A new hangar development in Queen Creek, Arizona, is the direct result of personal experience with the lack of hangar availability in the Greater Phoenix area. 

John Panfil, the CEO of Equity 1000 LLC, a performance-based private equity firm, and developer of Volare Estates at Pegasus Airpark (5AZ3), elaborated on the project’s origins. 

“We were looking for hangars and happen to live eight minutes from Pegasus Airpark,” Panfil said. “We called about an ad for a small 1,400-square-foot box hangar there, and it was already in escrow. But the conversation led to finding out about the airpark’s original plans for additional hangars on the adjacent vacant 7 acres of land there that nobody had developed for a long time once they were converted to custom home lots after the last economic recession.

“After purchasing the land, we had to rezone the properties back to their original use of hangars. We received our zoning approval in October 2022 and are on the tail end of receiving our building permits to start construction and started our journey over a year and a half ago.”

Although Panfil had only recently shifted his decades of commercial real estate expertise to general aviation, he said he has always been an aviation fan tracking market trends and new technology waiting for the right opportunity to break into this niche market. 

“Pre-pandemic, we had it on our radar screen to get into aviation real estate, and after COVID, everything accelerated,” Panfil said. “We shifted almost entirely to aviation real estate, particularly focusing on hangars in high-density areas. We don’t want to get into building homes, but we are looking at a couple of airports where buyers may be able to build their own attached/detached home or similar to Pegasus where 10 of our units can have living quarters built out inside the hangar. 

“When we started looking around for hangars, we learned that if you find something at a municipal airport, you are only buying a ground lease and usually have strict restrictions against storing other items in addition to the aircraft. We weren’t fans of this, especially coming from the real estate background, but even these hangars have extremely limited availability, including to rent. Chandler (KCHD), Deer Valley (KDVT), and just about any other airport near density has a waiting list 10 years long or more. This really sparked our interest in moving forward.

“I’ve been an aviation fan since I was a kid, and so I followed the industry on and off for many years. I try to understand the market from a macro level. In a congressional hearing last year, the [Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association], the [National Business Aviation Association], and others were all doing a state of the union, and the fifth item on the list, from a national standpoint, was the hangar shortage. So that also helped solidify the direction we were exploring.”

Panfil, along with his son and partner, Johnnie, undertook the Volare Estates at Pegasus project in late 2021. The project bears an aviation-inspired homage to their family’s roots.  

“Volare means ‘to fly’ in Italian,” John Panfil said. “My mother came from Italy when she was 14 years old, so we’re keeping those beautiful memories alive using the name. She would keep Dean Martin on her phone and when someone would call, Volare would come up. And the Volare Estates model is to ‘Live, Work, and Fly.’”

The Volare Estates development at Pegasus Airpark boasts 34 hangars, split between two phases. There are three types of hangars available: 60-foot by 60-foot (eight in each phase), 80 by 60 (four in each phase), and “executive” 80 by 80 (five in each phase). In addition to their larger footprint, a distinguishing feature of the 6,400-square-foot executive hangars is that each boasts its own street address with separate driveway entrances, as well as an RV garage door, front door, and large front yard/patio with sliding glass doors. 

Additional information regarding the project’s specificities, including site plans, pricing, market comps, and other elements are contained within a buyers information package. This 19-page document is available upon request, and one of the project’s key differentiators is explained within. This element, according to Panfil, is an attractive standout for buyers  interested in owning real property.

“(There are) no ground leases at a private airpark, and (Pegasus Airpark) has some of the best pricing available to owners on all types of aviation fuel,” he said. “Queen Creek has been named one of ‘America’s Friendliest Cities’ by Forbes magazine, and (has earned) lots of other regional and national awards, such as No. 1 on the ‘Best City To Raise a Family in 2022’ by Dwellics.”

Panfil also elaborated on Equity 1000’s philosophy and business model.

“We’re a small family-owned equity firm, and I come from the construction, real estate development world,” he said. “We spend quite an effort in maintaining relationships with equity firms, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals. Our business model is to identify, strategize, and implement as a macro developer for investment opportunities in real estate.” 

These partnerships have not only enabled the firm to be successful in this development, but they’ve also lessened the burden of financing for buyers on an asset type many lenders are wary of. 

“Boomerang Capital Partners LLC, is a $250 million company located in Mesa that provides equity and debt financing for commercial and residential real estate,” Panfil said. “Equity 1000 has enjoyed working with Boomerang for the last five years on commercial projects, and both companies are excited for the future of aviation-based real estate. Additionally, Trust Bank is providing our construction loan and also extending 50 percent LTV financing to qualified hangar buyers. Many pilots have experienced the lack of lenders willing to finance hangars, (and the LTV) provides our buyers with a rare opportunity to use long-term financing for the purchase of our hangars.”

As Panfil expected, reception to the project thus far has been very positive. This has equated to a sizable reservation list and deposits from those whose hangars broke ground in early May 2023. 

“Zoning for something like this is quite a task, as you could imagine,” he said. “We’ve gotten everything zoned and now are at the point of finishing up permits with the town and engineers. Our goal is to deliver units as early as the last quarter of 2023.”

We have two phases of development. In phase one, we have 17 hangars, and in phase two we have a mirror image of 17 hangars. We have not opened up phase two for reservations yet and are waiting to finalize our construction cost, schedule, and purchase contracts.

“In our first phase, we only have one hangar available, and the rest are reserved—with fully refundable $25,000 deposits. We haven’t done much marketing and only started public advertising in December 2022 with a few ads. Prior to advertisement, we probably had eight units reserved almost instantly from word of mouth. We have over a hundred folks on our prospect list that have reached out with interest, and many are waiting for us to open phase two or provide purchase agreements.” 

The pair is careful in planning their trajectory, both with the current project as well as with how they see the firm’s future. For example, Panfil expects outlying areas will become more accessible and attractive to buyers as technology and transportation avenues continue to improve. 

“What we’ve learned from our current project is that you can certainly find airports, both private and public, that have hangars,” he said. “But they are not in the best locations currently. So, we are also looking at places that are rural, where we are considering developing, that will be much lower cost. We are right now in talks and exploring early-stage development opportunities at about nine private and municipal airports. We look at those opportunities and recognize the need for lower cost hangars in the ‘Live, Work, and Fly’ environment. An hour drive by car should be a sweet spot for folks in the entry-level general aviation world to hangar a plane.”

The post Scarce Hangar Space Spurs Arizona Development appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“Captain” Joe Axline of Brookshire, Texas—about 38 miles west of Houston—lives in an airplane. Well, actually two airplanes, as portions of a Boeing DC-9 and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 comprise his roughly 600-square-foot home. The novel thought of constructing a residence entirely out of a retired aircraft has long been a dream of Axline’s. It is a vision that goes back more than three decades. 

“In the (1973 TV) show called The Magician with Bill Bixby, he would use his magical skills to solve crimes,” Axline said. “I thought that the show was really cool. He would drive his Corvette into the back of his airplane and fly off. It had all of the things that kids of that age like, magic, cars, and airplanes. So I said to my dad, ‘That’s really cool. I would like to do that someday.’ I didn’t really know how or when. But I could feel the why.”

If you could summarize Axline’s modus operandi of life in three words, it would be to “follow your dreams.” This has enabled him to successfully undertake a number of large-scale projects, including the year-and-a-half effort that involved making a home out of two decommissioned passenger jets. 

“My whole purpose of building this airplane home was to satisfy me,” he said. “What I want people out there in the world to know is that their dream is important to them. And that’s why I say ‘dreams to reality’ is my presentation. It’s because I want people to understand that I’m not here for you to duplicate what I do. That’s not important at all.

“The only duplication that I want you to do is to write down your own dream and to give it a name. Do that and write down the details the best you can, and, of course, it can evolve and become bigger. Then put down a date and sign it, like you are signing a contract—which you are. And once you understand that you have a dream, it’s your dream and not mine, everybody’s going to laugh at it. But then when you are living your dream, everybody is going to say that you are lucky.” 

In 2011, a change in personal circumstances allowed Axline the freedom to tackle his unique project. 

“In all of the years that (my ex-wife and I) were married, she never cared or knew that I was going to build an airplane home,.” he said. “When we went through the divorce and I bought this property that I’m living on and the airplane that I’m living in, she immediately said to the court system that I can’t live in an airplane because it’s ‘not right.’ So, I had an architect, one of the best architects in Houston, and I also had the very best engineers that designed the support system that this airplane is sitting on. The support system goes 20 feet deep, and there is 25 cubic yards of concrete. The judge said, ‘There is no problem!’”

Although Axline’s home is no longer in airworthy condition, there are plenty of airworthy planes nearby. That is because his residence is situated at Sport Flyers Airport (27XS). 

“This airport has been around for over 40 years,” he said. “This property that I’m sitting on, this particular space, had been empty for 30 years before I bought it in April of 2011. I was able to buy it and brought the airplanes here. Now, there are 40 homeowners on each side of the (4,091-foot-long turf) runway.”

Now that he has lived in his aircraft home for a little more than a decade, the longtime instrument-rated private pilot has moved onto tackling other goals. And like many inputs in aviation, his next goal requires a certain amount of time and money be put toward it. 

“I don’t own an airplane that’s flyable,” Axline said. “But all of my neighbors say, ‘Hey, Joe. If you want the keys, they’re in it—take it and just fill it up with gas when you are done.’ It’s pretty awesome! Part of the plan is that I will have a 40-by-50-foot hangar (the project is roughly halfway completed) right next to the airplane here. The roof will be solar panels, which will give me a lot of solar energy.

“I will have an ICON A5, and I will have an old Fokker D.VII replica or something similar to that—whatever it may come up to be. I’m building a business right now, where I do reputation management for businesses. Everybody says that they are good, but what do their clients say? I help them automate that capability and, as I get more customers, I get to do more of the things that I want to do (with the hangar and airplanes).”

The post A Residence That’s as ‘Plane’ as Can Be appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

After more than a decade of selling homes, pilot Robert Clarfield understands how knowing about aviation and how it relates to the property he is selling can serve him well.

“I think that being a pilot helps. That’s because, here is the thing—with an airport, you know whether this hangar is going to fit a twin. If this 3,500-foot runway will fit a jet, or you need 5,500 feet of runway,” said Clarfield, who works as a real estate broker in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“I’m getting asked questions like, ‘What is the pattern altitude? Is there a noise abatement requirement?’ There’s a lot of things that I’m noticing that I know as a pilot, or find the answers a lot easier because I am.”

Combining real estate with his longtime interest in aviation has been extremely rewarding, according to Clarfield, known as “Rob the Flying Realtor.” He has been a licensed real estate agent for 15 years but transitioned to selling homes full time a few years ago and works for the Arrt of Real Estate group

“One of the things that my partner in the brokerage, Rob [Romanet], liked about me, is that I had something different,” Clarfield said. “Having something different is what we look for in all of our agents. Rob learned that I have had my pilot’s license since 2018 and I love flying. And for me, it isn’t the destination, it’s just being in the air. And I started looking at all these landscapes under me while flying and thought, ‘Wait a minute. There has to be a way for me to incorporate my love for aviation with real estate.’

General aviation has also enabled Clarfield to significantly extend his reach within Arizona. Today, he covers an area that encompasses about a 100 nm circle from Scottsdale Airport (KSDL). 

“Wait a minute, now. Why don’t I also sell homes in Flagstaff, Sedona, Payson, and Prescott, instead of just in the Valley—here in Phoenix?’” Clarfield said. “That’s what I thought next. We now belong to all MLS (Multiple Listing Service) in all of those towns, because we do business there. Last week, I had a showing in Sedona, so I flew myself out there and showed the property.”

He believes his knowledge has been a competitive advantage, especially within the saturated real estate professional market in his area. This focus has recently paid off, as he was entrusted with the listing of a privately owned airport, Western Sky Airpark (0AZ2).

“I’m working on (closing) a deal right now with this airport in Salome, Arizona,” he said. “The real cool thing about it is that I had seen the property listed for years and wondered why it had such trouble being sold. So, I decided that I would fly into the property and was able to meet the owners. Their listing agreement had ended, so I told them exactly what needed to be done for it to get sold and how it needed to be marketed. Now I’m scheduling a fly-in there, and we’re doing this whole meet-and-greet program, and several investors are now interested.

