Jared Jestice lives in Fulton County, Arkansas, surrounded by the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. He and his family own and operate Jestice Contracting, a construction company specializing in concrete and installing steel structures. “That’s on the side,” says Jared with a smile. “Flying airplanes is first.”
As far back as he can remember, Jared’s passion has been flight. His father was a pilot before Jared was born, and Jared’s first memory is of being in an airplane. “And so, at that point, I was already ruined,” he says, talking of his love for aviation.
It’s a passion that runs in the family. With five family members that fly, their private airstrip is a busy place. Family flights to a little place 30 miles west of the farm are a fun way to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning. Jared also spends time competing with other pilots in competitions such as ArkanSTOL, an annual flying competition that combines precision flying with speed.
“When I got the flying dream, I had to pursue it,” says Jared. “That came with buying an airplane and building a hangar for it.”
The hangar is tucked at the back of the property, large enough to hold Jared’s Kitfox and the rest of the family aircraft, including a 1945 Taylorcraft, 701 Zenith, 1947 Chief, and 1948 Piper Vagabond. Friends of the family sometimes make use of the hangar as well.
Jared had a few requirements for his aircraft hangar door. Considering the busyness of the airstrip, convenience and ease of operation were foremost. Reliability and durability were two other equally important factors to consider.
Jared considered several door types for his aircraft hangar, including a hydraulic hangar door and sliding doors. However, sliding doors took up too much space to the side of the building, and a hydraulic door “swing[s] out before it goes up,” Jared says. “If there’s an airplane that’s parked too close that could be very expensive.” He added that “a bifold made the most sense and uses up the least amount of space.”
He ordered two doors – identical bifold doors at 45 feet wide and 13 feet tall.
There were several other advantages to a Diamond bifold door that made it an easy choice for Jared’s hangar. Easy installation was one of them.
Working in construction, Jared has had experience installing commercial overhead doors. Still, he was a little bit apprehensive about mounting a Diamond bifold door. It was his first bifold hangar door installation, and the size alone can be intimidating.
But installing his first Diamond Door was simpler than it appeared. “We picked it up with a telehandler and had it hung in 30 minutes. It was so easy,” says Jared.
Diamond Doors makes installation easy by shipping the bifold door fully assembled in an “A” frame, with the electrical components and wiring already mounted. A detailed instruction manual is also provided with every door to ensure that installation goes smoothly. Jared says, “pretty much follow the instructions and you won’t make any mistakes.”
Ease and convenience are founding principles of the Diamond Doors brand. From ordering to installation to maintenance, it’s important to the company that every customer has a streamlined experience.
“Customer service with Diamond Doors was great,” says Jared. “When we inquired about purchasing one, they told us everything we needed to do to get the building ready and what kind of support system we needed to hang the door. It was easy to go forward from there.”
Innovative features and options create a custom bifold suited to any hangar door needs, like the electric auto-lock installed on Jared’s doors.
“I didn’t want the chance of someone opening the door and it not getting unlatched,” Jared says. With the auto-lock, the bifold door locks, unlocks, and operates with the push of a button. This system prevents the door from accidental damage – although the Diamond Doors manual locking system has safety features in place to prevent this too.
Customers also take note of Diamond doors for their quality manufacturing and reliable operation. This is an important feature for Jared, who takes care of much of the maintenance around the yard. He adds that “with so many people using it and it going up and down several times a day… for it to work well and reliably every time was a must.”
The lift cables used by Diamond Doors particularly impressed Jared and his father. Straps tend to stretch and fray over time, while cables don’t wear out. “You pretty much just set them and forget them,” Jared laughs.
Other features such as greaseless hinges, a durable frame with a rust-resistant finish, and zero maintenance locking systems make the Diamond door that much more convenient and appealing.
Overall, Jared is very satisfied with his aircraft hangar doors. When asked, he says “We’ve put up a lot of steel buildings, different kinds. We’ve put up hangars, machine shops, and mechanic shops. If they need a door – if they don’t do an overhead door – I would recommend a Diamond door.”
Find out how a bifold door can add new life to your existing hangar, or make your new hangar stand out from the rest by talking with our sales team.
