hangar with a tug or tow bar.

Foreign object debris (FOD) is everyone’s business, and if everyone makes a little effort to clean up stray trash or debris, it is easy to manage.

The best example of this is the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) Airventure in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Even though almost 700,000 people attended the event and used an equally high number of cups, straws, plates, napkins, etc., waste is simply non-existent because everyone participates. I would wager that no other event of this magnitude, in the United States, anyway, can say the same.

The efforts you make – or neglect – as a hangar tenant have a disproportionate effect on others around you. Throw a cigarette butt on the ground or toss a wrapper into the grass and you’ll quickly earn a bad reputation. Conversely, make an effort to actually improve common areas, and perhaps others will be inspired to follow suit.

Every time I spot a new hangar tenant, I immediately do three things. I welcome them at the airport, introduce myself and give them my contact details.

In addition to making new friends and getting to know local aviation people, it helps create a strong support network within your local aviation community. Think of it as a “neighborhood watch” of your local airfield, where vital information and friendly help are just a call or text away.

Earlier, my friend and hangar mate, Dan, informed me of possible problems with my plane. Spotting an orange light lit in my hood intake, he suspected my engine heater was on and asked if I intended to leave it on for several days to come where the weather couldn’t fly .

It turned out that the light was just the extension cord itself and the heater was actually not plugged in at all. However, I appreciate his thoughtfulness and vigilance.

Likewise, when I met a Cessna 170 owner across my airfield and learned that he would be spending next winter in Antarctica, among other places, I insisted on exchanging contact details. This way, if I ever detected a problem with his hangar or aircraft, I could alert him immediately and provide assistance if necessary.

Whether the concern is related to the state of the airfield, a problem with a hangar, an act of vandalism or theft, or simply a reminder of an upcoming social event, it is important to keep in touch with the other tenants.

Personally, I rather like to be a bit reclusive when I’m away from the airport. The general public doesn’t impress me much, and although I remain friendly and cordial with strangers, I prefer to just leave everyone alone and enjoy my own solitude whenever I can.

But things are different at the airport.

Just as it is important to share information, it is also important to help each other. No one likes pushing their plane in or out of a hangar all by themselves on a slippery, snowy surface. And almost everyone appreciates some help locating wingtip clearances when taxiing between obstacles.

A tenant at my airfield is helping me by providing his professional IT knowledge to set up a Wi-Fi network that can be shared between all the hangars. It’s not that we all want to watch movies or work from the airport, it’s more about being able to check email and turn our engine heaters on and off remotely.

Hopefully, we can each enjoy Wi-Fi in our hangar for a few dollars a month, and Mister IT Guy will no doubt be welcome for all the cold drinks available in our hangar indefinitely.

An airport with a community that helps each other in this way is indeed very close-knit. It clearly stands out from the alternative: a cold and anonymous place where everyone drives for themselves.

Look for opportunities to be there for each other. Your stay at the airport will become immensely more pleasant, whether you are the giver or recipient of such assistance.

In addition to friendly culture and cold, anonymous culture, there is a third type of airport tenant culture, one that drains our energy and makes us want to go home a little sooner. This would be the hostile environment that revolves around complaints and negativity.

I experienced this microculture before when I worked at a small FBO. Every weekend, a group of airplane owners would get together to eat donuts, drink coffee, and complain about almost every aspect of their lives. Spouses, schedules, management, prices and above all politics, nothing was out of place.

Never mind that most of them made hundreds of thousands of dollars a year flying two or three trips a month for major airlines and cargo operators. And it didn’t matter that they each owned at least one impeccable plane and had plenty of free time to enjoy it. It was exhausting spending time in a room perpetually flooded with their constant negativity, and inevitably, everyone seemed to leave with a darker mood than when they arrived.

Negativity is contagious, but so is positivity. Inserting a comment into a conversation about how cool a particular type of plane is or how hilarious another renter can be is very helpful, especially when multiple people are doing it. Praise people behind their backs. Ask them for advice on theft or ownership.

By preventing the daily ambiance from devolving into the whining and negativity that defines so many other aspects of life, you will ensure that your new airport is a welcome escape from the non-aviation world.