House Hunting for Airpark Homes
House Hunting As a First-Time Airplane Owner
An increasing number of airpark homes appear to be transitioning to non-pilot owners with no intention of using their hangar for its intended purpose.
By Jason McDowell, Flying Magazine
April 26, 2023
Somewhere along the way, a decision was apparently made that anyone interested in purchasing a home at an airpark in the upper midwest must have 8 to 12 children, multiple airplanes, and a seven-figure salary. This is based on my observations as I shop for a home for the first time as an aircraft owner. If one wants to live in a house with a hangar and runway access, a sprawling “McMansion” is pretty much the only arrangement available.
As a single guy with no kids, relatively few possessions, and a writer’s salary, this poses a problem. Having always pursued a frugal and simple lifestyle (minus the airplane), I neither need nor want 6,000 square feet of living space, an in-ground pool, or several acres of land to maintain. Instead, my daydreams typically revolve around a 600- to 800-square-foot, two-bedroom cabin and a basic T-hangar on a small parcel of land.
Last summer, I came close to finding such a property. Through word of mouth, I learned that a resident was planning to move out of a basic three-bedroom, 1,300-square-foot ranch on a beautiful 2,500-foot grass runway. The house was reportedly in pretty rough shape, and I salivated at the idea of finally finding an airpark property within financial reach.
Click here, to read full story.
—
Story credit: Flying Magazine; https://www.flyingmag.com/house-hunting-as-a-first-time-airplane-owner/