How do you keep non-pilots from buying on airpark?

How do airparks discourage non-aviation individuals from buying lots or houses on residential airports? Several of the property owners at our residential airport are concerned about this. We don’t want to slowly lose control of our airpark.

This is a good question that comes from an airpark resident. It’s not the first time we’ve been asked the question and it probably won’t be the last time.

Does anyone have a good answer? It comes up regularly at airparks so if your fly-in community has successfully dealt with this situation, let us hear from you.

4 replies on “How do you keep non-pilots from buying on airpark?”

It’s relatively simple to handle in restrictions so that non-pilots can own property but buy it understanding and agreeing to the airpark
concept and agree in writing to promote general aviation.

One way to protect the airpark from non-flyers is to put a dedication in the Plat that forever dedicates the runway and taxiways for the use of owners with aircraft. In our airpark the plat is part of each owner’s deed and can only be changed with 100% agreement from all owners.

We tell non-pilots that the majority of owners will be pilots and are most likely to vote in aviation improvements that will be paid for by all residents. Paving, lights, GPS approaches, …. this usually discourages the non-pilot.

In our airpark we have restrictions and covenants that run with the land and a provision that, to terminate the airpark, 100% of the property owners must agree to do so. We have been challenged by a couple of non-pilots that the airpark is a “community with a runway.” However, the state bureau of aeronautics has disagreed in writing by stating that the place is an airport wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceilinig. End of argument. The covenants have not prevented non-pilots from buying and even building speculative homes. But they placed their homes on their lots with no provision – and no good place to put – a hangar. As a result they all are having a hard time selling. They have painted themselves into a corner by discouraging pilots who might want a hangar and their only remaining audience is non-pilots who want to live in and airpark might not care about space for a hangar. This is a bit of a hole in the covenants (that building plans must include provision for a future hangar if not built with the home) that we are working on changing. If the covenant documents of others do not include such a provision I encourage you to get it in there.

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