Anyone here living in an Airpark Community?

[Toobuilder]

On another note...if you don't like them don't look at them. They're not for
everybody...

I think the point PT was making was that you need to really look at this beyond a typical real estate transaction - it has been my experience that Airparks seem to bring out the worst in some people. LOTS of wanabe power mongers out there!

Aviation is full of self appointed "authority" types anyway... Add in the HOA BS and you have the perfect storm of plenty of rules and lots of competition to see who can enforce them first. All in the effort to "protect our investment", of course.

Do your reasearch before you buy.

 

[PTAirco]

On another note...if you don't like them don't look at them. They're not for
everybody.

On another note, if you don't like them

"If you don't like them..."? My point is, there are some that are great and some that are not. You have to look at them individually and read the fine print. I'd love to live on one that lets me do what I want, within reason,and leaves me alone. Not all do. Very few, in fact.

 

[cblink.007]

I think the point PT was making was that you need to really look at this beyond a typical real estate transaction - it has been my experience that Airparks seem to bring out the worst in some people. LOTS of wanabe power mongers out there!

Aviation is full of self appointed "authority" types anyway... Add in the HOA BS and you have the perfect storm of plenty of rules and lots of competition to see who can enforce them first. All in the effort to "protect our investment", of course.

Do your reasearch before you buy.

Lord knows our current neighborhood has its share of Karens, but we will do all the research we possibly can!!

 

[cblink.007]

On another note...if you don't like them don't look at them. They're not for
everybody.

If that was the case, we would not be looking at the property!

 

[Pops]

My place will be for sale before long at 2WV3.

 

[mcrae0104]

My place will be for sale before long at 2WV3.

Oh if only I could move all of my friends and my livelihood, I'd make you an offer today...

 

[JohnBouyea]

I've lived at OR81 for almost 30 years. I agree with points made by other people posting their direct experiences. I'll just add to look into prevailing weather conditions in the microclimate overhead the runway. Some are in the middle of very positive VFR conditions and others, not so much. Also consider if adjacent airports might grow and impact the airspace. We are inside a Class D space now and have to call their tower before we depart. Here in Oregon we have a state law grandfathering old airports that protects an aerial easement in and out of our runways. This limits what can be done within the easement, protecting our right of use from future buildings or even trees growing into our approach path. I feel bad for people who move to an airpark only to lose it due to development encroachment. Tip: if you live on an airpark and a home or property comes up for sale, actively try to find a pilot to buy it before a car collector or packrat buys it for the "storage space" the hangar provides. Having too many non-pilots owning on an airpark could lead to a change of use takeover through their votes on a HOA-based defined use of the common areas. All that said, I don't think I'll ever move from my single story ranch home with my hangar making up the back side of my garage. Life is good!

 

[Toobuilder]

Very much agree with getting "airplane people" to populate the airpark. We have a few non pilots at ours and though they have no voting rights, its still a pain to deal with them at times.

 

[Pops]

Very much agree with getting "airplane people" to populate the airpark. We have a few non pilots at ours and though they have no voting rights, its still a pain to deal with them at times.

Same there, but the non pilots do have voting rights. They are not the problem.

 

[BJC]

As others have noted, each airpark has its own personality. There are eight or ten within a few minutes flight of the one I live in, and each is unique. It is important to find the one that you like, or you will be moving. Six or eight residents here have moved here from other airparks, and some more are actively hoping for more houses here to go up for sale.

I doubt that people who live in an airpark are much different from people anywhere; there are lots of good peo0le, and a few jerks. Unless you have the opportunity, and inclination, to live in isolation, you will be exposed to them.

The thing that is different at airparks verses other communities, is that we all share a common interest.


BJC

 

[Jerry Lytle]

Slightly off topic, but couldn't resist, bad case of nostalgia.
JohnBouyea said:
"Here in Oregon we have a state law grandfathering old airports that protects an aerial easement in and out of our runways. This limits what can be done within the easement, protecting our right of use from future buildings or even trees growing into our approach path. I feel bad for people who move to an airpark only to lose it due to development encroachment. "

Interesting, I used to fly in and out of Stark's (7S3) before encroaching neighbors force the closing of the strip. You might remember the runway ran across a small lake. More than one groundlooper ended up in the lake. Bernard's and Stark's Twin Oaks were favorite Sunday afternoon destinations.

 

[JohnBouyea]

Slightly off topic, but couldn't resist, bad case of nostalgia.
JohnBouyea said:
"Here in Oregon we have a state law grandfathering old airports that protects an aerial easement in and out of our runways. This limits what can be done within the easement, protecting our right of use from future buildings or even trees growing into our approach path. I feel bad for people who move to an airpark only to lose it due to development encroachment. "

Interesting, I used to fly in and out of Stark's (7S3) before encroaching neighbors force the closing of the strip. You might remember the runway ran across a small lake. More than one groundlooper ended up in the lake. Bernard's and Stark's Twin Oaks were favorite Sunday afternoon destinations.

