Ok! All you folks now living on a residential airpark, interested in doing so or just want to make sure the right to have homes on airparks remains valid – please read the following carefully and send me your responses as soon as possible.

Brent Blue is an individual who has been aggressively fighting the FAA over the agency’s recent efforts to eliminate Through The Fence (TTF)
agreements.

He told me that “I met with the FAA today. They have been on a road trip to gather information on TTF airports and to hear from TTF hangar home owners to “possibly change policies.” They met in Erie CO, Independence OR, Sandpoint ID, and Driggs ID.”

Blue said he considers “most of their arguments against hangar homes theoretical or without valid foundation. They continually mentioned children and pets on airport operations areas, driving by unauthorized individuals on the runway (e.g. teenagers drag racing), and residential homes being built near airports because hangar homes are already there (e.g. you cannot fight off non aviation homes if you have aviation homes present).

“I think we are probably both in agreement that these are invalid arguments but as part of the process of supplying comment, I thought it would be good to give them numbers even if they were zero.”

Blue is seeking input from people on airparks relative to the issues the FAA has brought up. Please provide your personal experiences on the following issues so we can tabulate them and provide them to the FAA:

1. Are you aware of any accidents involving children or pets on taxiways or runways? If yes, please provide airpark name and city and approximate date.
2. Are you aware of any incidents of unauthorized use of the runway by autos, 4 wheelers, or other non aviation conveyance? If you are aware of such incidents, how was it dealt with by the homeowners.
3. Are you aware if zoning for single family dwellings used by the airpark encouraged any non aviation homes being built close enough to the airport to present noise issue?

“We know these numbers will be low, but given the large denominator of private airparks, we can use the results as an example of actual experience instead of theoretical risk. We will use these numbers to support our comments which we will be working on with the FAA in two weeks,” Blue concluded.

Can you help? Please send your comments right away to dave@generalaviationnews.com and I’ll tabulate them and get them to Blue.

Oneida, Tennessee – Big South Fork Airpark, an aviation and equestrian community adjacent to the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area 50 miles north of Knoxville, has completed Phase 1 of their development, announcing properties available for sale.

Gary Gallagher, Bill Armstrong and Tom Donald of the Big South Fork Airpark began planning the community in 2006.
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Sun ‘n Fun (April 13-18, Lakeland, Florida) is coming up soon and I’m planning my residential airparks presentation. This is something I’ve been doing for a lot of years and I want to try something different this year.

Do you have questions about residential airparks? Are there things about possibly Living With Your Plane that you are particularly concerned about? Is your spouse questioning certain aspects of moving to a residential airpark?

I want to hear your questions and concerns or thoughts that you have so I can think about them in advance and attempt to come up with solutions. In addition, over the years, I’ve discovered that when a question is shared with the group sitting in on my program, someone usually can produce a good answer so I plan on sharing your questions with the audience.

Give me your thoughts as soon as you can. Contact me at dave@generalaviationnews.com. I look forward to seeing you all in Lakeland.

While this story in the Reno (Nevada) Gazette-Journal might not do the perception of GA any favors, the home on Dayton Airpark is beautiful.

The Gympie Times in Australia is reporting the “Kybong aerodrome (map) is set to enter the 21st Century, with council approval of a plan which will ultimately lead to a residential airpark, where flyers can keep their aircraft in the garage, along with their cars.”

The Red Deer Advocate (Alberta, Canada) is reporting that officials in Mountain View County, Alberta will consider developing an airpark on Sundre Airport. From the story:

“Airparks have proven successful elsewhere. Twin Island Airpark, 20 km southeast of Edmonton, and Okotoks Air Ranch, 50 km southeast of Calgary, have offered similar opportunities to those who like to keep their heads in the clouds. The idea has proven popular in the U.S., where more than 600 airparks have been developed.”

The FAA issued Airport Compliance Manual (ACM) Order 5190.6B (link to entire Order web page) last year. In the details, the FAA has placed airparks (both existing and future) with through-the-fence (TTF) agreements or on premise at publicly-funded or granted airports squarely in its cross-hairs.

ACM 5190.6B Chapter 20, Section 4A, is a horrific statement, “Any residential use existing on the airport or any residential use granting “through-the-fence” access is an incompatible land use.” The FAA is painting the subject with the broadest possible brush.

Same Chapter, Section 3B, “The likelihood that residents of an airpark will seek restrictions on the use of the airport for the benefit of their residential use is very high, whether or not they own aircraft.” The FAA offers no evidence from existing federally-funded airports with airparks that substantiate this assertion.

Chapter 12 has further language pertaining to TTF and incompatible land use, including a response to Sporty’s Pilot Shop owner Hal Shevers in his attempt to encourage the FAA to promote TTF and airparks as a way to save airports across the country. As you might imagine, he was rebuffed.

The federal docket for comments on the ACM is open until March 31, 2010. Now is the time to make your voice heard. Download chapters 12 and 20 or the entire ACM (22MB PDF) and post your comments at this page at regulations.gov by clicking on the top Submit a Comment link (next to the original FAA notice dated 10/7/2009). Should you think this issue does not apply to you, think again. For the FAA to cavalierly state residential use near an airport is an incompatible land use (with no regard to circumstance and no apparent flexibility) is beyond the scope of rational thought.

Question from Morris: I am inquiring about floor plans. I need to blow up the thumbnails to get a better view and also need the prices and what is included with the plans. Any help? Thanks.

Answer from Dave: The floor plans have been submitted over many years to Living With Your Plane by people all over the country. They are simply to provide you ideas for building… we do not have building plans so there is no charge from us. The name and address of the person who submitted the plans to us usually is on the layout and you might want to contact that person and see if they have and are willing to provide a set of plans. Hope this helps.