“Other things that I’ve been doing to help market these properties are showcasing them in Facebook groups, definitely, and online. I’m good friends with lots of the flight schools out here in Scottsdale and Phoenix, so they let me post information there. I talk with the owners and the students, because some might know investors that would want to invest—or potentially want to purchase it themselves. Even when I fly with my instructor, I mentioned that I have an airport for sale. I had permission to, so we went and landed there. Things like that have really helped to build my experience and have gotten people to get in touch with me.”

Looking forward, Clarfield is leaning harder on his passion for aviation, confident his efforts will be well worth it.

“What I’m going to be working on soon is getting a plane,” he said. “The plan is for me to get my instrument, commercial, and ATP ratings. That way I can take people up, even though I can now, I just want to be sure to do everything by the book. Let’s say somebody in Phoenix wants to buy a house in Sedona, I’ll fly them up there, and there will be a town car waiting for us to land. We’ll go right to the property, grab some lunch, go back to the airport, and then boom—we will be back in Scottsdale quicker than driving.”

The post Arizona’s ‘Flying Realtor’ Finds an Edge appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Like many parents, after the last of their four grown children left home, Betsy and Shane Miller went house shopping. What they ended up with, however, is a home away from home for other aviators located in a Diamonhead, Mississippi, aviation community.

“When we looked at this house, it was way more than we needed,” said Betsy Miller. “But we loved it because there is a taxiway right in the backyard, and it’s close to the water, since we like to fish.”

Miller said she immediately realized the house’s upstairs area could be closed off and turned into an Airbnb. 

“We call it ‘The Shangar,’ because my husband’s name is Shane and it’s in front of our hangar,” she said of the home located in the Diamondhead Aviation Community on the Diamondhead Airport (66Y).

“It screams aviation,” she said. “As soon as you enter, you are greeted with all of these aviation metal wall signs. Then you go up our taxiway (stairs), which I painted to look like the taxiway outside. Instead of a typical guestbook, we let our guests sign the wall there. And everyone gets really creative with that.”

Even the carpet was chosen for pilots, she said. 

“It’s hotel carpet, that way pilots feel at home,” she said. “We also have lots of aviation decor, pictures, and even have a flap off of a CitationJet that was made into a bar in the kitchen. There’s lots of models around and aviation books here. Anything that we could think of, we have it here in the space.” 

Fly-in rentals are a rarity on the popular short-term rental sharing website, Miller said.

“Airbnb doesn’t have a specific category for airport home rentals, although I wish they would. They have unique spaces shown but nothing specific to fly-in properties.” she said. That’s been our only challenge in getting the word out about this space. Our airport manager asked me to make a flyer, and he has it posted for anybody who’s come in for fuel to see. I’ve also posted it everywhere on all these Facebook groups and not sure how to get it out there any better than that.” 

Airbnb Lessons Learned

As for those who are exploring the possibility of creating their own short-term rental, Miller offers a few tips.

“My main tip for anyone considering making their own fly-in Airbnb would be to have a ‘crew’ car available,” she said. “We now have one on site and available for our fly-in guests. Another tip would be to incorporate aviation into your decor; I can’t tell you how many compliments I get from guests. Personal touches go a long way. Finally, always have a few bottles of water, coffee, and snacks available as your fly-in guests may need a quick pick me up before they have time to get to a restaurant or local grocery store.”

Aside from being at an airport, the listing stands out from others that are airports, largely because  of its unique interior design elements. Guests aren’t only exposed to aerial elements inside the rental, as it overlooks the adjacent taxiway.

“At the airpark itself, there are no ramp fees and there are no handling fees. Our fuel is very affordable,” Miller said. “A lot of people will stop at the airport just to fuel up. Our airport has tie-downs available, but we make our hangar available for guests. There is such a different vibe here at Diamondhead, and the neighbors are great. If your hangar door is open, that’s like an invitation for everybody to come over. That’s just how we do it here and we love it. 

“And we’ve had not only pilots but also air traffic controllers and others that love aviation who have stayed here. They get to come here, check out all of the airplanes, the fuel farm, and experience the airport. All of the neighbors are pilots, and most have their own aircraft. When it’s the weekend, it’s no big thing seeing three or four of them taking off to fly off for a $100 hamburger.”

As a longtime resident of coastal Mississippi, Betsy Miller is familiar with the best recreational opportunities in the area—whether they are best reached by car or by airplane. 

“Diamondhead Airport is close to water,” she said. For those who like to fish, there are boat rentals less than five miles from Diamondhead. You can rent and dock it at the marina half a mile away from The Shangar. Dock fishing is always a short walk away. We have speckled trout, redfish, and lots of others. Outside of fishing, you are 10 to 15 minutes away from the beaches that span from Waveland to Ocean Springs.”

Diamondhead is also close to beaches and towns with great nightlife, she added. 

“In Bay St. Louis, there is Old Town, which was there before Hurricane Katrina, but came right back after,” Miller said. “It’s a fun atmosphere there with bars, bands, and overlooking the bay.” Miller added that other draws nearby include outlet shopping in Gulfport and casinos located in Waveland and Biloxi. Additionally, the town of Diamondhead also has a number of draws, including two championship golf courses and tennis courts—both of which are open to the public and located on the northside of the airpark community.

The post Mississippi Airbnb Offers Airport Access With Coastal Charm appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

For more than 90 years, aviation safety has been a priority of the National Association of State Aviation Officials, according to its top official.

“The organization began when the states came together to discuss this new thing, aviation, which was so mobile that individual states couldn’t just be managed by themselves,” said Gregory Pecoraro, NASAO’s president and CEO. “There needed to be some agreement on what the regulatory framework would be for aviation across the country.”  

“The states quickly realized that they couldn’t do this all themselves, so they asked the federal government to become engaged. NASAO has since stayed involved to ensure the same things that we have always been involved in. We continue to be partners with the federal government in managing the aviation system and continue to express the concerns of the states to Congress and the FAA,” he said.

Put simply, NASAO represents the public interest in all things related to aviation and airports. The organization represents all 50 states, as well as the U.S. territories of Guam and Puerto Rico.  

Factors affecting airports, such as the role of states in airport infrastructure, are a key priority among NASAO’s membership, Pecoraro said.

“In pretty much every state, the state aviation agency has some responsibility for the state’s aviation plan, which of course gets shared with the FAA. It’s a crucial part of decision-making related to AIP (Airport Improvement Program) grants. Some states have more engagement than others in this process and there are 10 states that are known as ‘block grant’ states,” he said. 

Those states receive funding directly from the FAA, then make decisions on how it will be spent at non-primary airports, he added.

“Other states are what are called ‘channeling states,’ where the money is channeled through the states to the non-primary airports,” Pecoraro said. “Again, [for these states] the FAA sends the money directly to the airports, but the state agency is involved with system planning and consulting with the airport district office, the regional offices, and of course [FAA] headquarters on making decisions on how those funds will flow into the states.” 

States hold additional roles when it comes to aviation, he added.

“Pretty much all states are involved in airport inspections to make sure that airports are meeting standards set by the FAA,” Pecoraro said. “And they also work with airports on how to seek funding that they need to access monies for infrastructure, to improve safety, to do expansion, to repair issues—across the whole range of reasons why airports need to spend money.”

In addition to these aspects of aviation, as well as others, the advocacy group is presently intently focused on priorities related to the reauthorization year.

“We are actively working with Congressional policymakers throughout the year and especially right now, as we are preparing for the Reauthorization Bill. We are also actively engaged with various offices at the FAA; the office of airports, UAS, safety, and others, to make sure that they are aware of our members’ concerns and that we are trying to partner with them wherever possible. We also engage with other federal agencies, such as the NTSB, Homeland Security and TSA, and others that intersect with aviation issues,” Pecoraro said. 

“There is a huge unmet need for funding to fix the nation’s aviation infrastructure. The monies that Congress and the (Biden) administration put into the (bipartisan infrastructure) bill are certainly a great down payment on helping to meet that need. More is necessary and we will continue seeking additional funds to meet that need. There is more to do than just fixing the additional infrastructure. We also have to start investing in the airports of the future,” he said.

“We have new entrants into aviation and new technologies that we are trying to figure out how to plan for and accommodate. That’s critical to the future of aviation and these airports are going to be a huge part of how people are going to access the aviation system over the next couple of decades. And we need to make sure that America’s aviation infrastructure has been redesigned, to some extent, to accommodate that.”

Pecoraro, who previously served as vice president of government affairs for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, knows the impact that individual members of the aviation community have on governmental policy. As such, he highlights the importance of aviators being contributors to industry dialogue. 

“First of all, pilots need to continue doing what they usually do, which is to stay focused on safety. That’s always critical and needs to be the number one thing that we all concern ourselves with. Secondly, it’s always a good idea for pilots to be politically aware, to understand what’s going on in their states and nationally to ensure, among other issues they’re concerned about, that support for aviation is appropriate. They should share their concerns with their elected representative and at every level, everyone makes a contribution.

“The federal government is generous in funding aviation infrastructure at the non-primary airports, which depending on the year is 90 percent to 95 percent of the funding, but the state and local governments have to make their match. So, it’s important that there be support at the local level for state governments to make this funding. We hope that pilots and others involved in the aviation industry continue to keep that in mind. Airports are always critical and while not every airport is as busy as another, they all represent a safe place to land when you need one,” Pecoraro said.

The post Advocacy Group Aims to Bolster Aviation Infrastructure Funding appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

After years of building a career in niche luxury real estate, broker Kirsten Kopp instinctually knows what her clients want to see first.

“It’s so funny showing either aviation or equestrian real estate,” said the Wellington, Florida broker. “Because usually when you show people quote ‘normal people’ homes, they go straight to the kitchen and the primary bedroom. Right? When you show equestrians a home, they go straight to the barn. And when you show pilots a home, they go straight to the hangar.”

Over the years, Kopp has become an expert on both types of niche real estate. While she has long been involved with riding horses, she was more recently introduced to flying airplanes.

“I was born in England, immigrated to the States in 1996, and ended up in Palm Beach in about 2006. I’ve been an equestrian all my life, not a pilot, and actually competed in every single different English equestrian discipline. That would include eventing, show jumping, dressage, and then wound-up playing polo. I was really happy doing that and never really considered being a pilot, although I liked going places. Never would have I wanted to fly myself,” she advised.

“But then I married a pilot, who already lived at Wellington Aero Club (FD38). So, I swapped horses for planes and found myself surrounded by pilots. Indeed, we have a hangar in our backyard and my husband, Ken Kopp, is a professional pilot [chief R&D experimental test pilot at Sikorsky Aircraft] and CFI. So, I thought, ‘What an opportunity. Why on earth would I not learn how to fly?”

Kopp has since become more involved in aviation than she had initially expected she would.

“And at first, I was one of those [spouses] who wanted to do an ‘in a pinch’ type of course. But that’s not really me. If I’m going to do something, I am going to do something properly. So cut forward, I now have my own little Cessna 172. My husband is an aerobatic competitor, so he has a Pitts Special S2C. Then we have a Foxstar Baron E55 family hauler. We’ve now got three planes and are having to expand our hangar.” 

The real estate specialist of more than a decade has found that selling real estate in Wellington has been a great way to combine her two passions, as well as interact with an array of like-minded people from all over the world.

“Selling aviation real estate is fun because naturally I share the same passion as my clients. I get to talk about the aviation lifestyle with many people. It is also usually the ultimate lifelong dream for a pilot—to live in a private airpark, especially in South Florida. So, shopping for a hangar home is an exciting time for most clients. With my clients selling their homes, they look to me to maximize the potential of their property, which obviously takes a pretty unique skill set, which I am happy to employ for them,” Kopp advised.

As the pilot and real estate broker is quick to point out, Wellington is a one-of-a-kind place.

“I love properties in general, but especially aviation and equestrian properties. And in the Village of Wellington, it’s a bubble. We call it the ‘Winter Equestrian Capital of the World,’ because we have about 20,000 people who fly in every winter, from October to April, bringing with them about 8,000 horses. They come from 35 different countries. All of a sudden, six months out of the year, this somewhat sleepy, little suburban South Florida town transforms into an international jet set hotspot. And I’m not exaggerating; many neighbors here in Wellington are household names.”

