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Best Place to Retire and Airport Fly-In Communities

gmcjetpilot

Well Known Member
Any one have an opinion? I'm about 10 years from the final approach to the retirement fix, but want to start planning. I'd love living at an airport community or shared private strip.

I always loved visiting Spruce Creek Fly near Daytona FL. I looked there 20 years ago, and properties were reasonable. They are about doubled today. I suppose still a good value. I know Florida is a love it or hate it for people. South, Mid, North Florida are different. Hurricanes are a factor

I don't have a preference, but below snow belt. Pros and Cons of living on a field (verses renting a hanger and living off field). Pros and Cons of different states for retires? I have lived, worked or extensively traveled in WA, OR, CA, AZ, TN, NC, MI, NY, LA, TX, MS... I know where I don't want to live.
 
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Well now, thats a question that ought to elicit a huge amount of answers..... I have unbuilt property on two airparks, 7MD1 and 2VA1...(2VA1 is for sale). In reality, this is retirement and retirement happiness is a sum total of a lot of things, good and bad. First, you need to decided what state you want to live in - taxes, health care, city vs country setting etc (unfortunately its really which state sucks the least in your opinion), then find an airpark, or if youre really into it, apply to have your own strip.

I retired (the first time) right where my final job was - kids grew up here, went to school here, are working here and will go to grad school here. Nuclear family is 80% of the decision IMHO, tho kids may depart the area, they know where home is. Weather wise, the DelMarVa peninsula, and really the mid-atlantic in general has mild 4 seasons - lots of fishing, hunting, boating, wet water flying (and crabs to eat! Yum!), not a lot of bugs, and if you look for it, plenty of quiet farm land but within spitting distance of major metro areas ie the arts, music, shopping etc. Our 2VA1 property on the NorthernNeck is very mid-west farm-style and offers all the same, but it turned out not to be close enough to family, so we bought on 7MD1 and will build there in a few years.

Bottomline: there is no nirvana place - if there was everyone would live there, so just pick your top 3 things you enjoy most in life, and choose a location - but remember one thing: saving money in and of itself is NOT an "enjoyment" activity, so dont get hung up on taxes.
 
Well now, thats a question that ought to elicit a huge amount of answers.....
Couldn't agree more.

FWIW, I retired 5yrs ago and had the same dilemma. About 3yrs from retirement we (wife & I) started looking into which general area we wanted to live based on climate, cost of living, amenities, family and other factors. We looked at Georgia, Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and eventually decided on the North Florida coast.

After looking at many airparks in this general area, we fell in love with St. Augustine. So we decided not to buy in an airpark but to buy a house very close to the airport. This way the house would be less expensive and easier to sell once my flying days are over.

Once we made that decision (2012) I got on the extremely long hangar waiting list at KSGJ. I retired in 2013, found a house we liked 5minutes from the KSGJ airport and we moved. For 3 years I had the airplane in a hangar at an airport 45minutes away (KFIN). Then in 2016 I finally got a hangar at KSGJ, my #1 preferred location. As of today we are very happy with our choice and would do it again, no questions asked.

Bottomline: there is no nirvana place - if there was everyone would live there, so just pick your top 3 things you enjoy most in life, and choose a location - but remember one thing: saving money in and of itself is NOT an "enjoyment" activity, so dont get hung up on taxes.

VERY WELL SAID!!!

Our thinking was that flying is a HUGE part of our lives, but our lives are more than just flying. In making this decision consider your current and long term lifestyle. And remember, you can always change if it isn't right for you. It might be hard but not impossible. YMMV

PM me if you want more info on the North Florida area.

:cool:
 
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Anybody know anything about airparks in Texas? We are just starting to do our "retirement" research, and have pretty much zeroed in on Texas as where we want to end up (at least in the winter). Anybody have any insight?

Thanks!
 
Retirement

Joe, we can cover a lot of that when you come down to Fredericksburg. You need to decide close to big city, or country. How far to health care and airline if you need them. Cost of living is reasonable in Texas, property tax big item.
 
Anybody know anything about airparks in Texas? We are just starting to do our "retirement" research, and have pretty much zeroed in on Texas as where we want to end up (at least in the winter). Anybody have any insight?

Thanks!

Hmmmm-----our neighbors were on an airpark in Texax, fled to Nevada.
 
in TX

I live at Pecan Plantation, Granbury, TX. Airport ID is 0TX1. EAA chapter is 983. Google it for info. Great place! Has second airpark just east called The Landings. Come check it out.
 
