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Airport or Airpark: where to go?

Pilot8

Well Known Member
Hey guys you are the ones to ask about this! I'm looking for either an airport or an airpark that has an active and interesting aviation community going on. Experimentals are a plus of course. it's important to find a bunch of people who dig aviation as I'm looking to relocate somewhere in the US. I'm open minded about where. Your aviation stories are welcome here!

Cheers
 
NC25

Hey guys you are the ones to ask about this! I'm looking for either an airport or an airpark that has an active and interesting aviation community going on. Experimentals are a plus of course. it's important to find a bunch of people who dig aviation as I'm looking to relocate somewhere in the US. I'm open minded about where. Your aviation stories are welcome here!

Cheers

After 20-years and over 3,300 hours flying around the country looking at different Airparks, I settled on Gold Hill (NC25) NC. I like it the best.

I did not want to be in the city and did not want to be so far out in the country that everything was a drive of an hour or more

Gold Hill had the right combination of close to the big city and several smaller cities that I could get groceries and most needs met at a price I could afford without having to give up flying.

There are six (6) flying RVs here and there are (3) three RVs under constructions. There are C120/140s, C177, Bonanza, Gyroplanes, and others. It is almost built out but there are 4 lots for sale and also two houses with hangars up for sale.
 
Hicks

We need pilots here at Hicks.
Come here. Buy a hanger
Look on Google maps. 584 Aviator Dr, Fort Worth, Texas. We have 400 hangers. You own the dirt and hanger. No government interference.
 
We need pilots here at Hicks.
Come here. Buy a hanger
Look on Google maps. 584 Aviator Dr, Fort Worth, Texas. We have 400 hangers. You own the dirt and hanger. No government interference.


Hey Jay - are any of those 400 hangars currently for sale?
 
TX

Check out Pecan Plantation in Granbury, TX. With two residential airparks, 0TX1 and 66TE, and other features of this gated community, it is a great place to live. EAA Chapter 983 is a very active chapter with a chapter hangar. Been living here for 20 years now so I am biased. Check us out.
 
I am at Polly Ranch in Friendswood. There are a few air parks in the Houston area, but it seems like things never open up. I will live with my plane until I am no longer able to fly. I like living around others who fly, we all share a common bond and there is always help. Additionally, one of my primary reasons I got a plane was to go places fast. Even if the airport is only 5 miles away, by the time you get in the car, get there, park, get out that can be 30 minutes. At 200 mph I am already 100 miles away. I like being able to go out back jump in and go.https://livewithmyplane.com

While looking for places, it seems there are more air parks in the Dallas Fort Worth area, many more. Also the hill country (San Antonio Austin). Or at least for every one house for sale in Houston there will be 10 more in those areas. Both great places to live, but my job and family keeps me here.
 
Airpark HOAs

I think everyone will agree that a bad HOA can make your life miserable. I will probably never invest in an Airpark again, but if I do, I will make certain that it is pilot friendly and has pilots on the BOD. Small airpark communities are particularly dangerous since it only takes a couple residents to create problems. In my case there were only 17 lots and one family owned 5 properties. It was almost impossible to oppose anything they wanted.

I would heartily recommend that you choose larger and well established Airparks. Even then be certain to do your due diligence and interview a significant number of the residents before you invest.

My airpark dream turned into a nightmare. I sold and left.
 
Whiteplains Airpart SC99

Go take a look at our blog...


https://whiteplainscommunity.blogspot.com/


Consider this a warning...most of our community activities revolve around food... lots of food.



Hey guys you are the ones to ask about this! I'm looking for either an airport or an airpark that has an active and interesting aviation community going on. Experimentals are a plus of course. it's important to find a bunch of people who dig aviation as I'm looking to relocate somewhere in the US. I'm open minded about where. Your aviation stories are welcome here!

