Who lives at an airport?

Do you live at an airport?

  • Nope, doesn’t appeal at all

    Votes: 9 5.2%

  • No, but that might be nice one day

    Votes: 128 74.0%

  • Yes, I’ve got a house with my own personal airstrip

    Votes: 11 6.4%

  • Yes, I’ve got a house on an airpark

    Votes: 17 9.8%

  • Yes, I live in a hangar apartment at an airport

    Votes: 2 1.2%

  • Yes, but in an arrangement not listed here

    Votes: 6 3.5%
  • Total voters
    173
Bill Watson said:
I've heard that living in hangars at some airparks is frowned up or even prohibited. At my airpark the rule was that if you build a hangar you must concurrently build a residence. Hangar/homes aren't prohibited but the residence must be capable of a Cert of Occupancy.

I've run into non-airpark airports where an apartment or trailer home is in place. Where I've seen it, the intent seemed to be to have someone on the airport 24/7 for caretaking, security or night service. Could be a good deal for the right person. I ran into one foreign student type who was getting some flying time and living money in exchange for living at an airport.
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Yeah that's definitely prohibited at the "better quality" airparks. But it seems like there is always the joker that has to stretch this rule.
 
Bill Watson said:
I've run into non-airpark airports where an apartment or trailer home is in place. Where I've seen it, the intent seemed to be to have someone on the airport 24/7 for caretaking, security or night service. Could be a good deal for the right person. I ran into one foreign student type who was getting some flying time and living money in exchange for living at an airport.
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At the airport in Harlan,KY , there is a FBO hangar with the FBO office on the ground floor and a apartment on the second floor. They currently dont have an FBO, the guy who lives up there just happens to be an A&P. Those small airports can be very quiet, but waking up looking out on a 300 acre backyard is something I could get used to.
 
Ours is one of the airparks where we will let you build a hangar and then a house (or the other way around). What we do insist upon is that you finish whichever of these you start in a reasonable time, but even that hasn't been really enforced.

The county (and the state code) must be complied with however. Depending on how big your hangar is depends how onerous that compliance is. If you have a hangar (just the airplane storage part) floor area of 2000 feet or less, the hangar really isn't treated any different than a car garage (double drywall between it and living space). If it's over 3000' you've got to have a real firewall between the spaces and there are other restrictions.

The fun point of discussion with my wife is how much of the lot to clear around the house site. She says "I want a lawn!" I say, pointing at the runway, "We've got 3000 feet of lawn."
 
Jim_R said:
I'm a little surprised there aren't more folks living in their hangars--I've seen many such arrangements while taxiing through more built-out airports. Maybe what I'm interpreting as apartments are either really just offices or are not used as primary residences, but maybe more like crew crash pads or something.
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If the airport is FAA funded, residential use is generally not allowed on any of the land that is laid out as 'aeronautical' in the airport master plan (save for maybe a caretaker apartment). So you wont ever find a room labeled as 'bedroom' in a nicely built out hangar, you may however find full bathrooms, 'crew rest room', 'catering prep-room' and many 'offices' in the plans that get submitted to the airport authority ;) .
Residential has to be on nonaeronautical land and use a through the fence agreement (which the FAA tried to abolish until they got their knuckles rapped by congress).

I also thought I might hear more "horror stories" about living on an airpark. I've heard the general "beware the airpark Board" cautions for years, but haven't really heard many specific examples of bad experiences.
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I dont know if HOA terror is any worse in airparks than in other developments.

Crest airpark is probably the most prominent example of internal fighting becoming public. There were issues involving commercial use of the runway, non-pilots trying to turn it into a dog-park and lawsuits flying in every direction. I believe they finally managed to settle everything a couple of years ago.

There is another place in Idaho where the covenants were poorly written. I believe the owners had title to slices of runway and conveyed an easement to the entity that operated the aviation side. One lot owner (airline pilot) got ticked off at the developer and plowed his part of the runway over and parked construction equipment on it. Not sure if they ever recovered.

There was some noise out of Falmouth airpark a couple of years ago where the HOA tried to foreclose on someones home over a trivial amount of money. Not that unusual in the non-airpark real estate world.


Given the number of airparks, the bad apples and dysfunctional ones are probably no more or less frequent than good or bad residential subdivisions in general.
 
We have had to foreclose on only one owner. He never EVER has paid his dues since he has been there (to be fair, he hasn't paid any of his property taxes either, so it was just a matter of time whether we or the tax man got him). It's an unbuilt lot.
 
Bill Watson said:
I've heard that living in hangars at some airparks is frowned up or even prohibited. At my airpark the rule was that if you build a hangar you must concurrently build a residence. Hangar/homes aren't prohibited but the residence must be capable of a Cert of Occupancy.
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OK, I can see that. Airparks generally seem to be like suburban neighborhoods that happen to have a runway nearby, so it makes sense that you'd want nice homes that make it look like a neighborhood, not just folks "camping out" with their plane on the weekends.