Joe, we can cover a lot of that when you come down to Fredericksburg. You need to decide close to big city, or country. How far to health care and airline if you need them. Cost of living is reasonable in Texas, property tax big item.

Yep, all that is in the "hopper" for consideration. Looking forward to our chat!
 
Well, there are lots of negatives about MS (see today's news), but cost of living isn't one of them. The biggest home (~5000 sq ft) & hangar on our airpark just hit the market, and I'd consider it overpriced at $550k. Taxes on it are likely well under $4k/yr.

There's a new, more upscale airpark on the other side of town with lots available.

Charlie
Slobovia Outernational (MS71)
 
Well, there are lots of negatives about MS (see today's news), but cost of living isn't one of them. The biggest home (~5000 sq ft) & hangar on our airpark just hit the market, and I'd consider it overpriced at $550k. Taxes on it are likely well under $4k/yr.

There's a new, more upscale airpark on the other side of town with lots available.

Charlie
Slobovia Outernational (MS71)

This also brings up a point worth pondering....when you retire, just how much house do you really need? If you have kids, as they depart the nest, and they take stuff with them, do you really need rooms for them? Or just need "a" room for guests? Do you need a two story house ie stairs in your old age? Do you need a formal dining room?

Its a major shift in thought when you get to it, but we've finally realized that for the most part we spend the majority of our time in the kitchen, "TV" room, and bedroom/master-bath. The rest is just heated space collecting dust. And noone wants to waste money on stuff they dont use. We figure we can go from a 2800sqft 4bdr2.5bath to a small 3br (master, guest, and small extra) 2bath 17or1800footer and never miss a thing. The hangar on the other hand....wahoo!! 20k sqft or bigger (two lifts, full compressor bank, paint booth, keg, crapper...... ;)

Anyway, something to think about......
 
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I agree with the sizing requirements, although you either need a heater hangar/workshop or a workshop at home.

I'll throw out another suggestion -- find the right airport and live nearby. We recently moved to Pagosa Springs, CO. Here, we found a wonderful airport and a wonderful vibrant airport community, homebuilts, certified, and even corporate sized aircraft. We are building one mile from the airport. The airport community gets together every Friday afternoon for Happy Hour in one of the heated hangars, spouses included. On Saturday mornings, the pilots gather for coffee and various flying discussions. In addition, they host parties, pancake breakfasts in the summer, and other activities. There is a formation flying group. All this without some of the issues different airparks bring along.

I agree with a previous post -- Texas is getting crowed, they all seem to be coming this way :)

Jerry
 
I retired from Edwards AFB in California 3 years ago and have been on 45G in southeast Michigan ever since, and honestly think it was the best move I could have made. My wife is close to her family (happy wife, happy life!), and we have a comfortable 3br house with a (heated;)) 34x40 attached hangar on one of the friendliest airports I've ever been around. The Michigan winters and our 100-foot wide turf runway with a 24' wide paved centerline just serve to keep out the riff-raff!:D

5.jpg
 
Hangar/apartment

Something I've been looking for, but seems kind of hard to find, is an airpark community that doesn't require you to build an actual house. I'd like to find an airpark that allows you to just build a nice hangar with a living quarters inside. I'd love to find a lot, preferably in North Florida, somewhere between Pensacola and Panama City, that would allow me to build a little hangar/apartment/vacation get-away.

Mark
 
Whiteplains Airpark SC99

I've been living here for 9 years. Moved here from Atlanta after searching the SE for almost 10 years...
My requirements...airplane in back yard with runway close by, simple enough.
Wifes requirements...
Real neighborhood...no hangar homes or want to be airparks
Close to beach but not to close for hurricanes
Good medical
Close to catholic church
And her must...good shopping.

Whiteplains is 12 nm west of KCAE (Columbia, SC)

Whiteplains met all of hers and my requirements.

Link to our blog
https://whiteplainscommunity.blogspot.com/


My house is 2400 sq ft 3 bdr 3.5 baths
Lots of nice people
And all of our neighborhood activities revolve around food it seems. Last night it was a hot dog social and beer.
 
r

The thread got hijacked a little with Texas, but can we please keep it general

Thank you for the great detailed post... Just what I was looking for,
personal experience or specific air parks you know, just a good reality
check (real estate check). I ate up advice.

