He passed down his passion for flying to younger members of the family, and both he and his teenage son began flight training at the same time. His next youngest son has recently started training for his private certificate, and there are three other sons who could also follow the same path. 

In only a few short years since returning to the skies, Manda has purchased an aircraft of his own and an asphalt airstrip in Missouri. But having an airstrip wasn’t the reason he purchased the property.

• READ MORE: Oregon Airpark Development Aims to Create Access to ‘Outdoor Playground of the West’

“My wife and I own a landscape company up here in Kansas City [Missouri] and as part of that company, we grow sod,” Manda said. “Three years ago or so, we bought 130 acres from a guy…and developed a sod farm. We were looking to expand our operation further and…[the guy] was looking to sell more of his property. We ended up buying the house and the airstrip along with 75 more acres.” 

The airport has been around since 1979 and sports a new name following the transition, Blue Cedar Landing Airport (43MO). Manda said that maintaining the airport requires minimal additional attention to his company’s existing operations on the property. He envisions his privately owned airfield will be a vibrant GA-focused outpost and has plans for future fly-ins.

That’s why Manda is excited for other pilots to come and enjoy the airstrip as much as he and his family. 

“We mow our sod once a week, and when we do, we just mow a little bit more and mow up to the runway,” he said. “So, because I have those fields around me that I will never develop or plant trees on, it will always be a wide-open area. That gave me the thought to have a fly-in where people can just park their airplanes in the grass. We could do flour-bombing competitions, food trucks right next to the airplanes, and other things you may not be able to do at a municipal airport. We will do different things to bring people together and support aviation.”

Manda decided that a large farmhouse that came with the second land purchase would make for a good short-term rental, bringing another option for pilots looking for a place to stay the night alongside their aircraft. 

“We looked at doing something different that not a lot of places can do, so we decided to make this house a Vrbo for really anybody, but I’m definitely going to cater it to the fly-in community,” he said. “It’s a great place for three or four couples to meet up and have something to do. They can fly in and keep their airplane here and rent the house that’s literally 100 yards from the 2,430-foot-long-by-30-foot wide asphalt runway. And we will have a car that they can get on Turo to get around the area.

• READ MORE: Idaho Luxury Fly-In Development Poised for Takeoff

“The house is about a 15-minute drive to downtown Lee’s Summit, where there is tons of stuff to do. There are shops, restaurants, and dining, like a little brewery and a wine bar. It’s situated about 10 minutes away from downtown Pleasant Hill, where there are eclectic shops, restaurants, and Rock Island Trail, which connects to the Katy Trail, which at 240 miles long is the longest developed rail-trail in the country. We have teamed up with a bike shop so people can rent bikes, since it’s hard to fly with a bike.”

The 7,300-square-foot home sleeps up to 20 and rents for an average of $800 per night. Manda is adding a separate one-bedroom option to the property that will be priced more economically, $200 per night on average. He believes that the addition of this smaller rental and an available on-site rental car will entice more aviators to consider flying in.  

“On the property we also have a little pilots lounge that we are currently finishing and will be named ‘The Stables Event Space at Blue Cedar Landing,’” he said. “It will be an event space for rentals up to 150 people. When the space isn’t rented, it will be open for pilots that fly in during the day and want to have a coffee or just get together.”

Blue Cedar Landing is located 11 nm south of Lee’s Summit Municipal Airport (KLXT).

The post New Turf for Blue Cedar Landing appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Linda Goering, from Bend, Oregon, feels that Goering Ranches Airport (50OR) is the perfect location for an airpark that will attract aviators from near and far.

“We started building the runway…in 1984 on what was a 200-acre property,” Goering said. “As we saved money, we bought more and more pieces, so that we ended up with a square mile surrounded by thousands of acres of BLM [Bureau of Land Management] land, yet just minutes from downtown Bend. So, it’s totally private around us, and we can’t really be encroached upon, which is important for a private airport. There are 360-degree panoramic views, including the seven-peak mountain view of the Cascades.”