According to Kopp, it’s not only those with recognizable surnames that call the 255-residence fly-in community home. There are plenty of people living there who are far out of the public eye and come from a variety of professional backgrounds. On average, she says that taxiway homes begin around $2 million and are as high as $10 million. Current and previous listings of Kopp’s Aero Club properties can be seen on her YouTube channel.

“There’s a good split at Aero Club, between full and part-time residents. We have a lot of people who have second homes elsewhere, including other hangar homes in different airpark communities. The outer streets of Aero Club are not taxiway homes, but they account for about a third of the homes here. These homes still have full access to the private airport and of course our fuel farm that has very cost-effective avgas and jet fuel.”

Even though Kopp laments that “horses and airplanes don’t really work together,” the community’s focus on her more recently discovered passion in life makes up for the fact that only one home in the community has horses. 

“What makes Aero Club so exceptional and unique is firstly its location. It’s located so that you can be in The Bahamas in less than an hour; more like half an hour, depending on your plane and your destination island of course. So, from door to door, you could literally, within an hour, have your feet in the Bahamian sand. Also, you can get anywhere up the Eastern seaboard easily as well. And South Florida is a huge winter hotspot for those Northeasterners that we call snowbirds. How great would it be to be a pilot and for your winter home to have a runway?”

Paved Runway

Kopp says that the private airpark has become more attractive to pilots in recent years for one key reason.

“What really put Aero Club into its own unique luxury niche is when eight years ago, approximately, we paved our 4,000-foot lighted runway. That allows us to have jets with a max gross weight of 12,500 pounds. So now we have a good array of aircraft that are based here, from jets to aerobatic planes, to turboprops, to warbirds, to single engine pistons, and we’ve also got a sizable number of helicopters. We probably have 12 or 13 helicopters in the community now.”

There isn’t just a good mix of aircraft, but residents as well.

“Aero Club is an extremely sociable neighborhood. I have never experienced a community quite like it! Every Sunday just before sundown, we gather at the pilot house and share stories and cocktails. Often neighbors will bring some potluck items. And we talk and watch the planes taking off and landing. A lot of families have moved here in the last few years, so it’s a very family-friendly feel,” Kopp explained.

“If someone acquires a new plane, neighbors will turn up to admire it. A neighbor recently acquired a Huey helicopter, and as soon as we heard the signature ‘WHAP’ ‘WHAP’ of that helicopter, it was like a siren song. Everyone hopped on their golf carts and gathered to have a look.”

Being that she is so familiar with both, Kopp is privy to say that both equestrians and pilots are unique breeds.

“Equestrians and pilots both share a love of adventure and are mostly adrenalin thrill seekers! They usually have spent many years dedicated to perfecting their craft and love to share their passion with others. Also, because Aero Club is just a one-mile golf cart ride from the Wellington International horse show grounds, we have a lot of equestrians here as well—including Olympians. And a lot of families who enjoy both horses and airplanes, like our family. I ride, and we are both pilots. It’s very niche, but if you are one of us, Aero Club is an absolute paradise. There is nowhere else I would rather live than here.”

The post ‘Horse Riding Capital of the World’ Also a Beacon for Aviators appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Goodspeed Airport (42B), which sits on nearly 60 acres along the Connecticut River, is known as a little haven for aviators in eastern Connecticut.

The nearly 60-year-old airport features a 2,100-foot asphalt runway, a 4,500-foot water runway, and several banks of hangars. And in November 2020, new owners took possession of it.

Over the years, there have been several ownership transitions. In 2020, the East Haddam, Connecticut, airport was listed for sale, and two of its own stepped up. Bill McEnery and Eric Zipkin both kept aircraft at Goodspeed and banded together to purchase the airport.

McEnery, the co-owner of a chain of local bike shops, explained how the airport could have ceased to exist following its most recent ownership transition.

“When it came up for sale, it was the classic story of the town wanting to purchase the land—but really having no interest in keeping it an airport,” McEnery said. “They wanted it to be open space, parks and that kind of stuff. Actually, prior to Eric and I putting our deal together, I tried explaining to the city how good of an opportunity it would be to keep it as an airport. But fortunately, Eric and I both met and have a common goal.”

Just as the airport has been a place of fond memories for McEnery, important parts of Zipkin’s aviation life happened at Goodspeed Airport. 

“I spent one of the most enjoyable summers of my life teaching people how to fly seaplanes here at Goodspeed Airport,” Zipkin said. “I was a low-time instructor, who had never flown a seaplane before, and didn’t really know anything from anything. But with the nature of seaplane training, you have a new student every couple of days. So, you always learn a little bit from each of your students. I learned an enormous amount and credit this experience with giving me the kick in the pants to get my aviation career going.”

Goodspeed has long been a popular destination for this rating, as well as for those who own and fly their own amphibious aircraft. This aspect was one of the many reasons why the pair decided Goodspeed Airport was a worthy investment.

“It’s what I would call the most beautiful airport in New England, although I may be a little biased,” noted McEnery. “It’s a 57-acre property and was in decent shape with a lot of grass to cut (including a turf landing area that’s adjacent to the paved runway and is similar in length). There were 35 hangars and a neat little terminal building. It has quite a distinct character to it. As time went on with the old owner, who maintained the airport and its infrastructure really well, the activity went down. There wasn’t an active flying community going on there.” 

“Since we’ve been here, the feedback we are getting is that it is changing. So, on the weekend, a lot of people will fly in and walk a few minutes up the road to a restaurant. That [flying for food] is the primary mission for all pilots,” McEnery added with a laugh.

Being that Zipkin, who is now the president of Tradewind Aviation, had such memorable times during his early aviation days flying seaplanes, it’s unsurprising that one of the airport’s most important features is its proximity to the river. But, when the duo assumed ownership of Goodspeed in the Fall of 2020, the airport wasn’t fully operational for seaplane use. Additionally, the new owners felt that there were other areas of opportunity. 

“One of the biggest improvements that we’ve made was putting in seaplane docks. The other big improvement, maybe even bigger than the seaplane docks, was starting to keep the airplane open year-round and being welcoming to all pilots. The airport prior to our ownership would close down at Christmas and re-open at Easter. It was NOTAMed closed, to where you could not operate during that time. The previous owner didn’t want to clear snow, which is quite the shame, and of course reduced the hangar appeal to pilots,” McEnery said. 

“What being closed for four months out of the year really ended up doing was that the hangar space kind of wound up being more self-storage space, as opposed to aircraft storage space. We are pushing to try and have the hangars used for active aviation purposes. But the combination of being open full-time, seaplane docks, and being welcoming to people that want to base their planes and businesses at the airport are the three biggest things that we have done during our ownership tenure thus far.”

Zipkin added some additional detail. “The thing that I’m looking forward to is that we’ve added tie-downs recently and plan on adding more. The docks weren’t there when we bought the airport, either. We had to re-permit for them, and it’s been a two-year process to be able to put the docks back in the water, even though they were there before. Once those go in, I am really looking forward to the potential of more of that seaplane operation coming back and really being alive. There’s instruction going on right now, but it’s really the coolest thing seeing a seaplane going by on the river at 200 feet. It’s a great sight to see.”

With some big improvements under their belt, the duo is encouraged to take on more projects that they feel are long overdue. They believe that this work will really set the tone for how pilots see Goodspeed and its position as a New England destination airport. There is one aspect of its current state that may be a negative for some pilots, though. Regardless, the two are confident that the airport’s charm more than makes up for the lack of a common amenity. 

“And I don’t think I mentioned it yet, but just adjacent to the airport, to the north, there is a 600-foot-long swing bridge. And there is a steam train across the river that operates, as well as an opera house in town. So, when you are talking about a picturesque community type of thing, people are always like, ‘holy cow!’ They feel like they have stepped back in time.”

“We don’t have fuel at this time, but it’s on the short list of things that we are thinking about doing in the near term,” Zipkin said. “What we are trying to foster is an airport that is more than just a place that people fly to, hop in a courtesy car, and drive away. We are really trying to create a community where people know each other, hang out with one another, and are welcoming of visitors. And we have a waiting list of people that want to be here!”

The post Connecticut Airport Keeping Seaplanes on the River appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Pat Ackerman wants pilots to fly more.

“I think that one of the biggest travesties that I see in general aviation is that people spend the time and money to get a pilot certificate and then not fly on a regular basis,” said Ackerman, who owns North Omaha Airport (91NE). “They use their resources to buy a plane, fly it for a little while, and then some barriers keep them from flying.”

He understands common obstacles, including those he’s experienced himself. 

“People don’t fly enough for a variety of reasons. Whether it’s ‘My databases on my plane aren’t updated, so I can’t go,’ or, ‘I don’t know enough pilots and don’t have the community built up yet, in terms of where to fly on the weekend.’ I see a lot of hangar queens out there, and providing facilities that foster flying more is what is needed in general aviation,” he said.

Ackerman, who previously held leadership positions with a national hospitality organization, purchased the airport in late 2021. The purchase was partially the result of him seeing gaps in pilots’ desires to visit new destinations and them rarely doing so. After months of detailed planning and design work, the private pilot unveiled the concept to the public in January of this year. 

“The hallmark of the project is what I call The Aviators Hotel,” Ackerman said. “One of the things that I recognized as I’ve flown around, and again—being new and excited about going different places—is that it’s really hard to seek out somewhere brand new to fly to. That’s because I think that there is a lot of friction in that process.”

“So, if you think about it, if you’ve never been to Omaha or another place before, there are a lot of logistical concerns.” 

“Number one, you have to figure out whether your plane is going to be outside overnight,” he continued. “And I think that’s one of the biggest fears of airplane owners. Will there be storms, frost, or any number of things that could affect your plane? Second is, where do you stay? A lot of people may fly to second homes or visit a relative or someone that they know. Otherwise, you have to figure out where in town you want to stay. Third, you have to figure out transportation. A lot of places have a crew car, where some are better than others. I think that most pilots would say that the common crew car is a 1990s Buick LeSabre, that hopefully is there and hopefully starts,” he said with a laugh.

“Number four, what do you do once you land? If you’ve never been to Omaha, or any number of other places, what do you do when you are there? Is there a good restaurant to go to, an interesting event, a museum, or whatever? And then lastly, is itinerary planning. Packaging up a deal to make it super easy to fly into somewhere new is the opportunity that I saw with making The Aviators Hotel concept. Let’s solve the five biggest reasons that pilots don’t explore new places and just make it super easy to get off the ground and come somewhere new.” 

Ackerman feels that this planned development at North Omaha Airport will solve the five problems he mentioned, as well as attract new visitors to Nebraska’s most populous city. In addition to the development’s flagship building—the (up to) 76-room hotel—there will also be a total of 38,000 square feet of hangar space dedicated to transient aircraft. Additionally, there will be 13,000 square feet of other interior space that will house various “country club” type amenities. 

Ackerman is presently soliciting feedback from the pilot community regarding elements that should be included in the final site plans. Some aspects that he may incorporate include a spa, a pool, a kid’s area, a flight center, a lounge area with golf simulators, a fitness area, a restaurant, and a cocktail bar.

With a package of offerings that aviators won’t find at other airports, Ackerman expects that the project will be a significant draw for those from both near and far. 

“I think that the target market will be visiting us somewhere from 250 to 500 nautical miles away,” he said. “I think the net is potentially larger than maybe people realize because there are so many pilots that are looking for a destination where they can go hang out. And when you start putting things like a hotel, to where pilots can now have a long weekend there, you start potentially drawing people from a considerably larger area.”

“Omaha has a diversity of great products to do. First of all, the food and beverage scene here is very underrated. There are a ton of really nice restaurants that offer memorable experiences that come to mind, that everyone would enjoy. We have a couple of amazing museums here, as well as an Orpheum Theatre that has a bunch of Broadway-produced and other shows that come to town. Then you have events like the College World Series, that’s here every year, the Olympic Swim Trials, and other similar caliber sporting events. Those are the things that come to mind that would be attractive reasons for people to come to the Omaha area.” 

During initial planning, it was expected that the development would be completed next year. But from feedback received from the city and other stakeholders, there are some additional items that Ackerman must account for. As a result, he says that a more realistic time frame is for the project to be completed by the end of 2025. 