Please KEEP the air park community comments, opinions and general
retirement info coming. So far they have been excellent, thank you.
 
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Something I've been looking for, but seems kind of hard to find, is an airpark community that doesn't require you to build an actual house. I'd like to find an airpark that allows you to just build a nice hangar with a living quarters inside. I'd love to find a lot, preferably in North Florida, somewhere between Pensacola and Panama City, that would allow me to build a little hangar/apartment/vacation get-away.

Mark

Ms Patti and I have the same desire, eventually.

Look at Skypark. There are some nice hangar homes there.

https://www.airnav.com/airport/18FD

Keep it coming folks.
 
AZ

There are many Live in aviation communities in AZ. You cannot beat the weather 9 months of the year. Other than heat we don't have extreme weather. We have about 350 flyable days a year. Some of those are not flyable because of wind.

I live at Stellar Air Park in Chandler, AZ. (P19). This is a very unique air park in that it is very urban. I'm 4 minutes from a parking space at Costco, the mall and about every type of restaurant you can think of. We have a unique blend of AC from warbirds to experimentals. We have new EAA chapter as well. Lots of community activities. The bad news. There's nothing in here with a hangar under $750K. Great place but it will cost you.

A little research will find you many places in AZ to live with your plane cheaper but more "out there." AZ has a huge RV contingent.

I looked at Pecan Plantation and it would be a viable and affordable alternative.
 
Great stuff.
  • RV7Guy good criterion, airport near shopping & restaurants (not too rural/remote).
  • Florida comes up often for many (weather) reasons. Hard to go too wrong.
  • Love South West high desert AZ or NM. Phoenix area great but hot.
  • Buy just a Lot now. However I'd prefer something already built.
  • Below the snow belt in "sun belt" with exceptions is a criterion.
  • Snow belt exceptions Idaho, Montana, Colorado get high marks for livability.
  • Lived in West WA state (Van's is OR). Eastern part lee side of Cascades is dry.
  • Hawaii or Alaska? Probably not, but best vacation I ever had was Hawaii. Alaska, burr.
  • Buy just a hanger (see them for sale) and live in RV or home off field.
 
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Ms Patti and I have the same desire, eventually.

Look at Skypark. There are some nice hangar homes there.

https://www.airnav.com/airport/18FD

Keep it coming folks.

Thanks Dan, I?ll have to fly over there a check it out. I was also told that 16FL is a good location, and it?s only about 25 miles west of 18FD. I?m just north of Baton Rouge at a little private/public strip (LA3), so that would be a fun little day flight over there and would give me mission to go on a good reason to go flying!

Mark
 
Apparently central TX really is full, as evidenced by the .5 acre of dirt (only) that recently sold for $0.25M just 1000' from my front door...
Yikes.

Luckily the airplane doesn't care what stuff costs as long as you feed it fuel and oil.
 
I?ve got friends at sky ranch 18FD, J22 (16FL), and yellow river (FD93). They all have their pros and cons depending on what you?re looking for. I?m a transient and all 3 are much too far to drive to work, so my aircraft is kept elsewhere. If you?re interested to know more on the 3, shoot me a PM or just fly down and we can show you around.
 
I?ve got friends at sky ranch 18FD, J22 (16FL), and yellow river (FD93). They all have their pros and cons depending on what you?re looking for. I?m a transient and all 3 are much too far to drive to work, so my aircraft is kept elsewhere. If you?re interested to know more on the 3, shoot me a PM or just fly down and we can show you around.

Shane,
I know there's grass field just east of Navarre, but I don't think it's really an airpark where you can buy a lot and build a hangar/apartment on it. Is there anything close to Navarre, Fort Walton, or Destin? I think there's also a grass field right by Niceville, but I don't know anything about it. Then there?s Sandy Creek (75FL) just north east of Panama Beach, but I think they require you to build a house. Where do you hangar your plane?

Mark
 
I?ve got friends at sky ranch 18FD, J22 (16FL), and yellow river (FD93). They all have their pros and cons depending on what you?re looking for.

Curiosity question...FD93 is inside R-2915A. How do the residents operate on a routine basis? Do they phone call the controlling facility before takeoff?
 
There?s a couple of them in the restricted airspace. I believe the LOA says Be below 700? when comin in to the restricted airspace and no student training is allowed. They really don?t bother you. However, not recommended to file to one of those fields as the controllers have no idea how to handle you.
 
