Who lives at an airport?

[txflyer]

Whatever the cause, I have found that hangars are unimaginably expensive.

I kinda agree there and also what is killing hangar ownership in my mind are all the 'fluff' costs I call them.

Aside from the monumental construction cost you mention, you then have water, electric, sewer, gas, cable, insurance, maintenance, and land lease rent due if you build on a municipal. The kicker is nowadays just the utilities run into too much money and make the 'rent' to you monthly too much. Water has become a major bill whereas just a few years ago it was practically nothing. Electric we all know about. Use it and pay. Sewer is getting ridiculous. Insurance is a hundred or two a month. All these 'fluff' bills kill the pay out to decades.

I've beat myself up silly about it wanting to build a hangar but no matter how I try to cut it on paper it's cheaper to rent by a country mile. Pay and walk away. The brothers I rent from ***** about what an albatross the building is for them to own. It doesn't make them rich.

 

[bflynn]

Hmmm...75% of our pilots don't live in an airpark but would like to.

I sense an under developed market

 

[frfly172]

Would love to live with my plane at an air park. However wife has no interest.

 

[GrampaMark]

I live on a farm, in the middle of nowhere, and have a 2800' grass runway.

Private strips are pretty common in this part of the country, airports aren't. Most of the pilots are farmers or ranchers and have more than enough real estate to spare 3 acres, or so, for a runway.

Mark

 

[Dav8or]

Would love to live with my plane at an air park. However wife has no interest.

Yeah... there is likely a lot of that out there...

 

[weilke]

Yeah... there is likely a lot of that out there...

For an airpark to be acceptable to more practical thinking wives, it also has to be a good neighborhood. It has to have good schools, close to retail etc.

I floated the idea of moving to an airpark without success. Then I proposed buying a farm with an airport on it. Still no dice Maybe I can get a condo at Spruce Creek for retirement out of her.

 

[Dav8or]

For an airpark to be acceptable to more practical thinking wives, it also has to be a good neighborhood. It has to have good schools, close to retail etc.

I floated the idea of moving to an airpark without success. Then I proposed buying a farm with an airport on it. Still no dice Maybe I can get a condo at Spruce Creek for retirement out of her.

It does look like Spruce Creek has a lot going on other than just airplanes. Might be a good choice.

 

[psween]

Old thread, but thought I'd chime in. We bought 7MN3 about 4 years ago and it's been great so far. I still don't have an airplane but should in the next year (the opportunity to buy this place couldn't be passed up, a mile from my job and 5 miles to my hometown, I've wanted to live here since I was 12). We rent 2 spaces in the hangar and that pays for the runway upkeep. Nothing like having airplanes taxiing through the backyard on the way to the 2700 foot turf runway. I can't wait for it to be me!

Patrick

 

[TEFLONSEAN]

Hmmm...75% of our pilots don't live in an airpark but would like to.

I sense an under developed market

Nope....as stated by a bunch.....

If we were single.....75% of us would all live in an airpark!!!

Rest of the 25% have wives who have their PPL too!!!

 

[flyingron]

Rest of the 25% have wives who have their PPL too!!!

My wife does have her private but doing a quick survey at our airpark:

Husband only (or unmarried) has pilot certificate: 10
Wife (or unmarried) only has pilot certificate: 2
Both: 3
Neither: 2

 

[James331]

Picked house on my own strip


I have a waterfront house and a seaplane, figure that kinda counts.

Being able to land and pull the plane up to the house was a deciding factor when I bought the house.