Cheers
 
Two homes coming on the market at Dogwood (VA42). If you have work to do in the area, this is about the only airpark that you can commute to northern VA or DC. I rode the commuter train that is 5 min from the airpark.

Carl
 
Go take a look at our blog...


https://whiteplainscommunity.blogspot.com/


Consider this a warning...most of our community activities revolve around food... lots of food.

Great blog! I really liked the HOA meeting video. You guys are really organized. Do you have an heated/airconditioned hanger? If I'm not flying, I'll be in the hanger working on the next project, so wonder how you deal with the summer and winters temps/humidy?
 
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Two homes coming on the market at Dogwood (VA42). If you have work to do in the area, this is about the only airpark that you can commute to northern VA or DC. I rode the commuter train that is 5 min from the airpark.

Carl


Does your airpark have a website? I wasn't able to google one down. Thanks!
 

Ron- Nice video of your RV at the airpark! How many homes are in the airpark? Does your airport have a website? Is your hanger heated for winter shop time? Do you need an air conditioned workshop? I'm usually in the hanger when not flying, reason I ask. Do families get together for planned events? Thank you for the info, I really appreciate it!
 
Ron- Nice video of your RV at the airpark! How many homes are in the airpark? Does your airport have a website? Is your hanger heated for winter shop time? Do you need an air conditioned workshop? I'm usually in the hanger when not flying, reason I ask. Do families get together for planned events? Thank you for the info, I really appreciate it!

There are 30 homes in the airpark. Two are for sale now and there are 3 or 4 lots for sale. We will be fully sold out with 36 homes. Sorry, no web site. I have a heat pump in my hangar. Most do without heat or air conditioning, your choice. We have 3 or 4 community picnics throughout the year and a community gathering most every Wednesday evening where we meet at different local restaurants. It's a very close knit community with a great HOA and lots of really nice people.
 
I have flown in and out of Ron?s air park many times. It?s a great group of people there with a ton of RV talent always willing to help. It?s also very reasonable priced!
G
 
Whiteplains

Great blog! I really liked the HOA meeting video. You guys are really organized. Do you have an heated/airconditioned hanger? If I'm not flying, I'll be in the hanger working on the next project, so wonder how you deal with the summer and winters temps/humidy?


I have a 4 ton heat pump in my hangar....a must if your going to be in the hangar whether it's hot or cold outside.


Glad you liked the meeting...that was my last meeting as HOA president.
 
+1 For Polly Ranch

I've lived here only a few years, and never at another airpark, but Polly Ranch strikes a chord with me. We're a very social and aviation-minded group, with a friendly and inexpensive home-owner's association. The neighborhood and the Houston area has everything you need. There are multiple RVs, Cubs, and traveling machines, including twins, at the field.

On the other side, it is a graduate level runway - only ~ 7 meters wide, and rarely oriented with the wind, and I don't think there are any homes for sale at the moment. However, if you become interested, one of our residents maintains a call list of prospective buyers and will contact you when something comes up for sale. That's how I got here!

If you wish to learn more, contact me at [email protected]

All the best,
Taco
 
I'm in my second house at Mogollon Airpark (AZ82). Loved it for 10 years. My first house is for sale, only because the hangar isn't large enough for my Lancair and the RV-8 I'm building once the wings are on. I see the post above about HOAs. Yeah, there can be stinkers who have done some unpleasant things in the past, but we've got a bunch of hard core pilots on the BOD now that are determined to make this a serious airplane friendly place. Full disclosure, I'm on the BOD. We've got 250+ lots, about half built out. We're not a "stereotype" Arizona location being at 6500 feet. Summer is the High Season. Heaven on earth. But we like it year round. We have an active EAA chapter (1044), with about a dozen active projects. It's nice to be able to buzz over to the neighbors to borrow an AN screw or get some quick advice. I haven't posted here before, so I may not get this right. But here is the airpark web site. https://mogollonairpark.com/ I'll go back and look at posting rules and if its OK, I'll post up my house for sale. It's one of the few (only?) houses still for sale on the taxiway (there are several lots for sale). (edit - looks like I would have to post the house link in Classified. That's cool. I'll figure out how to do that later)
 
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I think everyone will agree that a bad HOA can make your life miserable. I will probably never invest in an Airpark again, but if I do, I will make certain that it is pilot friendly and has pilots on the BOD. Small airpark communities are particularly dangerous since it only takes a couple residents to create problems. In my case there were only 17 lots and one family owned 5 properties. It was almost impossible to oppose anything they wanted.