“There is some work to do on the infrastructure around here and I think that any airport would be remiss to say that they don’t,” he said. “But our runway is in really good shape and was done in the 1960s, actually. Outside of some crack sealing and things, it’s really held up well over the years. The taxiways are pretty good overall, but there are some spots that we would like to address before opening the airport more broadly. There is also a runway extension that is a part of the plans that I would like to see put in place soon as well. It will be a 400-foot extension and the runway is currently at 3,173-feet now. The additional 400-feet adds an additional buffer for, say, a Piper M350 on a hot summer day trying to get over obstacles at either end of the runway.”

“Today, we are a privately-owned, private-use airport, so we do not get a lot of transient traffic,” he concluded. “That’s partly because of some trees that have grown into the airspace that violate state standards. So, the hope is to work with the city and our neighbors to have those trimmed and get back to being a public-use airport. In terms of airplanes, we have 24 based at the airport today and see mostly local traffic. My hope is that coming this spring, we start offering the basis for airport membership opportunities. This would unlock some benefits, like fuel at cost for certain tiers of membership, for example. We are starting to look at unique ways to help aircraft owners, in terms of easier maintenance, insurance, and use, and have a lot of ideas that will hopefully make the whole aircraft ownership experience better.”

The post New Aviators Hotel Plan Aims to Take the Friction Out of Flying appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Barbie Brunson has been involved with nearly all of the operations at Hicks Airfield (T67) since first learning to fly there in the early 1990s. 

As Brunson recounts, she has worn “a lot of hats” over the years. One of the more memorable exchanges between her and her husband, Kevin occurred shortly after they purchased the airport’s fuel operations in 1995. 

“In addition to running the restaurant at Hicks for 15 years, we had this old 1970 Ford fuel truck that held a thousand gallons, with a straight six and a huge steering wheel that was probably bigger than any extra-large pizza that you’d ever order! My husband bought it for me. He said, ‘You’ve got the automated pumps here, and people can buy fuel 24/7. But if you ever got someone that has a larger plane, why don’t you get checked on driving the truck. That way, you can drive to the ramp and fill up their airplanes.”

“I’m like, ‘I can probably do that!’ I started delivering fuel to the ramp, and pilots loved that service. You might catch me on any given day in the restaurant taking orders or helping put stuff together for food deliveries, to changing out a fuel filter or checking out something with the fuel farm. To possibly even installing a water meter or backflow, because we are the water utility as well,” she said.

All of Brunson’s efforts at the airfield mirror that of her initial inspiration in general aviation, her father, Dr. Anthony Ziegler. When she was a girl growing up in rural Missouri, he created a small grass airstrip that became popular within the flying community—primarily due to the communal environment that was cultivated there. His zeal for aviation ultimately transferred to Barbie, whose bubbly personality and can-do attitude are a shining light at Hicks Airfield. 

These skills allowed Brunson to identify and solve a problem that airport visitors frequently had; where to keep their plane and where they should stay themselves. 

“Pilots used to call me all the time, since we are the FBO on the field, saying that they are flying into Fort Worth and need a place to keep their airplane for a few days. I didn’t have a hangar for them! I had outside ramp space in a grassy lot just northwest of the restaurant building, but nowhere for them to stay. Then they would ask where the nearest hotel is, and I would help make those arrangements as well,” she explained.

“I told my husband that if we could buy the other half of this duplex hangar [where the couple keep their two aircraft], it would make so much sense, because I could put my own Airbnb in there. That way, when pilots need a place to put their plane, they would have a place to stay right next to their airplane. That’s how The Hangar Lodge started its existence.”

With a quick sketch in hand, Barbie set out to make the vision of an on-airport short-term rental come to life.

“It took me nearly a year putting the project together, because I GC’d [served as the general contractor] myself. I literally sketched out the idea for The Hangar Lodge on a piece of paper. Then I had my really crafty nephew, who knows how to do all that CAD work, turn it into something with dimensions that the crew could work from. The project really took off from there.” 

The 45-foot by 50-foot hangar is the centerpiece of the building and was purposely designed to accommodate most aircraft that could land on the airport’s 3,740-foot-long asphalt runway. At the rear of the structure is the two-story residential quarters, which boasts two private bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. 

“You see a little bit of everything and anything out here at Hicks, as far as hangar design and creations. I just decided that when I did my project, I wanted it to be somewhat timeless. And I was thinking a Craftsman style, to me, doesn’t seem dated. I think that it always has a good look and feel. It’s kind of like a homey concept, and that’s why I chose to do that. There’s not another Craftsman-style place that I’ve seen out here. I had a lot of fun with it!”

Barbie is proud to report the project has proven successful thus far, with a diverse set of guests having stayed there since opening in December 2019. As positive word about the rental spread, so did questions about using the hangar for alternate purposes. 

“I think we are kind of like the best-kept secret out there, but slowly word of mouth about it has gotten out. I had intended The Hangar Lodge to be for pilots because I was thinking that people would be flying in, buying fuel from us, maybe eating at our restaurant (Wing It Cafe), and stuff like that. Then it turned into a different direction that I hadn’t been planning on,” Brunson said.

“People would contact me and say that they just saw us advertised on Facebook, Instagram, or wherever and ask if we have ever hosted a wedding, a rehearsal dinner, or a baby shower. I thought that those events could be interesting, so I said, ‘What do you have in mind? Yeah, we can provide all the tables and chairs. We can do this, and we can do that. I let the customer dictate to me what they were looking for, and then I made it happen. Now I have turned into a little wedding planning operation and have had pilots that want to get married in the hangar!” 

Brunson doesn’t mince any words, when explaining how enjoyable it’s been to run the “one-of-a-kind lodging destination.” And if it weren’t for another conversation early in her and her husband’s tenure at Hicks Airfield, then she may have never added ‘short-term rental host’ to her hat rack.  

“At the time [1995], there was only one taxiway and probably 30 hangars on the field. That was it. There was literally a cow pasture to the east side of my office, and a barbed wire fence. On occasion, a cow would get loose and get onto the runway. And we would have to chase it back to the farmer’s property next door. Hicks Airfield was out in the middle of nowhere and my husband said, ‘Okay, this area is not going to grow for years, Barbie. This [getting the restaurant] is kind of crazy,” she recalled.

“And I said, ‘No. You know what? Build it and they will come! I know people. This area will grow. This airport will get bigger. Let’s just do it.’ I had so much fun with it, and it turned out to be a really good deal.”

The post Sleeping Next to Your Airplane, Texas Style appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Peter Mastropieri is trying to put his grass strip airport back on the map.

“The interesting thing about Keymar Airpark (MD42) is that right now, we are actually not on the sectional chart because there is a Camp David text box over the airport. Hopefully that gets removed in the April revision of the sectionals, as I made the request with the FAA,” he said.

Peter, alongside his fiancée Chelsea Ingram, recently purchased the airport located in Keymar, Maryland. Buying an airport was a longtime dream for the Boeing 767 and Air National Guard F-16 pilot, who is a lifelong resident of the state. 

“I had never known about Keymar Airpark, although I had flown in the vicinity of it many times. But I had always been looking for land within an hour or two of Washington, Baltimore, or Philadelphia. So about two years ago, I had a realtor set up a commercial property listing for me in the area. The airport popped up in that search, and that’s actually how I first heard about it. And it was horribly overpriced when it was first put out, but the price started coming down and we eventually thought that maybe we could look at it,” he said.

Chelsea was equally enthusiastic about the possibility of buying an airport. A meteorologist by training, she has embraced aviation since meeting Peter and is currently working towards her private pilot certificate. For several years, the couple had forecasted that owning an airport of their own was on the horizon. 

“When Peter met and started dating, we always talked about what our five, 10-year plans look like. As well as what the ultimate place we want to live looks like. And of course, Peter always said that he would love to have his own grass strip,” she said. 

Initially, purchasing this property seemed to be out of the young couple’s reach. Fortunately, Chelsea noted that their fortune changed. 

“They parceled off a house that was initially being sold with the airpark, so the price came down a little bit. Then when it looked like something that we could actually entertain, I said that we should just go and look at it. Because when else do you get a chance to purchase a grass strip so close to where you live? And we did it!”

The couple formalized the purchase of Keymar Airpark in January 2023. This sale included 14 acres, as well as several structures and a strong spirit of aviation that dates back to 1971 when the airport was first opened. 

“Its runway is registered as 1,950 feet by 50 feet, turf, but has clearways on both sides. So, there are no scary trees, which is pretty nice,” Mastropieri said. “There are two hangars, a community hangar, and a Quonset hangar, and I think we have 10 ultralights that are based there right now. Then we have a few fixed wing, certified airplanes here as well. We actually do not own an airplane yet, so that will be our next step.”

“We went a little backwards. Let’s just buy the airpark and then we will have a place to put a plane,” Chelsea added.

The two already have several ideas planned for the property. Hinting that they expect a strong, flying-focused future for Keymar, they reported that they are fortunate to have inherited an airport that has a history rooted in general aviation.

Peter said that, “There are about three acres with a homesite at the airport, and we are planning to build a house there, five or so years down the road. But we are actually going to develop basically a campsite on the property so we can go up there for the weekend and have a semi-permanent tent to use.”

This will be the basis for the airport’s anticipated camping site that other aviators will be able to use as well. 

“We want people to fly in and also have a place for them to stay. One of our main goals is to make Keymar Airpark a destination and bring the community back to it. There used to be a big flying community that used to be associated with the airport, and we want to bring that back. We would also like to include an affordable flying club here eventually. We also have quite a bit of land for follow-on hangars, so would like to build more here as demand allows. This year we are going to do the camping for ourselves but would like to think about the possibility of short-term rentals. So, you would be able to fly in, to either camp or stay in a cabin, and then have a courtesy car so that you can go hiking in the mountains or go to D.C, whatever you want to do,” he advised.

Chelsea added that everyone who has heard about their airport purchase has been pleased, especially when hearing about some of their goals for the property.

“I think that the reception from the pilot community to our efforts thus far has been extremely positive. I have a lot of people that have messaged me privately saying that ‘Oh I’ve gone to Keymar before and would love to come back and visit,’ or ‘Keymar is one of my favorite places to visit. It’s a great little grass strip!’ I think what’s so wonderful about the airport is that you have proximity to Washington, D.C., also to Baltimore, also to Frederick, which is the cutest town, and also to the Catoctin Mountains. It really is a great spot with so many things that you can do beyond the airpark. Reception has been very, very positive.” 

Getting Keymar back on the map (literally) will help pilots see the airport as a possible place to visit in the future. But the two are not expecting visibility on the sectional to be the only way aviators hear about the airport. As a result, they have become vocal about inviting others to enjoy the grass airstrip alongside them. 

“Right now, we are a private use airport and require permission to land. But we are trying to get the FAA database switched over to our names, so people can contact us,” Ingram said. “In the meantime, we will grant people permission to land via our email at keymaraviation@gmail.com. We definitely want people to visit, so we don’t want them to be afraid to reach out!” 

The post New Owners Aim To Revive DC-Metro GA Airport appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Most airparks have a unique identity, and the Palmetto Air Plantation is no different. 

“We are in a fabulous-sized small town that allows that type of wonderful southern charm living,” said Joe Witt, the developer of this fly-in community in Manning, South Carolina.

“And yet, we are in the middle of it all and are close to culture. Charleston and Columbia, either one of them, are an hour away by automobile. Some people look at the rural south and say, ‘Man, you are in the middle of nowhere.’ We look at it and say, no we are in the middle of everything. We are in the middle of it all!”

Witt is very complimentary of this municipality of around 4,000 residents, partly due to a sobering experience he had two and a half decades ago. 

“I am not originally from this town. I’m a ‘come here,’ not a ‘from here.’ But in 1998, I got into a plane accident, and this little town just picked me up like I was their child. And so, I don’t know how you put the words to that, but I say that Palmetto is a jewel.”

The 112-acre airpark (SC41) was a longtime goal of Witt’s, who is a lifelong entrepreneur—primarily in the trucking industry. 

“I put a tremendous effort into the runway and the overall concept of the property, the drainage, and the infrastructure. Sure, I’m prejudiced, but the runway is fabulous. It is 3,720-foot by 150-foot and has lighted LEDs that are on every day, from dusk to dawn. It is one of the nicest turf runways anywhere, say the owners and their guests.”

