I didn’t know at the time that the formal terms “residential airpark” and “fly-in community” existed. Still, I found it pretty cool that people could own an airplane, keep it in a garage attached to their homes, and roll it directly onto an active runway mere steps away. Actually I noticed the phenomenon a number of years ago. An example existed in a neighborhood along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast close to where members of my family lived.
The Diamondhead Airport included a residential component — still exists, I guess — although Hurricane Katrina totally devastated it (my family didn’t completely escape either). I noticed houses rebuilt on those same pads when I was down there about a year ago. However, I guess I’m going down a tangent and starting to editorialize. A thirty-foot storm surge feels pretty scary to me. Apparently the opportunity to fly-in and fly-out directly from one’s own driveway outweighs that possibility.
Conceptually Speaking
So I couldn’t find a definitive history of residential airparks. The best I could determine was that they seemed to have begun or at least gained their initial popularity along an arc of the southeastern United States. The trend stretched from Texas and along the Gulf Coast states, around Florida and then up the Atlantic coastline to somewhere around South Carolina. Also California and Arizona were popular locations.
It’s not a demographic that’s been studied intensely. Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that residential airparks tend to attract people in their 50’s and 60’s with high disposable incomes. They desire the security of a gated community, seek mild climates and have sufficient time available to maintain and fly their own airplanes. If you’re thinking wealthy snowbird retirees then you’re in the right ballpark. So that’s who these communities target.
One Famous Proponent
John Travolta is probably the most famous homeowner in a residential airpark. He lives in a mansion at Jumbolair Aviation Estates in Ocala, Florida (map). The community shares space with Greystone Airport with a runway long enough to accommodate Mr. Travolta’s private Boeing 707.
Increasing Popularity
Residential Airparks are slowly becoming a wider-spread phenomenon.
Canada
Okotoks Air Ranch serves as a Canadian example located in Alberta. As they describe it:
“…perfect for those who are fascinated by aviation as well as those who want the true ‘fly-in fly-out’ lifestyle. The runway places you on your doorstep from the moment you touch down.”
It’s located a bit south of Calgary with a Rocky Mountain backdrop. The community owns the 3,100 foot runway and incorporates it within its common green space.
Australia
The phenomenon is spreading rapidly to Australia too. Kensington Parkside Airpark boasts admiringly that it’s based on a model established in the United States. Likewise, it focuses on a similar demographic. They even compare the migration of retirees to south east Queensland as analogous to the southern U.S. Additionally, several airparks exist in different areas of Australia with others currently on the drawing board.
France
Continental Europe hasn’t been immune to the trend, either. For example, Vendée Air Park [link no longer works] in France advertises, “The air park is in an ideal location just 20 minutes from the nearest beaches and close to historic sites, nature reserves, cycle tracks, walks and golf courses.”
However, I found one oddly underrepresented geographic area where I expected to observe the trend: the United Kingdom. Instead I saw a lot of chatter on various boards frequented by pilots of personal aircraft bemoaning the lack of residential airparks in the UK. But could that possibly be true? I’d love to discover that the sites I visited were out-of-date.
UPDATE: I visited a residential airpark in Michigan, USA in August 2020.
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