Shane,
I know there's grass field just east of Navarre, but I don't think it's really an airpark where you can buy a lot and build a hangar/apartment on it. Is there anything close to Navarre, Fort Walton, or Destin? I think there's also a grass field right by Niceville, but I don't know anything about it. Then there?s Sandy Creek (75FL) just north east of Panama Beach, but I think they require you to build a house. Where do you hangar your plane?

Mark

Look at Ruckel if you want around Niceville. They are actually taking names now for their new hangars, but last I heard it was stupid expensive. Vac has a plane there I believe and he can probably give more info on Ruckel but last I heard the waiting list was years and years long.

The Navarre strip is used for banner towing. Never stopped in and spoke to the guy but hearsay is he will try to charge you a $100 landing fee, even though it?s listed as public. Not sure how all of that works, but there aren?t any hangars there and doesn?t seem to be a friendly place to go. Never been to sandy creek, but I do know a fellow that lives there. Haven?t heard one way or the other on that place.

I keep my planes at Milton 2R4 as it?s only 20mins from my house and puts my house halfway in between the hangar and work. Rent is $187/month. We have 2 planes and the waverunners along with lots of tools. But if you aren?t working and are retired, I?d stay as far away from highway 98 as I could. The area is only getting more crowded and traffic is getting worse and worse with no real solutions in sight.

There?s nothing in ft Walton and Destin is always an option but not sure there?s any single unit hangars. I?ve just heard of $300 hangar rent to shove it into a huge hangar with a lot of other planes. Makes me cringe and just think hangar rash.
 
Shane,
Thanks for the information. So I guess to get into an airpark community anywhere in that area you?d basically have to stay north of Pensacola. I?m really not interested in just hangar space. I have my eye out for a friendly place that allows for a hangar/apartment to be built and NOT require an actual house to be built. I already have a house and I don?t want the expense or maintenance involved with owning another one. I grew up in Baton Rouge and the Pensacola/Destin area was always like a second home to me. I?ve always been a beach bum at heart so hopefully I?ll be able to find something around that area that I really like and that will be a fun little getaway that won?t break the bank.
 
After living on an airpark for 20 years my advice is to make sure you understand what the CC&R's are (if any). Also try to get a sense of ALL the neighbors motivations are, as well as any POSSIBLE negative power over your life if new neighbors roll in. If you are interested in flying and pursuing a "live and let live" existence, make sure you dont have neighbors that are attempting to maximize property value at every turn... Odds are that eventually they're going to find something about your property that doesnt fit with their idea of "upward mobility" and you are going to have to defend your position. I'd also look at how the runway itself is managed. Are you all owners, or is the runway a separate legal entity? Research the pros and cons of every scenario. Also research what kind of easments are in place (airborne and terrestrial), specifically with an eye toward establishing the relative security of the airfield. It would be a shame to retire to a place and months later it gets closed because a nearby landowner dies or sells his land and the new owner wants to build a shopping mall.
 
Check out Massey Ranch X50

This airport is just 10 minutes south of Spruce Creek and is an hidden gem very close to New Smyrna Beach.
Paved runway and a shorter grass runway for pilots who want to save their tires.
Commercial hangers on the West side and residential hangar homes on the east side.
I have a 10,000 sq.ft wooded lot for sale at the grass taxiway for a very affordable price.

Cheers,
 
This airport is just 10 minutes south of Spruce Creek and is an hidden gem very close to New Smyrna Beach.
Paved runway and a shorter grass runway for pilots who want to save their tires.
Commercial hangers on the West side and residential hangar homes on the east side.
I have a 10,000 sq.ft wooded lot for sale at the grass taxiway for a very affordable price.

Cheers,

PM sent this AM.
 
Live at The Duchy (5NC5) in NC near Chapel Hill. We have a 3500 foot paved runway. Great community. Great for retirement and if you are still working. Taxes are low. Close to great medical.
 
I currently live at Cross Country Estates 07TS in Georgetown, TX. Great lighted grass strip.

We just bought a lot at Hensley Airpark, in Chuckey TN for retirement. It has a paved strip and a grass strip. Close to things, five miles from the smoky mountains, and the folks we have met are great.

Hoping to build a hangar next year sometime, and the house 2-3 years after that.