Runway maintenance is ongoing and of utmost concern to those who use it, he explained.

“We just totally refurbished/reconditioned the runway surface by the literal efforts of many of the owners on a weekend about six weeks or so back,” he said. “[We worked on it] end to end; aerated, topsoil where needed, cultipacker leveler, overseeded, and rolled in. We’re back aviating on it again. Fabulous!”

Witt first began construction of the airpark in 1997, 10 years after becoming a pilot. But before diving headfirst into this venture, he sought inspiration from other communities. 

“In my entrepreneurial spirit, I started thinking about this dream of making an airpark. I looked all over the country at them. All of those visits definitely helped form my layout and the design for Palmetto. And all of those visits also helped me in some respects in what to do with the covenants in the community, but also what not to do,” he recalled.

“Some of them were so many pages of so much legalism that it became so obstructive to even grasp them [the rules], much less live in the communities. Others were too lax, and some of these places you would go and would allow you to build your hangar first, and the hangar faces the roadway or common property. The hangar would never get finished, or the door doesn’t get put on it and they get full of junk. So, our covenants say that hangars must open to the sidelines of the property, and there is a reason for that.”

Even though Witt visited airparks of all types across the country, he determined the best place to make his dream become a reality was in his backyard. Literally.

“I was flying over home one day; you know how you do when you’re circling around in your plane? And I looked down right where I was living, and I started looking at the fence lines. I thought that I could do this [make an airpark] right there! So, I set about and put three tracts of property together. One piece of it was an estate piece that was a little difficult [to get] and then the other two pieces were owned by the same entity. I put these three parcels together and started building an airpark,” Witt said.

“I first thought, ‘Well, I will be able to knock this out in three months!’ I rounded up old junky equipment and did it myself. Literally, myself. I took possession of the property in early 1997 and then, in March 1998, I crashed. By that time, me and my friend Bobby would land on the runway I built—but hadn’t invited anyone else to land on it. But we would. And then I had my accident.” 

As a result of the crash, Witt and the airpark’s development were sidelined for three years. 

“It took me a while. But I recovered from all of that and stayed the course. I got all the utilities put in, city water and sewer, electric, phone, cable, had a power line moved, and a gate entrance installed. And then by 2008, I had sold four or five lots and started building our dream house.”

Even with all his efforts to create the community, Witt has put minimal effort into marketing. Most residents have primarily heard of the development through word of mouth.

“I’ve never really spent a lot on advertising or made a big media push. I’m not really a developer by trade; this is my little dream spot. It’s home. It’s where I’m rooted and I love the community. I’ve just been letting Palmetto unfold as God opens the doors. I’ve now sold about half of the lots, maybe a little more, and still own about 18—from the original 45. Two more houses are soon to star,t and that’s going to put us at 11 homes here. I suspect this will be when Palmetto makes the big leap,” Witt said.

He added that the airpark will host the SC Breakfast Club fly-in group on April 30^th for those wanting to see the fly-in community firsthand.

The post Small Town Airpark, ‘In the Middle of it All’ appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“Development has to be right for the airport,” cautioned Iver Retrum, partner and managing broker of Business Aviation Group. 

“A lot of people think that you can go in, develop it, and that they will come,” Retrum said. “But that doesn’t necessarily work at every airport. You have to understand what the market is first. That seems simple, but a lot of times it’s not.”

Through more than two decades of industry experience, Retrum has seen the success of dozens of hangar projects and other on-airport developments predicated on proper examination of marketplace demand and other factors.

His first foray in the space was working for Signature Flight Support as a national sales manager. After five years with Signature, he transitioned to another well-known business aviation company, ARINCDirect. Following his departure in 2007, Retrum was entrusted with business development and marketing efforts for SunBorne’s 125-acre Centennial InterPort master-planned aviation development at Centennial Airport (KAPA) near Denver, Colorado. 

Eight years later, and after managing roughly 250,000 square feet of commercial hangar space with that organization, Retrum co-founded Business Aviation Group. Not only does the Centennial, Colorado-based company provide feasibility and analysis services, it also offers numerous other services to developers and FBOs across the country. 

“Business Aviation Group does a lot of different things. And again, my background is aviation real estate, so I concentrate on valuation, transaction, and marketing. I have been a Colorado real estate broker for the last 10 years, so that’s what my focus is. Then we have a project management leg of the stool as well, which is a big portion of our business. With that, we are helping FBOs and developers go out and project manage these developments. These range from big corporate hangars down to condo hangars or executive hangar-type developments,” Retrum began.

“We are doing that across the country and have about 12 different projects that we are working on right now. Several of those are here in Colorado, but others are spread across the country. Some of those projects, we are invested on the development side, so we are actually in the capital stack ourselves. On other projects, we serve as a consultant and help those through the process, which is another key aspect of our business.”

The list of projects that the company is presently undertaking within the Centennial State includes: 

AeroFNL at Northern Colorado Regional Airport (KFNL)

• 77,000 sq. ft of new box hangars 
• 23 hangars: 2,600–5,100 sq. ft.

GarCo Premier Hangars at Rifle/Garfield Airport (KRIL)

• 56,400 sq. ft. of business and general aviation hangars
• 15 hangars: 2,750–14,000 sq. ft.

AeroHDN at Yampa Valley Regional Airport (KHDN)

• 58,000 sq. ft. of executive and corporate hangars
• 3,600–4,800 sq. ft. executive units
• 28,400 sq. ft. corporate hangar

In total, these three projects add nearly 200,000 sq. ft. of additional hangar space within the state—at airports that are growing or are expected to in the near future. As a result of these and other projects undertaken throughout his tenure within the industry, Retrum has become adept at the art and science of airport property valuation. This is a topic that he frequently discusses with other members of the aviation community. 

“I generally tell [fellow] pilots, and I have been on the soapbox for quite a while, that I always see value in the real estate at airports. But so many folks go out and put the ‘For Sale’ sign on their hangar, and they sell it for what the guy next to them sold theirs for. They don’t really take the time to expose the listing to the market and understand its real value. And there are so many different value pieces when it comes to ground leasing, and cash flows, as well as other aspects,” Retrum noted.

“Certainly, as a broker, I always say that I can add value in that for you, but the best thing to do is, if nothing else, is to market the property. You have to put it in the marketplace to get the best offers on real estate. And so much of what we do is beyond your local community. These days, I am marketing regionally and nationally. I’m getting calls from New York and such, which is important. If you really want to extract the most value out of the time and energy you put into your aviation real estate asset, is to go out and market it.” 

Not only does Business Aviation Group work in the commercial side of aviation real estate, but they are also heavily involved with residential airpark listings. 

“Colorado airparks are hard to get into these days. I would say that most of the communities in the state have waiting lists…Typically, we do more of what I call buyer representation at airparks, because of their waiting lists. So, we help pilots infiltrate them, rather than going out and marketing the individual communities or the listings themselves. We are helping pilots figure out how to get into those communities. And there has been a lot more activity in recent years on the airpark side of our business.”

Retrum added that Colorado has 13 fly-in communities. Since he has had listings at, or has become familiar with, all these communities—he can better educate prospective buyers.

“It’s always interesting going from airpark to airpark. There is such a difference in professionality in HOA documents, and the like, between them. Some airparks are just the wild west and those are typically the ones that have lower values. But just because of the general residential market in Colorado, all airpark homes are high commodities right now.” 

Retrum has long curated a resource to highlight these airport properties, both residential and commercial, to the national aviation community. 

“I developed Hangar Network in 2013. I saw a need for the ability to communicate with aviation real estate on the national level, because I had this 125 acres, and it was very difficult to communicate it across the broader web. Hangar Network was very successful and today has turned into Aviation Property Network (APN). It has become the MLS for aviation real estate. APN is meant to accommodate all aspects of aviation real estate, such as on-airport private hangars, FBOs, hangar homes, and airports themselves,” he said.

“Attached to the web service is an affiliate network of Aviation Real Estate Specialists that specialize within their region or state. These folks have been trained to understand the value on a local basis and are well suited to help folks find, sell, and value aviation real estate.”

Retrum added that the organization will have representation at Sun n’ Fun Aerospace Expo this year through their southeastern APN affiliates.

The post BAG Focuses on Airport Growth, Airpark Access appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Scott Weckler and his wife have parallel careers.

“Shelley and I both do all the exact same things. We are both pilots, air traffic controllers, and realtors. We copy each other, basically. And you can tell that we must be very popular at parties. Because if people don’t like us because we are FAA [employees], they don’t like us because we are realtors,” he joked. 

The two met at an airport, “a long time ago in San Diego,” and their mutual love for aviation has been a shared interest ever since. For more than a decade, they spent their time in cockpits in Florida and the Caribbean—Scott working several Part 135 jobs and Shelley delivering flight instruction.

Then in 2014, the Wecklers transitioned from their flying careers to become air traffic controllers, with the goal of being home more often with their newborn son. Both were picked up by the FAA on the same bid and began their tower careers in the Northeast; Shelley manning the tower at Boston Executive and Scott working for Boston Center. 

In 2018, they moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to be closer to Shelley’s parents. Not only has this move proven to be positive on a personal level, but it has also been beneficial professionally as well. That positive impact is surprisingly the byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic on the couple’s day jobs. 

“During lockdowns, they locked down our facility. We used to do tours and bring in groups for pilot outreach because a lot of controllers aren’t pilots, and a lot of pilots don’t really understand what happens on our end. So, we just started going out of the facility once things started coming out of lockdown and did a lot of speaking engagements. Those were really well received, and we tried to take the knowledge that we have from both the pilot side, the air traffic side, and blend them together. We have really been trying to be aviation advocates to help increase awareness and safety in our area here around Nashville,” Shelley said.

Ultimately, these interactions with fellow aviators at area airports led the Wecklers to become real estate agents specializing in aviation property. 

“Being involved in the industry for a long time has proven beneficial in the niche market of aviation real estate,” said Scott. “Most realtors that are asked to help with any sort of aviation community or project, such as a private grass airstrip, don’t know the difference between a Cessna Citation and a Cessna 152. As a result, we try to build connections with all the airparks, communities, and private airstrips in Tennessee and the surrounding states just to offer support—even if it’s just consulting.” 

Not only do the husband-and-wife duo speak the lingo of flying with buyers they work with, they also occasionally share the cockpit with them. That ability, they say, is especially useful when working with those that are not nearby.

“We have a couple of homes on the market right now and a lot of times, people will fly directly to the properties to look at them. We try to do this as much as possible. That way, they can get a feel for the community by flying in to see if it would be a good fit for them,” he advised.  “It really depends on the property, but I would say that recently a lot of buyers have been from out of state. There has been a huge influx of general aviation traffic, and there are so many people moving into Tennessee from other states, since it’s a wonderful place to live.”

Shelley followed Scott’s statement, expressing that fly-in communities near them allow residents to be removed from the action of the city. But they are not so far removed that it’s a hindrance to daily life. “The great thing about these airparks is that they are not necessarily nestled in Nashville, but they are so close,” she said. “That way, people that want to be in the area can live in these communities and there are so many other airports in Nashville, so they are only a 15-minute flight into town.”

“We’ve got quite a few unique aviation communities in Tennessee, including a ton of private airstrips. There is a good mix of properties, from quiet grass strips to more commercial operations—so there is something for everyone here,” she added. 

“One of the interesting properties that we are working with right now is about an hour south of Nashville, at Tullahoma Municipal Airport (KTHA), which is a city-owned airport,” said Scott. “It’s got instrument approaches, lights, a full FBO, maintenance, and fuel. Everything is maintained by the city, but they have a through-the-fence agreement with Chandelle Airpark where there are roughly 15 homes. As a result of this agreement, these resident pilots have the ability to fly an instrument approach, at night, into a paved 5,500-foot runway and taxi right into their hangar, which is a pretty unique thing that we’ve seen. There aren’t too many airparks out there like that, as most are privately owned and maintained. But this is a deeded through-the-fence agreement, which is pretty rare.”

Regardless of how many great aviation communities the Wecklers say there are near Nashville and throughout the Volunteer State—it’s important that continued efforts are focused on attracting the next generation of aviators to them.

“Getting families into these properties that are interested in aviation, to get that next generation excited about these airparks to keep them going is going to be something that’s very important,” said Shelley. “Because a lot of times you go to these airparks, and it’s a big group of older people. Getting younger families in there and getting that exposure, showing them that this kind of lifestyle is an option, is crucial.”

