An airpark is an airport with 2 or more homesites! That means we want to list every airport with at least two homesites so if you know of one, please complete the airpark listing form or at the very least, send us the airpark name, city and state and if possible a contact name.

When not fighting the FAA created fiasco on residential through-the-fence access, Dr. Brent Blue (founder of ThroughTheFence.org and AME) was building a modified Murphy Moose that he calls “Blue Bear”. After an 11-year labor, above is a photo from an April 7 flight at Driggs, Idaho. From Brent’s email, “For those who want to know: 3500# gross weight, 360 hp Russian M14P 9 cylinder radial, cruise is about 120-130 mph, and it is set up for amphibs.” With all the focus on the myriad challenges we in the aviation world face, it is nice to remember it really is about the airplanes, and the people who fly them. Congratulations Brent.

Figuring others had the same questions, we asked several door manufacturers to send us some information. The first response was received is reprinted below and as we receive additional comments we’ll add them.

Dave,

We are willing to send each door owner a complete manual that has the information they would need to service their door We need the order number —for each door with each request — we are happy to send these out at no charge.

As to publishing it to the web — each door has it’s own unique add on’s — it’s better to do each door as they were ordered. The Order number of the door is located on the inside bottom truss of the door!

Thanks,

Mike Schweiss

Schweiss Bi-Fold Doors

507-426-8273 – Phone

507-426-7408 – Fax

Send your photos to: dave@generalaviationnews.com

Be sure to include the name of the airpark and the city and state as well as your name and a contact email or phone.

Thanks,

Dave Sclair

Editor – Living With Your Plane

During the past 6-8 months we have averaged about one inquiry per month, and have been visited by several families who have toured our fly-in community neighborhood.

At the moment we have several existing homes on the market, some home/hangar lots for sale, a few hangar lots available and one or two hangars being advertised. There are at least two real estate closings coming up in the near future, and several families are planning to come to visit soon.

If your airpark has a website and it isn’t included in our extensive list of airparks, please give us the url for your fly-in community so we can add it to our links. There’s no charge for the service!

Unfortunately, we found a number of broken links and several that no longer exist. During this exercise we tried to reach every fly-in community to which we have established a link asking them to reciprocate with a link to our website from theirs.

If you’re having trouble putting together a website or need to get information out to residents and prospects, please tell us what you are trying to do so we can offer you some assistance. E-mail us at dave@generalaviationnews.com

Ken Totten, chief lending officer, said his bank took over the property when the original developer couldn’t repay development loans. As a result, the bank is now marketing the 15 lots to which it now has clear title.

Located about a half hour from Trenton, NJ., the airport itself has been acquired by new owners. In November, 2008, a group of pilots and hangar tenants completed the acquisition of Sky Manor Airport from its former owner. The plan to see the airport grow and prosper while maintaining the “country club” atmosphere for which Sky Manor has been known.

Since it began back in the 1940′s, Sky Manor has served both local and transient pilots. From its humble grass-strip beginnings to the current 2900-foot paved, lighted runway, Sky Manor has been a favorite stopping point for pilots.

The adjacent residential airpark lots are all fully permitted, according to the banker. Power has been brought to each lot, water wells and septic systems are planned and the combination road and taxiway is ready for paving. When completed the residential development will be a gated community. Five of the 19 lots have been sold.

Totten said the lots are being offered from $195,000. Lots vary in size from 1.5 to 3 acres each. There has been a smattering of interest since the bank’s acquisition in November was completed. The banker said lots aren’t being sold at “fire sale”prices.

For additional information contact Totten at 732-549-4452 x6311.

Far too often maintenance and normal upkeep is put on the back burner during the winter months. That’s especially true in areas where the property gets buried in snow or other inclement weather. With that time situation, flying is often down and the net result is that problems with the runway and taxiway are missed.

Here’s a quick checklist to get your airpark into top shape for the upcoming increase in flying weather and related flying activities:

1. Paved runway – Has foul freezing and thawing created bad spots on the surface? Have cracks developed in the asphalt or concrete? Can you see any depressions on the surface, indicating a possible failure of the base under the pavement ? How about moss – this can seriously reduce braking ability if present? If you plowed the runway, were any reflectors knocked loose or lights damaged? Did the plow create any gouges in the pavement?
2. Unpaved runway – Is the turf too soft now for safe operations? Is a NOTAM needed to make sure no one tries to takeoff or land on a very soft strip? Have rocks protruded onto the surface? Are puddles of water standing on the runway or taxiways? Do some area need to be reworked to make sure they have a proper crown to allow water to drain properly? Are there bare spots in the turf that need to be reseeded?
3. Runway lighting – Are all the lights working properly? Are the covers clean? Have reflectors disappeared? If they are pilot controlled, is the control mechanism working properly? If on auto timers or photo cells have those survived the winter weather to function adequately?
4. Surrounding area – Have trees or shrubs grown into the approach corridors to the runway? Is there a need to prune bushes along the taxiway areas? Have neighbors erected new towers that should be noted? Are there any new buildings that should get special attention, ie, schools, churches, hospitals, etc.?
5. Signage –Are the airpark entry signs clean and neat appearing? Do they need updating? Are there warning signs that should be replaced, such as no trespassing or watch for airplanes, etc.?

