“ Airlines need reliable products that will last for decades. Other manufacturers make pretty products or throw collections of parts together. Nobody thinks about an integrated system - except Big Ass Fans.
Maintaining a comfortable temperature in winter is one of the biggest challenges for aviation hangars. With 100-ft (30-m) ceilings and 400-ft (122-m) bay doors, the American Airlines Charlotte line maintenance hangar struggled with heat stratification. In fact, temperatures at the highest point reached 140°F (60°C), causing electrical equipment to short-circuit. Facilities engineers considered a number of fixes, but none offered a cost-effective, year-round solution.
American Airlines installed four 24-ft (7.3-m) Powerfoil®X2.0 fans by Big Ass Fans® in the Charlotte line maintenance hangar to mix the air and create a uniform temperature, allowing facility managers to lower the thermostat set point by 5°F (2.8°C) without impacting worker comfort. In fact, the mechanics, who had previously worn bulky coats to make up for the lack of floor-level heat, took off their coats as soon as the fans began running. Bruce Aycock, lead engineer, was so impressed with the quality and durability of the Big Ass® product that he spearheaded a Big Ass Light™ installation in the company’s Dallas/Fort Worth hub.