“Especially with all of the remote work that is going on these days, many people are not having to go into the office every day,” she continued. “Living a little outside the city, with a commute and potentially being able to fly in a few days a week is beneficial to people—especially that younger generation, finding people with children that grow up in this environment will be what preserves airparks’ legacies going forward. Once those communities are gone, they are really difficult to get back.”

You can follow the couple’s aviation real estate journey on Instagram @propertypilots.

The post Home Shopping, By Air appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Mike Trusty and Kris Shewmake are both pilots and have been friends for nearly five decades. As business partners, the pair own Crystal Lake Airport (5M5) in Decatur, Arkansas, with Trusty also working as a telecommunications engineer and Shewmake as a plastic surgeon.

The airfield boasts a 3,863-foot by 75-foot asphalt runway and is just outside Bentonville, in the state’s Northwest corner. But the two are both longtime residents of Little Rock. 

So how did they wind up becoming involved with the property, which is a three-hour drive from their homes? 

“As far as that airport goes, I had traveled through that area a great deal and it had always been known as what I would call a very private airport. It was there primarily for use by a chicken production company, called Peterson Farms. They came about in the mid-1930s, and their primary purpose was to raise what they called breeder roosters,” Trusty said.

“The company had a whole fleet of aircraft, consisting of King Airs and Barons, and shipped their roosters all over the world. They would fly them on their planes to an international airport, where they would then be transported by a jet onwards, with a lot of customers being in Indonesia, China, and The Orient. Lloyd Peterson is probably responsible for chickens as prevalent as they are today, as far as a food staple.” 

• READ MORE: Beaver Creek Offers Access to Maine’s Lake Region

Trusty noted that as the global economy changed through the decades, the company’s operations were affected. For many years, he observed this transition from an outsider’s perspective. 

“Every time I drove by this place, I looked at it. Every time I talked to someone about it, they would say, ‘Oh yeah, that place is fantastic, but you can’t land there. You can’t go in there,’ and that sort of thing. And then one day a friend of mine called and said, ‘you aren’t going to believe this, but the airport is up for sale.” 

“The very next day, I, along with my partner (Shewmake) bought it,” Trusty proudly recounted. 

The two saw real potential in the airport at the time of their acquisition in December 2012. They not only purchased the 75-acre airport, but also some adjacent land—232 acres total.  

“Prior to buying it, Mike and I drove through there [Crystal Lake] and I mean it’s just the most beautiful airport that I’ve ever seen. It’s right in the valley and has this big lake right beside it, hills and the airstrip are right there next to the lake. It’s the closest I’ll ever get to landing on an aircraft carrier, because part of the runway extends out into the lake. So, I’ll just pretend every time that I’m landing there, that I’m doing a carrier landing,” Shewmake said.

Really, the best way to see what he is talking about is to fly the approach in person. But this video by the YouTube channel Dozen Duzit is the next best thing. Starting at 8:55, the video shows clips of the airport, including a picturesque approach to landing over Crystal Lake—in a ScaleWings SW-51 Mustang. 

Just as Northwest Arkansas is gaining traction within the national general aviation community, Crystal Lake has also become better positioned in recent years. Its two longtime advocates, Trusty and Shewmake, are extremely optimistic about the airport’s future. 

The airport includes hangars and tie-down spaces, a lighted VASI approach (RWYs 13/31); and an RNAV (GPS) approach (RWY 13), as well as the Dixon Aviation flight school. The property also features a cave system that starts on one end of the property and extends all the way into the town of Decatur. According to reports, the cave collapsed into itself under the runway when it was being built in the 1950s and was never cleared.  

Another notable aspect of the airport is that there are three homes presently on the property. All are original and date back to the Peterson days. One is where the business partners frequently travel with their families for a quick weekend getaway. Another is presently unused, and the third is listed as a vacation rental on both Airbnb and VRBO. The most enticing aspect of the property to pilots is that it’s situated only a few hundred feet away from the transient parking area at 5M5.

Residences near the runway has been a longtime vision for the business partners. For the last decade, they’ve considered building more houses on the property. 

“The idea initially was that we would buy the airport and the surrounding land for our personal use. And we would let some of our friends move up here to live, if they wanted to,” Shewmake said.

“Northwest Arkansas is a great place to live and would be a great place to retire. We went through various plans of an aviation community based at the airport, with 200 homes on the property. But we stood up on the surrounding hills, looked down at the lake and airport and said, ‘We can’t do that to this land. We can’t put that many houses here. It would ruin the place,’” Shewmake said. “Then we came back to the initial idea of inviting 10 of our closest friends up here to live. That way, we could preserve all of the beauty that exists here. But we’ve gone back or forth [on what to do] for however long we have had the airport and have not really settled on anything.”

Because of several factors, the two feel the best path forward is an ownership transition. Consequently, the airport was listed for sale with a local brokerage in the winter of 2022, in the hopes that an equally passionate ownership group will propel 5M5 to meet its true potential.  

“The problem is that I’m a surgeon, and Mike is an extremely busy engineer, so we haven’t had a lot of time to come out here and pursue these things that we had planned,” Shewmake said. “Not only that, now we’re too old to go out and borrow all the money needed—so we’ve decided that we are going to put [the property] on the market and try to sell it. Something needs to be done here for an aviation purpose. What we don’t want is some developer to just level it, get rid of the airport, the hangars, and just put a ton of homes in there,” Shewmake cautioned.  

“We really haven’t been able to commit the time, the energy, or the money to build the airport into what I feel that it could be. We were hoping that some other younger investors with more time could come in and just make it one of the premier aviation communities in the country. And I think that it could be, especially with its proximity to Bentonville. There is just so much stuff happening in Northwest Arkansas now, that we think it is a great place to live. And I wouldn’t mind buying a lot up here if someone does [build an airpark at Crystal Lake Airport]!”

The post Crystal Lake Airport Offers Waterfront Landings appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“The whole idea with our fly-in Airbnb A-frame cabin is that a general aviation pilot who wants to vacation in Maine, they want to get away from the city, this is a direct flight to relaxation. And once they are there, they are going to have all of the amenities that they need, including a courtesy vehicle. That way, they can go and access the lakes, rivers, the grocery store, or a restaurant for dinner,” advertised Mitch Groder, the proprietor of Beaver Creek (51ME) in Chesterville, Maine. 

A 2,300-foot-long grass runway and the adjacent lodging project is a product of the commercial pilot’s reentry into general aviation several years ago and his childhood upbringing in the Pine Tree State. 

“I grew up in Maine, and I just absolutely love it there, especially in the summer. I love the lakes region, which is where this land is located. I wanted to be able to find a way to fly directly there and start relaxing right away, without taking a 10-hour drive from Philadelphia where I live. Guests will love the cool Maine summer nights and clean, crisp air,” Groder said. 

“A few years ago, I had bought a Cessna 182 and realized that it could really open some doors for my family and me. Since I got back into GA, I just realized that when you have an airplane, you want to utilize it to fly to unique places. One of the logistical challenges that I had found was, sure you can go land at any airport—but then you have to figure out the Uber to take all of your bags to a hotel or an Airbnb. For me, I started to think ‘how cool would it be to just taxi right up to a cabin, pull the mixture, unpack your bags, and then you’re there. There’s no extra work. Then you get to sit on the deck of this A-Frame cabin and look at your airplane, which every pilot loves. That part is going to be a special experience.” 

“So, I bought the 80 acres up in Maine, which is about a two-and-a-half-hour flight with no wind from where I live, and started with construction of the runway in July. And after I created the runway, I thought to myself, ‘How can I share this with others when we are not utilizing it?’”

Those who can experience this part of the country during any time of year are in for a treat, the project’s website confidently expresses. 

“The location can’t be beat. Beaver Creek’s 80 acres are situated within five minutes of three beautiful Maine lakes and ponds. Water in this area is known to be exceptionally clean—excellent for kayaking, swimming, fishing, and exploring the islands of these lakes. Thirty minutes west offers exceptional hiking in the Western Maine Mountains. Mount Blue (3,192 feet msl), Tumbledown (mountain lake at summit) and Bald Mountain are great hiking options.”

The resource continues, “The Kennebec Land Trust Parker Preserve Headland Loop Trail is eight minutes away, offering outstanding views of Parker Pond. Acadia National Park is a 30-minute flight east, making Beaver Creek an excellent basecamp for your trip to experience the natural beauty of Acadia on the Maine Coast.”

The natural beauty of the area, as well as the recreational opportunities that are available there, are expected to be big draws for vacationing pilots. The project is a way for Groder to capitalize on interest from the flying community with an offering type that doesn’t presently exist in the area. 

Progress has been good on the project thus far, and Groder expects the first guests to arrive in June of this year when the cabin is scheduled to be completed. Before any of the fabrication began, the runway was carved from the dense forest that covers the property’s acreage. 

“At first, I was a little naive, thinking I could buy a tractor, start cutting down trees, and build the runway myself. I quickly realized that I needed heavy equipment and found an excellent excavation company that started clearing all of the trees. The one unexpected thing that we ran into is that there were millions of rocks, so we had to do a lot of sifting and moving of rocks. The excavation company worked on the runway from July to September and it was a process with an excavator, a bulldozer, a tractor, and a skid steer,” he explained.

“It was definitely more of a challenge making this runway, with all of the trees. But that’s what makes this property so special. It’s all wooded, so it’s not like you are landing in a big farmer’s field—which doesn’t have the same feel as ‘Hey, I just landed in the woods and now I’m surrounded by trees.’ The clearway between the trees is about 100 feet wide and then there are drainage ditches on both sides. The actual landing width is between 70 to 80 feet wide, the whole way down, and the runway is 2,300 feet long. The FAA sent me the official paperwork for the airport, with an identifier of 51ME, and we just made the sectional!” 

Since the runway surface was not completed in time for grass seeding in the fall of 2022, Groder has some turf work ahead of him this spring. But he has already begun spreading the word about one of the newest runways in the Northeast. 

“Several months ago, I put a post in one of the pilot Facebook groups, just talking about how we were planning on building a cabin on this airstrip in the Maine wilderness. I said that it was going to be off-grid, with heat, air conditioning and all of that, as well as have a wood-fired hot tub outside,” he recalled. 

“In that post I also asked who would be interested in renting this cabin and I was amazed at the feedback. There were 200 or 300 comments like, ‘Absolutely, I’ll rent that’ or, ‘This is awesome!’ So that really got my gears turning and we started brainstorming to figure out what kind of cabin that we want to do. Finally, my wife and I decided on this really unique looking 24-foot by 36-foot two-bed, one-bath solar-powered off-grid A-frame cabin. Then we started searching for a builder and I found an awesome one who broke ground on the cabin in October. It’s about 70 to 80 percent done right now. We could not have done it without the help of the contractors, family involvement, and we are lucky to have found a property manager that is on top of everything. He is amazing.”

Groder is looking forward to enjoying the tranquility of the site with friends and family. But the prospect of others doing the same is equally rewarding for him. With that noted, he plans to add a number of private campsites (complete with tents and other amenities “that you don’t want to have to pack in your airplane”). He is also brainstorming to provide a grocery service for pilots for a pre-set fee. The cabin’s property manager will do grocery shopping for those staying there and have it ready in the cabin before they land.

“I’m really excited about this project, as well as the number of people that are interested in coming to Maine and enjoying the natural beauty. Not only that, but the community aspect of this project is also especially exciting to me and I’m looking forward to getting to know the people that fly in. Since the property is so large, pilots camping would be very spread out but still get the chance to meet and socialize with other pilots if they choose.”  

The post Beaver Creek Offers Access to Maine’s Lake Region appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Eric Larson and Valerie Talbot aim to share their aviation experiences with the masses through their popular YouTube channel, Skyline Baron Pilot. The channel follows the two pilots as they fly their Beechcraft Baron B58TC around the southeastern U.S. as well as the Caribbean. 

Eric was the first one of the pair to learn how to fly and similarly was the first who wanted to live at a residential airpark. He spent a considerable amount of effort trying to get into the airpark lifestyle, finally breaking the barrier in 2013. 

