PIREP Request: Pecan Plantation Airport 0TX1

mandm

mandm

Avionics Upgrade
Joined
Feb 7, 2020
Messages
3,616
Location
Chicago
Display Name
Michael
Home Airfield
KUGN
Anyone familiar with this airpark community? Please share your PIREPs on raising a family here, activities, restaurants, schools, weather, the people (is it mostly one side left or right or mixed?), etc. Thanks!
 
I have a friend there, he loves it.
I bet he’d chat with you; I’ll ask to share his phn nmbr with you if you’d like.
 
I can’t speak to the airport community itself, but the area is heavy in cattle and agribusiness. Tarleton State University is home perennial national championship collegiate rodeo teams, and Fort Worth to the east is Cowtown USA.

Lots of good folks, but water supply is an issue. So much so there’s an eminent domain action underway to build a new reservoir to serve the DFW metroplex. I’d find out more about the potable water supply/source. If you’re on well water beware periods of drought are fairly common and can impact your well.

If we were relocating out of south Texas, this area would be on our shortlist.
 
One of our Grumman owners lives on Pecan Plantation. I can ask if I can pass his contact info on to you.
 
Water shouldn’t be a problem as it’s on the lake

Great community. Horrible traffic if you have to commute to DFW
 
We considered buying a home there last year when we moved to Texas. Decided not to do it and instead buy elsewhere closer to Dallas. The community is very nice. It’s like a beautiful park setting. Safe, has two runways. We saw deer running around every time we visited. People seemed friendly. The reasons we decided against it:

1. The house itself. It was older and needed more work i was willing to put in.

2. Demographics are on the much older side. May not be an issue for you but we are mid 30s while people there tend to be in their 60s.

3. It’s faaaaar from Fort Worth and even farther from Dallas.
 
Remembered 2 more reasons why we didn’t go for it:

4. Insurance. It’s expensive everywhere in Texas but it was exceptionally high there for some reason. We got quoted double what we’re paying now where we ended up buying our home.

5. This one is a minor reason and i only found out about after we already decided to not buy in Pecan Plantation: Do some research on the crypto mining factory nearby. Some residents don’t have a lot of good to say about it. Not sure how true some of the things are they claim though.
 
Chrisgoesflying said:
Remembered 2 more reasons why we didn’t go for it:

4. Insurance. It’s expensive everywhere in Texas but it was exceptionally high there for some reason. We got quoted double what we’re paying now where we ended up buying our home.

5. This one is a minor reason and i only found out about after we already decided to not buy in Pecan Plantation: Do some research on the crypto mining factory nearby. Some residents don’t have a lot of good to say about it. Not sure how true some of the things are they claim though.
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where did u buy?
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Ain't that the truth.

Also, how hot and how long do you like your summers to last? I think last summer was about 2 years long.
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A month or two is fine, 80-90 degrees. Above 100 for more than a week or two is brutal. I guess in an ideal world 70s.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Ain't that the truth.

Also, how hot and how long do you like your summers to last? I think last summer was about 2 years long.
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There is no such thing as “too hot”. The last few days were just right. High 80s, low 90s is perfect. I go running during the hottest time of the day. Exactly why I moved to Texas. Don’t jinx the hot weather lol.
 
Every 3 or 4 years they start counting consecutive days in arow over 100. The most I recall was 45 days in a row in 2023.


There was that one time where EVERYONE in McKinney Texas died from the heat. It was a horrible day. I lost a lot of friends.

 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Every 3 or 4 years they start counting consecutive days in arow over 100. The most I recall was 45 days in a row in 2023.


There was that one time where EVERYONE in McKinney Texas died from the heat. It was a horrible day. I lost a lot of friends.

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Haha. We don’t even run the air conditioner yet. We would if it gets as hot as when everyone died in McKinney. My condolences to all the fried people that day.
 
Lindberg said:
I hope you're joking. If you're not, don't move to Texas. Except maybe far East Texas.
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Dang just did my avionics upgrades and I don’t have AC in my airplane. I lived in Asia, hot and humid, but consistently in the mid 90s. Wasn’t too enjoyable but I made the best of it and still did outdoor activities, just sweat a lot. But if I have a family and I’m trapped in Chicago for the winters, thinking that would be worse, where I’d hibernate indoors. At least summer is school holiday, we can travel.

