We received the following email regarding multiple airpark homes. My answer is below.
Questions: Could you please, help me with:
- Do you think that Americans already living in a Fly-In Community could be interested, as a secondary home, to buy one in Canada?
- How popular is it to have a home in more than one Fly-In Community? Is that the exception?
- How would you promote a new Fly-In Community?
Answer: Thanks for inquiring about secondary fly-in homes in Canada.
There is a certain number of Americans who live in residential airparks and other pilots who don’t live in airparks who probably would be interested and financially able to acquire a second home in Canada, particularly on an airpark. I think the primary group of interested pilots are ones who enjoy fishing and hunting and could find a place on or near a lake or other somewhat remote area where they could enjoy their sporting activities.
I think the idea of having a second home in a fly-in community is very popular, but I don’t think there is a large segment of the aviation community that currently enjoys such a lifestyle. In other words, I think it is the exception.
Finally, promoting a new fly-in community is relatively easy. We constantly print stories about such projects and our advertising section lists numerous fly-in communities.
One reply on “Question: How about a 2nd airpark home … in Canada”
I go to Canada in my Twin Comanche every year, and the prospect of having an airpark home in Canada, while attractive, is complicated by the overzealous FAA and Federal Government with customs clearing and so on – the unreliability and impermanence of the present rules, and the unforeseen actions that will further restrict our future movements, make the prospect of a Canadian second airpark (or other) home a questionable investment. To have a home that relies on general aviation access from the United States is my point – should the Federal Government choose to further restrict GA border crossings (which could well happen) we’ll be unable to benefit from the investment.
My last entry at Great Falls was courteous, but the internet pre-registration for a border crossing makes it clear that the government can tighten up and further restrict us at any time. The Customs officer reminded me that “We represent many Federal jurisdictions” when explaining why he wanted my medical certificate since they also ground pilots whose documentation is incomplete. This Administration that the people elected is going crazy with unnecessary restrictions and GA seems to be in the cross hairs, and while they are now restricting through the fence access within the United States, the chances of their restricting future recreational usage of aircraft across the borders is high and investment choices should be made accordingly.