Their new home at Antiquers Aerodrome (FD08) in Delray Beach, Florida, has proved to be a great base of operations for the married couple’s various flying memories. 

“I grew up about two miles from the airport, but never knew it existed because I wasn’t a pilot. I really wasn’t looking for an airport community, but then I became a pilot. While I was looking at the sectional charts, I wondered what ‘PVT’ meant. After learning that it meant private, I drove over and checked out the airport,” Eric says.

“It’s a gated community, so I would go there to wait for someone to let me in. Once I was in, I would go and talk to random people—asking how I could get a house in there. I spent a lot of time at the airport, expressing my interest in moving there. That’s how it happens a lot at airparks, because there’s not often a lot of homes that go up for sale. I got through the gate and became acquainted with some board members and just about every day I would come in asking, ‘has anyone passed away…is anyone moving…is anything happening?’ I was clearly a nuisance.”

After about nine months of persistence, Eric finally caught a realtor that was putting a for sale sign in a front yard. Eager that something finally became available, he immediately jumped out of his car, started a conversation, and made a deal to buy the house within a day. 

According to the couple, the lifestyle of living at a fly-in community has been everything they thought it would be and more. They both claim that their lives would be markedly different if they lived in a “normal” neighborhood. 

“You want to be 100 percent immersed in aviation living here. You want to be a pilot living in a community like this, or an aviation enthusiast. If you didn’t like aviation, living at an airpark wouldn’t have the same energy. It wouldn’t have the same appeal. And it wouldn’t have the magic that it does. I say it a lot, but it really is magic,” Eric stated. 

A lot of this magic is the result of how easy it is for the two to enjoy one of their premier shared interests, flying. As Aviation Ambassadors for The Bahamas, it’s no surprise that the country is a frequent destination of the two. 

“We can fly for only 20, 25 minutes and we are in The Bahamas,” says Valerie. “It is really convenient to be able to fly right from our backyard directly there. We go to Freeport a lot. Grand Bahama—where Freeport is located—is one of the biggest islands, and that’s one of our main ‘home’ islands, we would call it. We know more people there than we do anywhere else in the country, as of now. Eric started going there years, years, and years ago, first by boat as a kid.”

A few years ago, they sought to replicate their positive experience at Antiquers Aerodrome by purchasing a second home at an airpark in northeast Georgia. Buying the hangar home was Valerie’s idea this time.  

“Eric actually didn’t want to purchase a home at Heaven’s Landing (GE99), at first,” she says. “Every single time I would stop at their booth at an airshow, I would be drawn by the beauty of the airpark, its homes, and the area where it’s located. I kept telling Eric that ‘we have to go there; we have to go there!’ In the meantime, I got my pilot license and told Eric that this would be a great place to escape from the heat and see beautiful mountain scenery. I just craved that vision.

“One day our instructor had a convention in Nashville, and I wanted to get some cross-country time in the Baron,” she continues. “It worked out to where I would be able to fly there with him and went to Heaven’s Landing as a detour. I told Eric that I had planned the flight and that I had booked a tour with Mike [Ciochetti], the airpark’s developer]. Well, Eric was blown away and thought it was just amazing there. We came back from our trip and Eric began researching the community even more. Maybe six months later, we narrowed it down to a piece of land that we made an offer on. It took me a while to finally convince him and he had to see it firsthand before I was able to.” 

Thinking about their shared fly-in community experiences, Eric and Valerie agree on three things that are irreplicable about living at an airpark. 

Convenience 

• When your aircraft is your hangared at your home, you’re only seconds from the runway. 
• The couple’s mechanic performs their Baron’s annuals and other maintenance at their home. 

Cost Savings

• An offsite hangar is an unnecessary expense when you have a hangar home. 
• 100LL is not marked up at Antiquers, so that saves the couple a considerable amount of money on fuel.

Camaraderie

• Being around like-minded pilots and aviation enthusiasts is the best part about living at an airpark, Eric and Valerie contend. 

Routinely rubbing elbows with other pilots often leads to impromptu hangar conversations. Eric notes that there are some really interesting aviators that they are fortunate to call their neighbors. 

“There are legends of aviation that live in both communities. I mean straight up legends,” he says. “Not to mention there are famous individuals and those who have done a lot for civilization and humankind. There are astronauts, mechanics, war heroes, explorers, military pilots, and other amazing humans. Almost every home is like an encyclopedia of aviation knowledge. We have brought dozens of other pilots to the communities to see them. We give them tours of the neighborhoods and they are blown away.” 

“Everyday living here it’s hearing different stories from neighbors,” he continues. “It’s anything from ‘my Cub isn’t running right,’ to ‘I was in Egypt or New York City yesterday.’ A lot of residents have jet-type aircraft, so you hear world stories daily from friends—which is really cool to have over a beer or iced tea. They will knock you on the floor with the stories that you tell. And it’s not a unicorn thing every once in a while, it’s every time!” 

Just how the couple has found that curating a YouTube channel has amplified their voice, living at an airpark also allows them to more readily share their flying experiences. 

“Everything we do, almost every day, involves aviation. And that’s because we live at an airport. You get to learn more about airplanes this way. I could talk about it for a week and it’s great to be able to share aviation with others. Even when a new neighbor comes in, it’s so cool learning about their journey and where they come from. There’s a lot of sharing between all of us,” Eric concludes.

Reach out to the flying couple if interested in visiting either airpark and they would be more than willing to assist: skylinebaronpilot@gmail.com

The post Finding a Home for a Beechcraft Baron appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“Coming across Lovettsville Vintage Aerodrome (VA61) was totally the universe at work,” says Thomas Pomeroy, the current owner of the airfield. “I was living in Texas at the time as a former Continental pilot, now United pilot, and was based out of Houston. When they announced that merger, it was an opportunity to come back to the D.C. area. I lived in Maryland in the mid-90s and love this part of the country.” 

“I came up and started looking for airpark properties, since I had already been living at an airpark in Texas,” Pomeroy continues. “Prior to Texas, I had lived in Florida and both those states have dozens of airparks. In Virginia? Not so much. I literally was driving all around looking for airparks and getting frustrated. I pulled out an old sectional and saw this airfield and another one that’s right across the street. There are two private airfields right next to each other, somebody at one of them should know where the airparks are.” 

“So I wandered around the roads based on the sectional, found the two airstrips, and then learned that this one was for sale. My first thought was that I would never be able to afford it. But the real estate market and interest rates were both at rock bottom. So it all just fell into place.” 

When Pomeroy purchased the airport in 2013, it was a quiet property that held memories of a more lively past. 

“The airport was initially started in 1970 by a gentleman named Jan Scott. He was a highly accomplished Norwegian pilot that came over and had the good fortune to be one of only 10 pilots out of 100 interviewees to be hired by American Airlines in 1966. He was the one who developed this airport, built the buildings on it, and had quite a glider operation for a while. But he ran into some hardships with the county because he was renting hangars to the glider club. That was seen as a commercial business, and he didn’t have the zoning or permits to do that. Things then kind of calmed down, if you will,” Pomeroy explains. 

Scott was active in the Vintage Sailplane Association, and the airfield had been home to a number of rare classic and antique gliders, as well as a de Havilland Tiger Moth.

“I’ve been slowly trying to reinvigorate things since purchasing the airport. But in the last couple of years things have really started to take off. We, and when I say ‘we,’ Linda [Sanbower-Burke, Pomeroy’s life partner, is included] was instrumental in the airfield’s operations and, especially, coordinating our first fly-in event in September 2021. It simply would not have happened without her. 

“We held the event in conjunction with the town of Lovettsville’s Oktoberfest. Lovettsville was originally a German settlement and has a well-known Oktoberfest event at the end of every September. Unfortunately, the town’s celebration was canceled at the last minute because of residual COVID-19 concerns.

Even without the town’s Oktoberfest taking place, Lovettsville Vintage Aerodrome still can accommodate a healthy crowd of people. 

“We went ahead with our event, since it was entirely outdoors, and it was a huge success. It went far better than I could have ever imagined! Linda invited the Flying Circus out of Bealeton, Virginia, to come up. They brought a Stearman and were selling rides. Justin, who is the organization’s president, was hesitant at first because he wasn’t sure how many people would be here and whether it would be worth his while. By the end of the day, he had sold 26 rides all by himself. He had only gotten out of the airplane one time during that period. At the end of the day, he was turning people away. He asked to come back the next year and bring two guys with him to offer more rides.”

In 2022, the second fly-in event occurred at the aerodrome. There were more patrons and aircraft there than at the first year’s event, which was just one metric that proved the event was a success. 

“At our most recent fly-in the ‘Circus’ brought two Stearmans and a Waco, which was really awesome because the Waco has a bench seat. They could take two people up for rides, so they were taking couples and parents with younger kids. It was so awesome to see the kids getting out of the airplane with huge smiles on their faces. They did 56 rides and we had over a thousand people visit the field that day. We’ve been billing the event as an ‘Oktoberfest, Wings and Wheels.’ It’s a fly-in and cruise-in, with lots of vintage cars and airplanes, live music, and various vendors. The concept has been a really big hit, and our neighbors and entire community have been tremendously supportive!”

All that said, there is still some fallout from the 1970s. The county’s decision surrounding Scott’s operations at the airfield still impacts its usage today. But Pomeroy is optimistic that aligned priorities will be mutually beneficial for both the airport, the town of Lovettsville, and the county at large. 

“We are in the process of pursuing help from county officials to review the zoning to see if we could entertain guests overnight. Not being able to stay overnight has been a deterrent for people who want to fly in and go into town to enjoy the Oktoberfest activities and patronize local businesses.”

Nonetheless, the couple and others are involved in ensuring the airfield’s positive contribution economically and socially to the Lovettsville area’s future. “We want to offer more fly-in events in the future and provide opportunities for area residents, both young and old, to experience, first-hand, the fun, thrill, and joy of vintage and recreational aviation,” says Pomeroy. “We also have high hopes that, with the county’s blessing, we will be able to offer limited opportunities for pilots to fly-in and enjoy northern Virginia’s booming tourist attractions.”

Pomeroy expresses that the 3,000-foot turf airstrip is presently in good condition, although “it’s ideal for taildraggers, but can be a bit of a challenge for high-performance tricycle gear aircraft and those with limited turf experience” (because of the runway surface’s rolling high and low spots). And as its name implies, the airstrip is the perfect place for older aircraft. It’s already host to a special collection of Czech taildraggers, in addition to the litany of unique aircraft that fly in. 

“The name Lovettsville Vintage Aerodrome kind of tells the story,” Pomeroy says. “The focus here is on classic and vintage aircraft, but everybody is welcome to come in and visit. Ideally—and this may be a few years down the road—it would be nice to have a dozen vintage aircraft hangared here. I have a small collection of Zlin aircraft, the old 526-series aircraft. We hope to do a new building where those aircraft can be stored and be visible to the public in a museum-type situation.” 

The post Lovettsville Vintage Aerodrome Rises Again appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

A look at Mineola-Wisener Field Airport’s current state is best done by first working to understand its past. Most important to note about the airport’s history is its longevity. Clocking in at 106 years old in 2023, 3F9 holds the distinction of being one of the oldest privately-owned, public-use airports in the country. It is believed to be the oldest airport of its type in Texas, noted its manager, Lupita Wisener. 

“There is so much history that took place here at the airport. It was first established as an emergency landing field for Love Field in Dallas. After World War I ended in 1919, several other emergency landing fields had been established and closed, but this one remained in operation. So, there were military planes that came through here, as well as barnstormers. That is one of the unique features of this airport. Wiley Post visited here quite often because his family was just west of here, and a lot of dignitaries have come through here over the years.”

Almost the entirety of the airport’s lineage has occurred with the Wisener family at the helm, Wisner explained. She’s been in charge of the airport since 2012, at which point her husband inherited the airport from his father—who had long managed it. She provided a brief overview of what the airport is like today. 

“We must have about 18 hangar rows here and house about a hundred aircraft, although a lot of them are hangar queens, unfortunately. Of those, we have experimentals, ultralights, single engines, and we also have multi engines. We also have an Experimental Aircraft Association chapter, Chapter 1475, which we share with Wood County Airport (KJDD) that’s five miles north of here. There’s always something going on at Mineola-Wisener,” she said.