I also noticed that I like it probably 5-6 degrees warmer now compared to my younger years.
 
mandm said:
Dang just did my avionics upgrades and I don’t have AC in my airplane. I lived in Asia, hot and humid, but consistently in the mid 90s. Wasn’t too enjoyable but I made the best of it and still did outdoor activities, just sweat a lot. But if I have a family and I’m trapped in Chicago for the winters, thinking that would be worse, where I’d hibernate indoors. At least summer is school holiday, we can travel.

I also noticed that I like it probably 5-6 degrees warmer now compared to my younger years.
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I agree with you. Cold just sucks. It drains you. Heat, well, I love it but even if you don't - it's mostly in the summer, you can travel (most of us here are pilots and have access to planes - that helps) and I don't know, I prefer getting up early to "beat the heat" in the summer while on the ground than just shiver on the plane until the heater kicks in in the winter. I've definitely cancelled more flights because it was too cold (when I lived in Canada) than because it was too hot. If it's too hot, I'll know it so I make sure I get out early. If the high for the day is 20F, what do you do? It's cold no matter what time you go.
 
Chrisgoesflying said:
5. This one is a minor reason and i only found out about after we already decided to not buy in Pecan Plantation: Do some research on the crypto mining factory nearby. Some residents don’t have a lot of good to say about it. Not sure how true some of the things are they claim though.
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The smell is just terrible... Wait, what?

I don't see how that'd affect anyone around, unless they're getting power brownouts.

mandm said:
A month or two is fine, 80-90 degrees. Above 100 for more than a week or two is brutal. I guess in an ideal world 70s.
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Texas is... Not for you. That sounds more like Wisconsin. July and August in the 80s and sometimes 90s, June, September, and parts of October in the 70s, November and March can best be described as "entertaining", December might net you a white Christmas, January is cold, and February makes you appreciate how beautiful April and May (and all the other months) can be.

North Texas ain't so bad, but it's not as cool as what you're saying. Houston and on down the Gulf coast is pretty close to my idea of hell. Hot as... Well, hell... And so damn humid that you just gush buckets of sweat and can't do much about the heat.

Chrisgoesflying said:
I agree with you. Cold just sucks. It drains you. Heat, well, I love it but even if you don't - it's mostly in the summer, you can travel (most of us here are pilots and have access to planes - that helps) and I don't know, I prefer getting up early to "beat the heat" in the summer
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Morning people. :p

Chrisgoesflying said:
while on the ground than just shiver on the plane until the heater kicks in in the winter.
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Easily solvable. This works great: https://www.sportys.com/hornet-45-i...izv8XNX0U2T5NgzJ3RDvcymagfeQrE8BoCGHwQAvD_BwE

Chrisgoesflying said:
I've definitely cancelled more flights because it was too cold (when I lived in Canada) than because it was too hot. If it's too hot, I'll know it so I make sure I get out early. If the high for the day is 20F, what do you do? It's cold no matter what time you go.
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You preflight in the hangar, you have an engine heater and preferably a cabin heater. I've got an unheated hangar, but my plane is plugged in four places: Two Battery Minders (one for each battery), the above-linked cabin heater so that the seats and avionics aren't frozen when I start up, and one Reiff Standard System that keeps the engine nice and toasty warm. I think my PR for cold is around -20ºF.

The advantage to flying in the cold is that, unless it's REALLY windy, the air is smooth as glass and performance is fan-freaking-tastic. Getting into the negatives F, you hit pattern altitude by the end of the runway. And the air is smooth as glass. I can do 1500 fpm at 140 KIAS in the winter. The air is smooth as glass. The visibility is also fan-freaking-tastic - generally 100+ miles. I can take off from UES and see downtown Chicago. And did I mention the smooth air?