I would heartily recommend that you choose larger and well established Airparks. Even then be certain to do your due diligence and interview a significant number of the residents before you invest.

My airpark dream turned into a nightmare. I sold and left.

Well people issues can be had no matter where one might live - airpark, trailerpark, whatever-park. In the end, only a solo large acre place will give you the freedom to do what might want - alone.

I have airpark property on a very small park - 5lots, and were all deep deep airplane people from aviation backgrounds.......no issues here.
 
Well people issues can be had no matter where one might live - airpark, trailerpark, whatever-park. In the end, only a solo large acre place will give you the freedom to do what might want - alone.

I have airpark property on a very small park - 5lots, and were all deep deep airplane people from aviation backgrounds.......no issues here.

I love it here at AZ82. I see a few beautiful airparks on-line and think wouldn't that be a nice place. But I'M IN a nice place. And moving is a pain. So here I am.

My hangar and RV-8 project is literally seconds away (I'll be doing the "tower mod" in the next few days).

Home Sweet Airpark.
 
Living on an Airpark

When you live on an Airpark, you can do this very easy.

Screen-Shot-2019-02-05-at-10-13-35-AM.jpg


Takeoff RWY 09. Climbing left turn to left downwind 27.

0.2 Hobbs / 1.9 Gallons / 3 circuits

Today was the 3rd day in a row that I had a short fight. Each day the flight was different. Today I wanted to see how fast I could takeoff, touch and go, and return to the hangar with 3 great landings.
 
Since moving to SC86 five years ago, like Gary, I tend to do more but shorter flights.

One other advantage of airpark living is you turn your hangar rent into equity.
 
By far and away, 5B6 The Falmouth Airpark Cape Cod is the place you want to be. Numerous RVs under construction and many other airplanes resident as well. Many homes for sale that are not even advertised. We like it here very much.:)
 
Looks like there will be a home + hangar on the market soon here at Slobovia Outernational (MS71) near Jackson MS. Eleven property owners here, each owning an equal share in the corp that owns the runway itself (4800' x 80' turf). Every shareholder is a member of the board of the corp. Our annual meetings take about an hour, & most of that time is often not business related. Rules are pretty much limited to: no livestock, no commercial operations, and you take your turn mowing the runway. No web site, but there are a few youtube videos of the annual Pumpkin Drop that's sponsored by some of the families on the airport.

Almost nothing going on in Jackson, except some pretty decent blues music on occasion, and the world famous Mal's St Paddy's Day Parade. There is an active EAA chapter in the area that meets once a month; we have cookouts, breakfasts, Young Eagles events, flight events for some disabled organizations, etc.

But taxes (and real estate prices) are pretty low, there's no state income tax on retirement income, and we're a short flight from a *lot* of stuff. Memphis & New Orleans each ~200 miles; Gulf coast and Birmingham about 250.

I've owned my property since 1994; lived here since around '97.

Charlie
 
Gateway to the Rockies...

I'm a little late to the party, but have you considered Colorado? Amazing 300+ days of sunshine per year and almost the middle of the country. Our building lot at Kelly Airpark midway between Denver and Colorado Springs is on the market. It may seem like a self-serving post but, in all honesty, if we didn't have to move to the NW for other life circumstances, we'd already have our home and hangar built!

Great aviation community and Black Forest Soaring Society in on the field.

PM me if interested.
 
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