The "old lady on the hill to the north" eventually sold to Bob Stark. I never flew into Bernard's. You are an old timer if you did. I bought gas at Twin Oaks just last week. $3.95 100LL. They've been open as long as I've been flying; since 1987 anyway...

 

[BJC]

You might remember the runway ran across a small lake. More than one groundlooper ended up in the lake.

Cox field is a private airport with several houses plus 8 or 10 non-resident airplanes in hangars. Bobby Cox, who built the field, was an early homebuilder, who built at least three, and perhaps more, HBA. A local EAA chapter had a clubhouse there, provided by Bobby.


The 2450 foot runway has a little change in elevation: the west end is about 60 feet lower than the east end, and about 50 feet lower than the middle, so, unless there was is gale force wind, landings are uphill and departures are downhill.

Several of us were sitting on the clubhouse porch one morning when an Ercoupe pilot forced the plane down well above landing speed a little east of mid-field. Fortunately, the pond stopped him from hitting the trees and doing significant damage to the airplane. It floated, and was immediately pulled back onto the runway.

I haven been there since I retired to Florida, but there were some interesting machines in the hangars, basements and workshops there, including a pair of Stutz Bearcats, a dozen other antique automobiles, Bobby’s CoxHawk In the Media – The Cox Hawk , a Prowler, a White Lightning, a Midget Mustang with an IO-360 and a constant speed prop, plus the usual RVs, Pitts, and spam cans.

A neat place to visit.


BJC

 

[Doran Jaffas]

"If you don't like them..."? My point is, there are some that are great and some that are not. You have to look at them individually and read the fine print. I'd love to live on one that lets me do what I want, within reason,and leaves me alone. Not all do. Very few, in fact.

My apologies, I did not mean to oversimplify and even begin to show any disrespect. I am fortunate in that the place that we purchased up north is not one that has a lot of rules regulations. As a matter of fact it is optional to join the HOA but not required. It is a place that we can go to relax and enjoy each other's company and then go to our own estates if we choose to and keep to ourselves. Lots of flying going on the old fashioned way. I am truly blessed to have a place up there at y91

 

[BJC]

I'd love to live on one that lets me do what I want, within reason,and leaves me alone.

Therein lies the rub; what is reasonable to your neighbor may not be reasonable to you, and vice-versa. The best for all is to have established covenants that buyers understand and to commit to before closing.


BJC

 

[Mcmark]

Byron,
Do you know what happened to the CoxHawk?

The house that cblink.007 was looking at was built and originally owned by one of those people that were just not happy, ever. He wasn't a pilot, just an @ss.
He created more heartburn at that airpark than they deserved.

 

[BJC]

Byron,
Do you know what happened to the CoxHawk?

I think that it is in the museum in Asheboro, NC.


BJC

 

[Pops]

Byron,
Do you know what happened to the CoxHawk?

The house that cblink.007 was looking at was built and originally owned by one of those people that were just not happy, ever. He wasn't a pilot, just an @ss.
He created more heartburn at that airpark than they deserved.

Must have moved here.

 

[Scott luther]

I think the point PT was making was that you need to really look at this beyond a typical real estate transaction - it has been my experience that Airparks seem to bring out the worst in some people. LOTS of wanabe power mongers out there!

Aviation is full of self appointed "authority" types anyway... Add in the HOA BS and you have the perfect storm of plenty of rules and lots of competition to see who can enforce them first. All in the effort to "protect our investment", of course.

Do your reasearch before you buy.

It’s an HOA, you need to seriously look at it. I’ve only had one experience with an HOA and it wasn’t good. There is ALWAYS someone that is nitpicking and wants to be in your business just for the power of it. HOA elects the positions but average-live-and-let-live types don’t run. It’s always the little Napoleon types that run. Those people many times outweigh the few people that you’re trying to protect your neighborhood from.

 

[Pops]

It’s an HOA, you need to seriously look at it. I’ve only had one experience with an HOA and it wasn’t good. There is ALWAYS someone that is nitpicking and wants to be in your business just for the power of it. HOA elects the positions but average-live-and-let-live types don’t run. It’s always the little Napoleon types that run. Those people many times outweigh the few people that you’re trying to protect your neighborhood from.

That is it in a nutshell. 14 of us being old friends started our airport in 1995. Living here was heaven for the first 15 years. Loved every minute of it. Then people died and new people came in and now its a total mess including legal. The Napoleon types wanted rules where you had to get permission of what you put in your hanger and to change the oil in your airplane. They are nuts in every way.
They can seem normal until they get in power then all he** breaks lose. Just like in D.C. Oops- not suppose to say that.