Meanwhile, you guys get May turbulence in January.
 
mandm said:
A month or two is fine, 80-90 degrees. Above 100 for more than a week or two is brutal. I guess in an ideal world 70s.
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Highs is the 90s or higher s can be a fourth month or longer period in the Granbury area.
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Chrisgoesflying said:
@mandm When is your big move to Texas planned?
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Right now, I’m thinking out loud, I’d say this is more of a 5 year plan. But curious about the school options and if the community is accepting of us liberal Chicago folks. There’s a real estate agent who talks highly about the area on YouTube but he did say it’s a conservative community with conservative values, I know I need to take that with a grain of salt. But I would like a hangar home one day.
 
mandm said:
Right now, I’m thinking out loud, I’d say this is more of a 5 year plan. But curious about the school options and if the community is accepting of us liberal Chicago folks. There’s a real estate agent who talks highly about the area on YouTube but he did say it’s a conservative community with conservative values, I know I need to take that with a grain of salt. But I would like a hangar home one day.
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Not speaking for the Pecan community but more like for Texas in general. I’m from Canada. Our conservative party is like the American democrats on the political spectrum. The liberals up north are probably considered close to radical on the political spectrum for US standards. Nobody gives a sh** what my political preferences are. Nobody has ever asked me (granted I’ve only been here since October but I talk to a lot of people). In my experience, most Texans live by minding their own business.
 
mandm said:
,., But curious about the school options and if the community is accepting of us liberal Chicago folks. …
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Lifelong (50+yr) Texan despite 16 years of exile during my military career.

Generally, it’s like POA. Nobody cares what your beliefs are, they just don’t care to hear them or be judged by them. Yep, there’s outliers on both sides, but that’s a minority of folks. Not knowing the specific school district, I’d hazard sports and 4H/FFA will be the focus of extracurricular activities. You’d be surprised at the amount of high tech is involved in agribusiness.

If being around like minded folks is important, you may consider Austin a better fit in that regard.
 
TCABM said:
Lifelong (50+yr) Texan despite 16 years of exile during my military career.

Generally, it’s like POA. Nobody cares what your beliefs are, they just don’t care to hear them or be judged by them. Yep, there’s outliers on both sides, but that’s a minority of folks. Not knowing the specific school district, I’d hazard sports and 4H/FFA will be the focus of extracurricular activities. You’d be surprised at the amount of high tech is involved in agribusiness.

If being around like minded folks is important, you may consider Austin a better fit in that regard.
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Yeah that’s what I heard about Austin, just didn’t like the tent camping downtown with the “housing is a human right” signs everywhere.
 
Chrisgoesflying said:
Yeah, but he said he wanted to move to Texas lol.
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I try not to read too much into what people’s preferences are. I grew up in a rural area near Austin, my daughter and her spouse live there, two of my siblings and their families are in the greater Austin area (and have been for decades). We have extended family in the DFW metroplex, near Houston, and in the Piney Woods. Us, we’re northwest of San Antonio.

About half of all of us have lived in other states and internationally. My perspective is you can be happy anywhere you are, depending how you define happiness. Even with getting rocketed and other various sundry forms of locals expressing their displeasure with my presence on a nearly daily basis in Afghanistan and Iraq, I found ways to be happy and not miserable.

The more you define happiness as “this places is reflective of me”, the less likely you will be happy anywhere, which is why I encourage the OP to hop on a plane for a long weekend in the metroplex and/or Austin to see what life’s really like.

Aside from the stockyards, Fort Worth has a world class Zoo and top notch botanical gardens along with great museums and universities. But it’s not a 30min drive from Pecan Plantation.
 
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TCABM said:
My perspective is you can be happy anywhere you are, depending how you define happiness.
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I agree with the exception of living where it’s winter 10 out of 12 months lol. I managed it (or better endured it) by flying down to Florida for part of the winter every year but I’m definitely more content here in Dallas now (although I still spent part of last winter in Florida lol).
 
Chrisgoesflying said:
I agree with the exception of living where it’s winter 10 out of 12 months lol. I managed it (or better endured it) by flying down to Florida for part of the winter every year but I’m definitely more content here in Dallas now (although I still spent part of last winter in Florida lol).
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I can respect that; I despise the desert because of it’s barren landscape. That’s why I choose not to live there. But I can deal with an occasional weekend in Vegas if the motivation is great enough although I’m not a gambler.

But gimme a Red Flag or WSME TDY and I’ll find a way to have a blast in my downtime.
 
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