But I have been to many airports...perhaps I shouldn't get too specific with my examples because of the references to FAA regs...where there's hangar after hangar lining the taxiway, and some of those hangars have cues that just scream "someone lives here". Maybe a balcony and patio furniture above the bi-fold door, with decorated windows and french doors. Maybe downstairs there's a wooden "front door" with beveled glass, just like you'd find on a residence. Maybe there's a garage door on the street side of the hangar, with a front elevation that looks "homey" rather than industrial.

It seems like these sorts of hangars are not uncommon. I live in Texas, and I've seen several examples of these in Dallas, in Houston, near Austin, and in adjacent states. I'm just a little surprised to only see two people respond to the poll that way, is all.
 
evapilotaz said:
All that sounds pretty lonely if it was just you and airplane. I would get bored.
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To each his own. I'm pretty happy by myself. (Even some of the folks closest to me sometimes agree that they're happier when I'm by myself! :lol: )
 
Jim_R said:
Thanks for all the responses...this has been fun.

I'm a little surprised there aren't more folks living in their hangars--I've seen many such arrangements while taxiing through more built-out airports. Maybe what I'm interpreting as apartments are either really just offices or are not used as primary residences, but maybe more like crew crash pads or something.
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Those are man-caves! A friend has the a beautiful example. A 60x75 with doors on both sides, in-floor heat in the hangar (MN) and a beautifully finished apartment in the upper level on one side that's about 20' wide and the length of the hangar. Full kitchen and bath. Even has a nice deck off the apartment area that overlooks the runway. But it's just a man-cave and office for his business, but you could very easily live there as a bachelor or kidless couple.
 
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LDJones said:
Very nice. Is that a sliding door?
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The hangar door is actually three large (20x12') "garage" type doors. The two center collumns are attached to a hoist and swing to the side after the doors are raised. The doors allow an opening of 45x12' (hangar dimension is 47 deep by 60 wide). I can also raise only one or two doors if needed. It's a unique door setup for a hangar but it works very well and it allows for a nicer finished look vs. a bi-fold door - great for a residential Airpark home.
 
I'm renting a 1970's house with a detached hangar, 3 acres of land, a 1/2 acre pond, and a taxi way over to Stearman Field (1K1).
 

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About five years ago I moved to an airpark, 2TS6, and it has been a great experience. The amount of knowledge and assistance is amazing, social involvement level of your choosing, and having a 3,000 sq. ft. hanger/workshop just spoils you. Wish I had made the move a long time ago.
 
.. all it takes is $$$$

One of the guys who recently built a box hangar on our field put long bladed ceiling fans in his.

They're industrial/agricultural fans with the longest blades you've ever seen.

Very nice touch. :drink:
 
I love living at my private airport. Yes, it's a lot of work to keep the place mowed and maintained, but it's worth it.
 
waltm said:
I love living at my private airport. Yes, it's a lot of work to keep the place mowed and maintained, but it's worth it.
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Now see, your setup is the epitome of the "aviation lifestyle"! :D
 
Do what I do and Rent. I own nothing here but my airplanes. The land owner takes care of all property. Meaning he does the grass mowing, snow removal and all Maintenance for the property and hangars.
More need to setup an air park like this. We had a nice 4 bedroom unit, two bath, it was for rent for a long time and finally someone is moving in. They are not aviation folks but its rented for what most pay for hangar rent somewhere. Everything comes with this unit, electric, heat, water, and Cable and internet no extra charge.

Tony
 
Came across this thread thanks to Google... Looking for east coast airparks near lakes and have discovered both Lake Ridge Aero, inhabited by Maule Driver... and Long Island, inhabited by Ron Natalie...

Interesting trivia, if you look at the Long Island Aeropark on Google you will see that Ron has his name overlaid on his lot... Going to have to start stalking you.

Both airparks seem to have a few (or one) lots left, or newly up for sale, and it appears that in the case of Lake Ridge, there is some land just outside the airpark that is practically being given away. Curious about hangaring on field at Lake Ridge even if not a resident. Not a lot of info to be found on google about that.

At Long Island, there is a decent sized lake view lot just off the west end of the runway (not quite Ron's midfield paradise).. and a lakefront runway lot on the east end that is a bit smaller... I want the larger lot.. not sure how I will like living off the end of the runway, and curious about runway access from that corner lot on the west end, since Google streetview hasn't made it out there..

Wouldn't mind picking your brains on either on those respective properties. I am looking for reasonable commute to major medical centers, as my line of work tends to gravitate to university/major hospitals
 
Doggtyred said:
Looking for east coast airparks near lakes ...
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Does it have to be east coast??

I'm at an airpark with several lots for sale, and at least one house/hangar for sale by a motivated seller. It's at 2A2 and not too far from a lake. PM me if you want any details.

BTW... Just moved into my place in March. :cheerswine:
 
Anymouse said:
Does it have to be east coast??

I'm at an airpark with several lots for sale, and at least one house/hangar for sale by a motivated seller. It's at 2A2 and not too far from a lake. PM me if you want any details.