The main thing is that you become aware of your residential airpark and its environs. Make a walking tour of all the areas that planes and cars might travel and make sure everything is in good order.

As always, we welcome your comments and ideas and of course, if your residential airpark isn’t listed or if you have information about other fly-in communities in the state for which we’re reporting, or any other state, let us know by filling in this form with the appropriate infomration.

Georgia counts 27 airparks with three of them currently in planning or under construction. The earliest state facility, Pinewood Airpark, opened in 1967 at Douglasville, GA.

Virtually all of those under construction report their lots will be less than an acre while only one established airpark says its lots are less then an acre. There are 24 fly-in communities in the LWYP database reporting residential lots of an acre or more.

Heaven’s Landing at Clayton, opened in 2002 has the distinction of having the largest number of residential lots on a Georgia airpark – 300. Only one other airpark in the state lays claim to more than 150 lots. Most airparks report less then 20 lots – 11 of them while five each report between 21 and 35 and 36 to 50. There are three state airparks with between 51 and 100 lots each.

Runways are predominately paved. With 25 airparks showing the surface of their runways, 18 indicate they are unpaved while seven have paving. Heaven’s Landing’s paved runway is 5,069 feet, which is the longest in the state. One other airpark has a 4,500 foot paved strip. Five fly-in communities claim runways 2000 feet or less and six others report strips over 3,000 feet. The majority, 15 of them, are between 2100 and 3000 feet long, according to the LWYP database.

Following airparks and city reported as open (click here for a list with links to airpark details):

• Aiken Field, Pendergrass
• Ayresouth Fly-in Community, Temple
• Berry Hill – Kitty Hawk sub-division, Stockbridge
• Blue Mountain Airpark, Trion
• Broad River Airpark, Lavonia
• Brook Bridge Aerodrome, Griffin
• Cedar Ridge, Griffin
• Eagle Neck, Townsend
• Eagles Landing, Williamson
• Flying N Estates, Luthersville
• Gentle Landings, Roberta
• Heaven’s Landing, Clayton
• Jim’s Private Airpark, Conyers
• Kenley Park, Brooks
• Kenwood, Newborn
• Lenora Airport, Snellville
• Little Tobesofkee Creek Ranch, Barnesville
• Lyons Landing, Whitesburg
• Mallard’s Landing, Locust Grove
• Mathis Airport, Cumming
• Peach State Airpark, Williamson
• Plane Living Skypark, Fort Valley
• Spring Valley Farm, Loganville
• Whispering Pines Airpark, Conyers
• Following airparks and city are in planning or construction:
• Berg Park Aerodrome, Midway
• Hunter Aviation estates, Waynesville
• Spanish Creek, Folkston

Track home developments and master planned communities dot the suburban landscape with cookie cutter replication and seemingly unrestrained reproduction. It’s obvious people are looking for an accessible sense of belonging, variety and meaning in their living space and neighborhoods these days. The airpark lifestyle represents freedom, an active lifestyle and adventure – things I see more people are gravitating towards and would like to be a part of.

Maybe like me, you’ve had a desire to develop one near you to live in,
but don’t have the resources – financially or time wise – to do so on
your own. Maybe like me, it requires meeting a like-minded group of
partnering capital investors and developers to move ahead with what you
see (and we see) as a feasible aviation and active lifestyle community
to be built.

Well, let’s put our heads together and see what can come out of good
‘ol American desire and ingenuity! The urban jungle is only growing
while precious wide-open spaces for airstrips and airparks are being
slowly edged out. It’s time to recover and preserve the heritage and
adventure of flight and make it a more accessible and worthwhile
investment and place to live. Let’s talk about build and sell an
airpark together.

That is kind of what I’m imagining: a think tank of like-minded
individuals to discuss pooling their resources and sweat-equity into
building and selling an airpark.

If you’ve got some interest or ideas, please add your comment with an e-mail address or phone so I can contact you.

Anthony Longobardo