-Dan
 
After living on an airpark for 20 years my advice is to make sure you understand what the CC&R's are (if any). Also try to get a sense of ALL the neighbors motivations are, as well as any POSSIBLE negative power over your life if new neighbors roll in. If you are interested in flying and pursuing a "live and let live" existence, make sure you dont have neighbors that are attempting to maximize property value at every turn... Odds are that eventually they're going to find something about your property that doesnt fit with their idea of "upward mobility" and you are going to have to defend your position. I'd also look at how the runway itself is managed.

This is absolutely most important thing. Location is nothing if you have bad actors in the neighborhood. Some folks are interested in building communities, but others are interested in control/power which breaks apart communities. Most everyone wants to build a community, but it only takes a single person to destroy the positive efforts of others. A non-pilot on an airpark HOA board of directors is a red flag. They are NOT there for the runway!
 
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300+ days of sunshine a year!

I live on Kelly Airpark - CO15 - and absolutely love it. http://kellyairpark.org

There are a total of 57 lots and I believe there are two still available. Home values here seem good considering what you're getting, and deals can be found now and then. Although I don't think there are any up for sale at the moment, there is a list of lots and a map on the website.

pOEDwYJ.png


About half way between Denver and Colorado Springs and out to the east a bit at 7040'. I've got lot 17 up on the NW with a short taxi right onto the hammer on the north end (little grey icon on the image above). I'm about 20 minutes from any store I could want in three directions.

HOA fees are very reasonable and include RW and all common area maintenance. Our primary runway 17/35 is paved and we have a gravel/turf crosswind runway 8/26.

Here's a short video one of my neighbors made: https://tinyurl.com/y8pdaf7d
 
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That's a good question! I never paid a cent for the -8A I built and flew for 7 years. However, I believe there is a use tax in CO. When and if I get a bill, I'll let you all know...
 
Colorado taxes

The Colorado Pilots' Association was successful, many years ago, in getting the property/ licensing tax removed for all based aircraft. CPA is one of the best resources for GenAv in the State.
You WILL pay a sales or use tax on any purchase of aircraft --'use' is the alternative if a new purchase from out of state. NO, not triggered just by moving there.
There is also a sales tax exclusion for aircraft parts, passed some years ago to entice United to move a facility there [which didn't work].
WARNING: I stopped following the Colo Legislature's antics 3 yrs ago - check for currency of this info.
 
Buckingham Airpark (FL59)

I live at Buckingham Airpark just outside Ft Myers, FL. We have a three year old house in the developement that used to be the site of a gunnery training school in WWII. Our house apparently sites on the site where the base movie theater used to be. The runway is pavement maintained by the State of Florida as the airport is the location of Florida Mosquito Control. There are roughly 50 houses there with access to the runway via remote control gates. I bought my house two years ago for ~$450,000 for 2600sq ft plus a 1700 sq ft hangar. Lots sell for $55,000 for 1/2 acre MOL. There are few houses for sale but numerous lots. Everyday from 4-5:30 we meet for happy hour in the hangar of the unofficial mayor who just turned 95. Every Wednesday we fly to Sebring for breakfast and every Saturday we fly to one of several other breakfast spots. I?m retiring in two weeks and can?t wait to be there full time. There are all types of aircraft there including numerous RVs. I have an unlimited number of airplane owners available to me who are an inexhaustible source of wisdom and advice for all sorts of aircraft questions. I?ve looked at Spruce Creek and Heavens?s Landing but I found Buckingham to be very affordable. We?re out in the country but an easy drive into Ft Myers or Naples. My property taxes for two lots (I bought the lot behind me so nobody can build on it) are ~$4000 this past year. HOA fees are $300 per year (yes, per year). The airport identifier is FL59 and just under the outer circle of KRSW
 
Hanger, no house

Hanger no house, is a no brainer. . I don’t want the expense or time spent to maintain a house. Here at Hicks that’s what we have.
My Problem is, my flying interest is in Utah, Montana and Idaho. Off airport operations Super Cub type flying is hard to come by in Texas.
Defining priorities for retirement is semiliar to deciding which airplane to have,,, then buying both,,, Fast and Slow. RV8 And a Super Cub
 
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Hanger no house, is a no brainer. . I don?t want the expense or time spent to maintain a house. Here at Hicks that?s what we have.
My Problem is, my flying interest is in Utah, Montana and Idaho. Off airport operations Super Cub type flying is hard to come by in Texas.

You?re preaching to the choir!!
 
Retirement

Jay, the problem with the area you are talking about is 9 months of winter. It's cold up there and hard to fly because of that. I suggest 3 months in the mountains and 9 months in Texas.
 
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