Not only are there stories shared amongst pilots who have fond memories at the airfield, there are physical mementos onfield as well. These help to serve as reminders of the airport’s past. 

“This airport is unique foremost because of its rich heritage and history. It’s a throwback to the old days,” Wisener continued. “We still have a circa-1920s beacon tower and beacon that operates at night. It is one of the original beacons that was put out by the Department of Commerce. This is probably my favorite artifact at the airport—I’m fascinated with it. We also have a museum based here. It’s called the Royal Flying Circus Aviation Museum. That museum has an original Curtiss Jenny, exhibited as it was, and it has not been restored. The cloth has worn away, so you can see all of the woodwork of the plane, and she’s in great shape at 105 years old!” 

Pilots can see this aircraft as well as a Stearman biplane and other odes to the golden age of aviation by appointment during weekday business hours. 

Even with a lengthy track record of successful year-over-year operations, it’s no small task to keep an airport operational for generations. This is especially true when considering the strong headwinds that privately owned airports face in the 21st century.

“And, of course, the costs of managing the airport are horrific. The Covid-19 pandemic and its aftereffects, with the way the economy is, it has been very difficult to find consistent people to work,” Wisener said. “The costs overall have also all gone up and are astronomical, so it’s a really tough time for us. It’s something else. In Texas, there are some provisions that help with property taxes though, so we are going to look into that. But with the real estate boom around here, it’s boosting values quite a bit.”

Even with these headwinds, Wisener is extremely optimistic for the airport’s future. Its current popularity amongst pilots in Texas and beyond is just one indicator of the years to come. 

“We are going to invest in redoing the runway with asphalt, which the cost of has been high,” she said. “That’s been one of our issues, and that’s something that we are working through how to do. We have that planned for the near future and are exploring methods to obtain financing so that we can complete that project. Of course, the grass runway is alright; we just need to keep mowing it! But the price of gas has doubled, even though the refinery is only 20 miles away in Tyler. That, too, has been an interesting aspect of managing the airport recently.” 

Wisener referenced the family’s resiliency and doggedness as reasons why the property will long be an airport. “For the next 100 years of the airport’s future, we will see how expenses, property taxes, and other factors affect us. But we are going to keep going as long as we can, and I expect that someone in the Wisener family will continue running the airport,” she said. “My husband’s only son plans to continue operating the airport, so it will keep going.” 

The post Looking Back, Looking Ahead: Mineola-Wisener Field Airport appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

There is a picturesque, ocean-facing airfield in Monterey Bay, California, that serves as a springboard for youth in aviation. The 2,200-foot by 50-foot turf runway at the Monterey Bay Academy Airport (CA66) is steps away from one of the state’s most serene beaches. The airport sits on the property of the Monterey Bay Academy (MBA), a Christian boarding high school. 

Chris Bley, who is a UAS industry professional and is affiliated with the airport, provides some early detail on how the Monterey Bay Academy came to have its very own runway. 

“Harvey Voth first came to the school as an industrial arts teacher in the mid-1950s. During World War II, he had served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a pilot flying ‘The Hump,’ ferrying supplies from North Africa to allied forces in China and India. By the time Harvey arrived at MBA, he was a rather accomplished pilot and had a dream to include aviation as a course of study for the high school students there.”

Harvey’s ultimate departure and return to the school was an important historical milestone for aviation youth of the past and present. 

“In 1959, Harvey left MBA to return to college where he earned a master’s in education degree. By the mid-1960s, Harvey was back at MBA and this time as the school’s principal,” Bley said. 

“Getting a recognized airfield at the school was now a higher priority than it had been under previous administrations. Harvey engaged a fellow educator and aviator, Vern Wheeler to begin the work to lay out and certify the airfield. By the early 1970s the new industrial arts instructor, Allan Fisher took over the project,” Bley said. “Together, Allan and Harvey made a great team, and their passion for creating educational aviation opportunities for students was realized with the approval of the county, the Coastal Commission, and finally, FAA certification.”

The coeducational high school has a history of educators with a passion for aviation that has led the aviation curriculum to take off over the past decade, Bley said.

“In 2010, Local entrepreneur Steve Syvertsen began donating his time to teach ground school at MBA. This program grew rapidly, and soon a group of alumni aviators formed a flying club tagged as Ocean Shore Aviation. The alumni volunteer efforts led by Bob Carr and Terry Schmunk energized pilots in the local community, and the airfield was transformed from a hard dirt surface to a grass field.”

This airstrip is the starting point for many of the aviation activities that take place at the school. 

“Today, the Exploring Aviation/Ground School class is instructed by Jay Ketelsen, who is an MBA Alumni and pilot and is a large draw for students attending MBA. The class is part of the STEM program and is successful in large part to local pilots that have a passion to introduce aviation to the next generation. Pilots regularly fly into CA66 to show students their planes, explain and demonstrate systems/procedures, and just share their joy of flight. The program utilizes a Gleim university flight simulator where the students can gain valuable experience through hands-on learning before they take actual flying lessons. The ground school portion of the class utilizes the Gleim Aviation Pilot Training syllabus,” Bley explained.

The interest has become so great, that this fall, the school had to create a second class to meet the demand from students. The excitement for all things aviation includes not only fixed-wing aircraft but also drones. Bley is a key contact in all of the unmanned aspects that are being undertaken at the site. 

“I’m involved with two private companies on the Monterey Bay Academy’s property, a drone incubator (AirSpace Integration) and drone resale (Insight Up Solutions). Additionally, we perform various research and development activities and training activities here. We’re currently collaborating with the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ ACUASI, the FAA, NASA’s NARI, and a handful of automated drone platforms for live testing and airspace management testing from our location.”

These and other activities at CA66 are expected to help make considerable progress toward further integrating unmanned aircraft systems into the nation’s aerospace system. 

“AirSpace Integration will support Live Flights from its facility at the Alaska UAS Test Site-affiliated Monterey Bay Academy airport.  It will provide radar and other weather data to support the Oceanic Airspace use case off the coast of central California, assist in the development of the oceanic airspace CONOPs, help with the Safety Risk Assessment, and participate in the Tabletop Exercises, especially those focused on maritime operations. AirSpace Integration will also work with their technology accelerator partners to bring other original equipment manufacturers working on UAM and large air cargo drones to the Test Site facility to fly during the Live Flight events.”

Not only is the airport’s location conducive for the litany of aerospace projects that are performed there, but its prime location is also attractive to private operators as well. 

“We are right on the cliffs of the Monterey Bay here at CA66. One of the challenges that we sometimes have, being right on the coast, is fog. That is a limitation, and it can sometimes move in rather quickly. Don’t take for granted that if you fly in when it’s clear, it won’t be sopped in when you try to leave. That’s something that folks have to pay attention to around here. I’m not a pilot myself but have been up with others and have landed at this airstrip as a passenger. As a result, I know the beauty of the area from the air. You can see dolphins, whales, great white sharks, and a lot of different marine mammals right off the coast here.” 

And while the airport is privately owned, pilots are able to land there with prior permission, Bley noted.

“People like to fly in here for various purposes, whether it’s to enjoy a few quiet hours sitting on the beach or to go surfing. Some even fly in with surfboards in the back of their planes and then walk down to the beach once they land. We charge pilots a nominal fee for having access to the airstrip, and everybody has to sign a use agreement since it is a private facility. [In addition to standard aspects that are factors other privately-owned runways] there are some other things that are on the use agreement, such as acknowledging that the property is owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, whose Sabbath is on Saturday. As such, they request that there is no activity on the airstrip on Saturdays. In addition, the agreement points out safety aspects and the fact that there are farming operations adjacent to the airstrip and other things that are important to be aware of.”

The post California Boarding School a Springboard for Young Aviators appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Richard Landis’ retirement plans, which have flying at the core, were laid long before he stopped working in 2020. The Virginia-based private airfield owner’s initial roots in aviation began on a much smaller scale when he was only a boy.

“I’m now 69, and my aviation journey started long ago. My father was a veteran, and he flew as a radio radar operator on B-29s during the Second World War. He flew 29 missions over Japan, and that’s where it all started, to be honest. When I was young, I don’t remember anything at the dinner table except for flying. Every conversation was about this plane or that plane, that airshow, or where we were going to fly that weekend,” Landis noted.

“As a kid, I flew remote-controlled airplanes and still do, even to this day. I built them, flew them, and I loved it. So that kind of got me into learning about aviation and all of that stuff. When I turned 15 or 16, I started taking flying lessons. I soloed after like nine hours—very quickly, because of having flown RC planes for so long. I then got my pilot’s license as a freshman in college. After graduating, I got married and bought a house. Before we even did anything else, we didn’t even have furniture yet besides a bed, we bought an airplane, a Cessna 152.” 

Fast forward many years, and his pre-retirement wish was to find a place with enough space to accommodate his lifelong hobby. This goal was the basis for what has become colloquially known as Flying Horseman Ranch, or as it’s noted on sectionals—Landis Airport (VG16). “I was looking for a place to retire that was big enough that I could fly remote-controlled airplanes in my backyard. We lived in New York at the time, about 30 miles north of the city in Rockland County. I just wanted to retire to a place where I could have 10 or 15 acres, have a small RC field, and fly. We started looking around at houses and must have looked around for several years and looked in every state. I mean, we were in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Arizona, and others,” Landis explained.

“We drove into this property, and even before we got to the house, I could see that there was a windsock. Already as a pilot, I knew what that meant. Maybe there was a runway! But I really didn’t expect too much because we are in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I really thought it would be too mountainous for there to be a runway. It wasn’t in great shape, but there was one—and there was a house here too, which also wasn’t in great shape.” 

After purchasing the acreage, the couple continued living in New York for several years while the home was renovated. Once they moved to Virginia full-time, Landis regraded the runway and eventually built a new hangar. He explained that while the runway is in good condition, there is considerable slope and other challenges that would make operating there challenging for grass strip newbies. As a note, he explained that all landings must be taken going uphill and takeoffs downhill, regardless of wind conditions. 

Until purchasing this acreage in 2015, Landis had owned a Cessna 182 for 35 years. It was replaced by an Aeronca Champ, which was joined by a Cessna 185. Then, the stable grew by another aircraft, with the addition of a Great Lakes Biplane. Now with more time to dedicate to his passions, Landis reports that he flies a substantial amount more than he had when he was in the workforce.

“For the last four to five years, I have been averaging anywhere from 400 to 500 hours a year. Which is a lot, when I used to only do 10-20 hours a year when I lived up north. It’s crazy, but it’s great. The hardest problem I have in retirement is deciding which airplane I’ll be flying that day,” he happily advised.

“To be honest with you, I’m living the dream. I never thought in a million years, if I had gone back 20 years, that this would have been possible. When I tell people, they don’t understand, but I tell them that I am truly living the dream and I’m at a small piece of heaven here on earth.” 

While the tranquility of the roughly 100-acre property is more than fun enough to enjoy in its own regard, Landis prefers to be accompanied by friends and family. 

“My son, Dan Landis, is as into aviation as I am and started flying when he was only five years old. He comes down here every few weeks, and we do a lot of flying during that time. We’re kind of in the middle of nowhere and have a lot of friends nearby who have smaller grass strips. You just barnstorm all over the place and it’s a lot of fun. It’s been a really great time to be able to do that. My neighbors here have also been great. They’re not into flying, but they love the planes. And I’ll take anyone flying who wants to go. I’ve had most of my neighbors flying in the airplanes.” 

Every year for the last several years, the third weekend of May, Landis has hosted what he calls a “fun fly.” Last year, 103 planes showed up (half of which were taildraggers), in addition to several helicopters and a fly-by conducted by an L-39. 2023’s event is on the calendar for May 19-21. Landis noted that everyone interested is invited to attend.

The fun had at the property isn’t limited to aviation-related activities, either. As the airfield’s nickname implies, the Landises also have several horses on their property. This is a hobby which Landis’ wife and daughter are able to enjoy together. 

And while he gratefully expresses that owning this property “is a real blessing to say the least,” Landis laments that there is something —rather someone—missing at the Flying Horseman Ranch.

“The only thing that could have made this better was if my father had been alive to see it before he passed away. This place is truly special, don’t misunderstand that, but him being here would have been the only thing that would have made it even more special.”

The post Living the Dream on the Flying Horseman Ranch appeared first on FLYING Magazine.