BTW... Just moved into my place in March. :cheerswine:
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I'm in Houston.. the inlaws are in Boston.. the rest of the fam is near Charleston SC.. We want to move closer to them so yes... carolinas/virginia east coast.. South of the mason dixon line so nobody cares if I concealed carry or not.. And driving distance from the beach for the missus..

Near a lake and near an airpark are for me.. and its kind of hard to find large tracts for low cost close in to large cities, which both of us require professionally.
 
Doggtyred said:
I'm in Houston.. the inlaws are in Boston.. the rest of the fam is near Charleston SC.. We want to move closer to them so yes... carolinas/virginia east coast.. South of the mason dixon line so nobody cares if I concealed carry or not.. And driving distance from the beach for the missus..

Near a lake and near an airpark are for me.. and its kind of hard to find large tracts for low cost close in to large cities, which both of us require professionally.
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Well, 2A2 is right smack between them all. And from what I understand, no issues with concealed carry that I'm aware of.

www.holleymountainairpark.com

I'm living on lot #82, but I have lot #44 for sale. Lots of other lots to choose from though.
 
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Anymouse said:
Well, 2A2 is right smack between them all. And from what I understand, no issues with concealed carry that I'm aware of.

www.holleymountainairpark.com

I'm living on lot #82, but I have lot #44 for sale. Lots of other lots to choose from though.
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Houston isn't a factor in where I want to be. Im ready to leave it behind. Not interested in Arkansas.. At all.But thanks...
 
Airport home for sale, Collinsville, OK at OK93, near Tulsa.

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I lived at an airport for a year. 3 parallel runways shortest was 6,000 ft., control tower, approach control, ILS, almost 250 aircraft(all turbines) based, all my neighbors were pilots or soon to be pilots. Kinda loud at times...actually all the time, but I didn't mind. One of the fun years of my life so far.

AuntPeggy said:
Airport home for sale, Collinsville, OK at OK93, near Tulsa.
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It's amazing the difference in real estate. That is less than half of the 3 bedroom condo for sale next door to me.
 
Gucci Pilot said:
I lived at an airport for a year. 3 parallel runways shortest was 6,000 ft., control tower, approach control, ILS, almost 250 aircraft(all turbines) based, all my neighbors were pilots or soon to be pilots. Kinda loud at times...actually all the time, but I didn't mind. One of the fun years of my life so far.



It's amazing the difference in real estate. That is less than half of the 3 bedroom condo for sale next door to me.
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Or...

You can buy a FAA approved 3000' runway /private airport for that price and not have to deal with ANYBODY else.....:rolleyes::rolleyes:

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/801-Seims-Rd-Merna-WY-83015/2105978702_zpid/
 
Jim_R said:
I would think that it could be possible to find a hangar with an apartment for less than a suburban house + urban hangar.

I don't know how likely it is that you could buy the hangar-apartment vs. lease it. I also wonder what might happen if the airport is eventually sold/closed, etc.
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Why would you think that? From my experience, hangars go for much more per sq ft than any house. Maybe it has something to do with the very expensive, very thick concrete pads and rams. Maybe it is just supply and demand. Whatever the cause, I have found that hangars are unimaginably expensive.
 
JOhnH said:
Why would you think that? From my experience, hangars go for much more per sq ft than any house. Maybe it has something to do with the very expensive, very thick concrete pads and rams. Maybe it is just supply and demand. Whatever the cause, I have found that hangars are unimaginably expensive.
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Ha...

Come on out to Jackson...

Average per Sq Ft cost is running 345 a foot...:eek::eek::yikes:
 
N801BH said:
The price one pays to live in the most tax friendly state in America...
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Oh the price wasn't the surprising part. Where the heck are the nearest neighbors?!
 
Originally Posted by Gucci Pilot
Oh the price wasn't the surprising part. Where the heck are the nearest neighbors?!



weilke said:
....but you have a great view in ALL directions :D
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Ha...
Neighbors are highly overated.....:yes:...
 
JOhnH said:
Jim_R said:
I would think that it could be possible to find a hangar with an apartment for less than a suburban house + urban hangar.

I don't know how likely it is that you could buy the hangar-apartment vs. lease it. I also wonder what might happen if the airport is eventually sold/closed, etc.
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Why would you think that? From my experience, hangars go for much more per sq ft than any house. Maybe it has something to do with the very expensive, very thick concrete pads and rams. Maybe it is just supply and demand. Whatever the cause, I have found that hangars are unimaginably expensive.
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I would think that because my experience is different than yours. I pay $250/mo for my hangar on the outskirts of Houston.
 
Jim_R said:
I would think that because my experience is different than yours. I pay $250/mo for my hangar on the outskirts of Houston.
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City owned hangars at Ellington are literally the Taj Mahal with years long waiting list, but you pay 600-700/mo.. and theres a list!!

The small ones can take a high and low wing in together.. or 2-3 RV's..the large ones.. well... i've seen 5 shoehorned in a "large" T-hangar..
 
Kind of a parallel question, but does anyone rent their airport homes? Is there a VRBO-like site where I could find such a thing? I've looked and found little so far but maybe I don't know where to look.
 
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