Airpark Questions

mark.staggs

mark.staggs

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Jun 19, 2013
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NC
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Mark Staggs
For those of you who live or have lived on an airpark, does anyone have any advice on what to look for that makes one more (or less) preferable?

We've been toying with the idea, and are about to begin seriously looking in the southeast (Carolinas, Georgia, etc.) since those states seem to have good options and good flying weather. I believe some folks here are based at airparks in the NC/SC area (Duchy, Long Island, Lake Norman, etc.), and wonder if anyone can speak to whether they're well-run, are overly politicized (HOAs run amok), have financial issues, keep up the common runway/taxiway areas, etc.?
 
I live on Long Island. I bought the lot in 2005 and build the first half of the house (hangar/apartment) in 2008/9. We built the rest in 2014. I'm also on the board (my wife was previously). Very low drama. Fairly liberal HOA rules. The bad news is we're getting pretty built out. There are probably three unbuilt lots yet (a couple of already built stuff has come up for sale over the years). I had a friend who bought into the Douchy and then realized that there was some shady dealing with the developer. In order to shut him up, the developer bought back his property. Lake Norman airpark is not without their own squabbles.

Our dues here are pretty low ($750/yr). That pays to keep the runway going and the insurance policy and a small amount of maintenance on the roads. We really don't have any amenities other than the runway and a boat ramp. There's also deeded slips that have their own ($400/yr and going up) fees. Mostly we cooperate on things. People take turns mowing the runway. We have volunteers that do a variety of other maintenance things.
 
I’ve been at an airpark for five years. Love it!

I would suggest reading the CCR&Rs and bylaws thoroughly before deciding to buy. Some are pretty chill, and some are totalitarian. Decide if you can live with their rules before putting money into it. Get the lay of the land as far as the community’s social life and overall “feel” to make sure you’ll fit in, find out how many residents are active pilots and how much turnover there is.

Also look around the surrounding area for urban encroachment or other future threats to the airpark’s operations. Are the streets public, or owned by the airpark? Is it gated? If not, is there through traffic?

You’ll want to have a plan for maintaining your plane. Are you close enough to an airport for an A&P to drive out to you, or are there active mechanics living there?

You might want to look in Florida, too. Although it’s miserably hot and humid in the summer, there are airports galore, and a very active recreational flying community. One group called the Old Farts Flying Club has a fly-in every Thursday from around October to late May. There are always at least 25-30 planes, and some locations bring in up to 140. Plus there are all the on-field restaurants. I am so happy that we wound up down here - great place to fly (although there are some downsides - health care sucks due to overcrowded cities and lackadaisical attitudes, and insurance is ungodly expensive).
 
mark.staggs said:
For those of you who live or have lived on an airpark, does anyone have any advice on what to look for that makes one more (or less) preferable?

We've been toying with the idea, and are about to begin seriously looking in the southeast (Carolinas, Georgia, etc.) since those states seem to have good options and good flying weather. I believe some folks here are based at airparks in the NC/SC area (Duchy, Long Island, Lake Norman, etc.), and wonder if anyone can speak to whether they're well-run, are overly politicized (HOAs run amok), have financial issues, keep up the common runway/taxiway areas, etc.?
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yes. they are like any other housing development. some are great. some are hell. some are run by nazi HOA's some are not, some are kept up nice, some are not. you really have to investigate the one you are looking at. if you can get contacts of people that have move out you might get a different picture than the one from the current residents, earned or not.
 
In mine we have no HOA. The runway is owned by a private party and our lots have privileges but we pay a maintenance fee. It works well for us. The airport has airport status so anyone within a designated radius around us who buys or builds has to sign a zoning acknowledgement of proximity to an airport with airplane noise. That’s a big deal.
 
How do you settle disputes without a HOA?
 
flyingron said:
I live on Long Island. I bought the lot in 2005 and build the first half of the house (hangar/apartment) in 2008/9. We built the rest in 2014. I'm also on the board (my wife was previously). Very low drama. Fairly liberal HOA rules. The bad news is we're getting pretty built out. There are probably three unbuilt lots yet (a couple of already built stuff has come up for sale over the years). I had a friend who bought into the Douchy and then realized that there was some shady dealing with the developer. In order to shut him up, the developer bought back his property. Lake Norman airpark is not without their own squabbles.

Our dues here are pretty low ($750/yr). That pays to keep the runway going and the insurance policy and a small amount of maintenance on the roads. We really don't have any amenities other than the runway and a boat ramp. There's also deeded slips that have their own ($400/yr and going up) fees. Mostly we cooperate on things. People take turns mowing the runway. We have volunteers that do a variety of other maintenance things.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info! We were in the area over the weekend, and I may or may not have drooled a little when we drove by your place. :D The whole of Long Island airpark is in a beautiful setting with the lake, homes, and near-perfect looking runway. :drool:

We talked to a local realtor who seems to know the NC/SC airpark market well. Based on her comments and those here, it seems like you need to know some of the history and current state of any given airpark before you commit to one.
 
I suspect that you've been talking to Geneva. She runs an airpark realty business (but really knows nothing about avaition). I refer people interested in our airport to one of our residents. Not only is she a realtor, but she was a US Air pilot (her husband still flies for American).
 
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