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Residential airpark living takes off |
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"They're getting a chance to live their life's dream and this is predominately a retirement market," she says. LWYP
findings confirm that the average airpark homeowner is a middle- to upper-middle-class empty-nester between the ages of 45 and 55.
Fly more, spend less
Sclair says three factors have helped make the case for residential airpark living.
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| 3 reasons airpark living is soaring: |
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Convenience.
With the tightening of security at municipal airports
since Sept. 11, it has become increasingly cumbersome
to access your plane and take friends flying. At an airpark,
your plane is as convenient as your car. There also are
a number of airparks with direct access to public airports. |
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Security.
The Sept. 11 attacks also left airplane owners increasingly
concerned about the security of airplanes housed at municipal
airports. It's awfully reassuring to have it parked out
back in your own hangar. |
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Economics.
Fees tend to be reasonable in residential airparks, with
75 percent of LWYP poll respondents saying they pay less
than $100 a month. By contrast, parking a plane at a public
airport can be costly.
"To keep your plane at a public
airport, the tie-down can cost several hundred dollars
a month and a hangar, if you can get one, can cost $1,000
and more, depending on size," Sclair says. "If you're
spending $500 to $1,500 a month on a tie-down or hangar
space, why not put that money into your own property?"
It's important to note that fees go up considerably at high-end airparks that include golf courses, sports and equestrian facilities.
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Although some airparks, including Leeward Air Ranch, require buyers to have an airplane, an active pilot's license and even a pre-closing physical, others allow nonfliers to purchase lots and homes.
However, the codes, covenants and restrictions at many airparks limit participation in the homeowners association
to pilots, lest nonpilot owners vote to convert the runway into
the 12th fairway, as has happened in a few cases.
Sclair recommends hiring an aviation-savvy lawyer to look over your prospective airpark's CC&Rs carefully before you buy. Unless the airpark is within 24 miles of an operating control tower, the Federal Aviation Administration won't bother you, Sclair says.
Our airpark resident Realtors all agree: The main
attraction of residential airparks is the opportunity to live among
a community of like-minded flying enthusiasts who are more than
happy to share their stories, expertise and tools with fellow fliers.
"I've been flying 27 years and have lived on airparks every minute of that time and I wouldn't do it any other way," says Betz. "Even if I get to the point where I can't fly anymore, I would still live on an airpark because my neighbors would take me flying if I needed a flying fix."
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