What to know if buying a private airport

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MIFlyer

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MIFlyer
Hi,

As part of my retirement strategy, i'm considering buying a private dirt strip close to where I want to live. How do you insure it? what, if anything do you need to do if you buy an existing airport? Should it be held by a corporation in case someone lands there without permission and hurts themselves?
 
PS, this is an existing, charted private airstrip, not a net new facility.

ideally, I can talk the existing owner into letting me build a hangar there and basing there, but in case they aren't amenable, I want to know if i'm willing to just buy it from them.
 
Just keep it as private and don't worry about it, if you choose to make it charted out prior permission required and whatever other statement in the comments, personally I wouldn't even register it, keep it 100% private and not blow money on insurance, if you let anyone else land there have a signed waiver.
 
Thanks James, the one I'm noodling is already charted and commented as "prior permission required", so I think it's no change to the chart, just new contact in the chart supplement for who to call to get prior permission.
 
A corporation probably is of dubious use. You can't duck your own personal negligence nor will a corporation prevent you from being sued personally.

Yah, you need insurance. It's available for private strips.
 
Every state in the US has a "recreational liability" statute which basically says that if people use your property for recreational purposes without charge, with or without permission, you aren't liable if they get hurt. There are exceptions for failing to fix clearly dangerous things, like a camouflaged ditch across the runway or an uncovered well just past the gate, but it's not your fault if a visiting pilot gets his hurt because he can't manage your 1500' dogleg strip.

The statutes were crafted to encourage landowners to allow access to their property for hunting, fishing, etc., but many of them specifically include aviation activities.
 
Dana said:
Every state in the US has a "recreational liability" statute which basically says that if people use your property for recreational purposes without charge, with or without permission, you aren't liable if they get hurt. There are exceptions for failing to fix clearly dangerous things, like a camouflaged ditch across the runway or an uncovered well just past the gate, but it's not your fault if a visiting pilot gets his hurt because he can't manage your 1500' dogleg strip.

The statutes were crafted to encourage landowners to allow access to their property for hunting, fishing, etc., but many of them specifically include aviation activities.
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thanks Dana. something i'll check into then when the time gets closer
 
Dana said:
Every state in the US has a "recreational liability" statute which basically says that if people use your property for recreational purposes without charge, with or without permission, you aren't liable if they get hurt. There are exceptions for failing to fix clearly dangerous things, like a camouflaged ditch across the runway or an uncovered well just past the gate, but it's not your fault if a visiting pilot gets his hurt because he can't manage your 1500' dogleg strip.

The statutes were crafted to encourage landowners to allow access to their property for hunting, fishing, etc., but many of them specifically include aviation activities.
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That.

You can also have your strip removed from the charts.
 
Is the strip actually up for sale or are you just thinking of offering to buy it anyway? If it is up for sale, you will want to do some investigating to see if there are any particular reasons as to why that you might be concerned about, i.e. excessive complaining from adjoining or nearby property owners, shutdown threats from local government, etc.
 
James331 said:
Just keep it as private and don't worry about it, if you choose to make it charted out prior permission required and whatever other statement in the comments, personally I wouldn't even register it, keep it 100% private and not blow money on insurance, if you let anyone else land there have a signed waiver.
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Waivers are worthless.
 
Depends on government laws in your jurisdiction. I think its pretty murky. Lawyers I know tend to just say "go ahead and do what you want, think best, whatever." Try talking to your insurer and see if its possible to get liability insurance and what would it cover? Some agent might know. One case where those agents earn their keep. If you can find an agent that knows and will tell you.
 
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SkyDog58 said:
Is the strip actually up for sale or are you just thinking of offering to buy it anyway? If it is up for sale, you will want to do some investigating to see if there are any particular reasons as to why that you might be concerned about, i.e. excessive complaining from adjoining or nearby property owners, shutdown threats from local government, etc.
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not listed for sale, but near where i might want to retire in 8 years or so. i'm not opposed ot buying the airstrip if it comes up, or alternatively, reaching agreement with the owner to fly out of it and have a pole barn there to keep the plane dry and safe.
 
The recreational use statutes don’t stop suits. Hang gliding has been dealing with this problem for years. Even if you win, you still have to defend. Get insurance.
 
Also a recreational liability statute doesn't provide you much complete immunity. It doesn't absolve you of a duty to maintain the property in a safe manner for such use.
 
A lawyer on another forum once said, "I predict that there will be many suggestions and statements about the law made here, and some of them will be spectacularly wrong." It applies pretty much anywhere. The potential exposure is such that, if you are seriously considering this, it would be worth your while to have a discussion with a qualified attorney who practices in your state.
 
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James331 said:
There was a biplane ride crash in CA where it held some water, and if those commies are OK with it..
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Maybe you can waive death or damage to yourself, but you can't waive the rights of your survivors.
 
Lindberg said:
A lawyer on another forum once said, "I predict that there will be many suggestions and statements about the law made here, and some of them will be spectacularly wrong." It applies pretty much anywhere. The potential exposure is such that, if you are seriously considering this, it would be worth your while to have a discussion with a qualified attorney who practices in your state.
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yes, i just wanted to gather some initial ideas, that I can turn over in my head for the next 4-5 years. It's good to have the statute, but i'd also consult an attorney and buy some kind of insurance. Thanks for the inputs
 
paflyer said:
Maybe you can waive death or damage to yourself, but you can't waive the rights of your survivors.
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Still much ado about nothing, and not worth spending money on insurance, unless it's a really small amount of money.
 
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