Bend, a town of roughly 100,000 and home to Epic Aircraft, is touted as both a great place to visit and live. Recreational highlights range from local shops, restaurants, and golf courses to hiking trails, museums, and resorts.

“Bend has become one of the most desirable resort towns to live in this country, located along the Deschutes River in Oregon,” Goering said. “It is known for the great weather, natural beauty and year-round outdoor activities, often being called the outdoor playground of the west.Mount Bachelor Ski Resort is just minutes from town, and the crystal-clear water of the Deschutes River offers kayaking and floating the river even right through downtown. The numerous high lakes of the Cascades offer endless mountain camping and hiking opportunities.

“It is a beautiful mountain getaway with a cosmopolitan downtown appeal. The historic Old Mill District offers an outdoor amphitheater with summer concerts, more than a dozen riverside restaurants, premier shopping, a 16-screen movie theater, and many signature golf courses. Bend is known for its local 22 breweries in the area. The downtown area is filled with art galleries, boutique shopping, spas, and all types of restaurants, many with outdoor seating.”

Goering explained that the 40 year-old airport is protected into the future, so she, her husband, and others will be able to enjoy it for many years to come.

“In Oregon, we have the Airport Protection Act, which [means], if you can prove you’ve had an airport in existence for a certain amount of time, you’re pretty much protected [from it being closed],” she said. “It’s a nice little safety net. Our runway runs from north to south and is hard-packed gravel and is a little bit longer than a mile [at 5,500 feet]. My husband has flown 690 Commanders and all kinds of other planes into here.

“When we started, we got our county approval, then state approval, and finally FAA approval. Our dream has been to see if we could do an airpark. It has been a lot of work doing that, because Oregon has a lot of land use laws and state goals you have to meet for anything you do.”

In 2006, the couple began working to get approval for a fly-in community. A considerable amount of work has been done since to overcome the zoning hurdle and ensure the feasibility of an airpark.

“This ultimate destination airport development took many years to get this exclusive zoning in place,” Goering said. “It was created to provide one of the longest and most private airport facilities on the West Coast of the United States. We hired land use consultants, attorneys, and others and created this really cool zone called a ‘rural aviation community,’ a ‘RAC zone.’ The purpose of the RAC zone is to provide for private aviation and aviation housing uses within the community.”

Now that the correct zoning is in place, with the provision for clustering (cutting down on infrastructure costs), the Goerings are still planning to have their property become a fly-in community. But they have taken a step back and determined that an experienced airpark developer can better execute their vision. 

“For years, my husband has bought and sold airplanes and got into the ag aviation business,” she said. “We rebuilt turbine Thrush aircraft here, put Garretts on them. We put out about two and a half planes a year. So right now, that’s really the only things on the property, our house and hangar. There are various ways to develop this property within the approved RAC zone, depending on the intended use of residential and or aviation industry use or both. All sites would have runway access, common areas, and open spaces throughout—including walking and biking trails, a community gardening area, and outdoor gathering space for all to enjoy.

“The goal of the development…is to recognize and appreciate the existing beautiful character of the land while providing and supporting aviation activities and related uses. With a PUD (planned unit development) being put in place, zoning will allow homesites to be clustered, yet some sites could be platted as large as 80-plus acres if desired. We’ve had a lot of interest in people wanting to buy lots. But we have to have the developer in place before selling lots. This is the ultimate destination where dreams take flight it is finally ready to market.”

The Goerings plan to continue living at the private airport and keep their home and business hangar, meaning they expect there will be up to 30 homesites available for development.  

The post Oregon Airpark Development Aims to Create Access to ‘Outdoor Playground of the West’ appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

FLYING has previously showcased some of the countries where the concept exists, from Sweden to South Africa and Australia to Costa Rica.

Another Central American nation can be added to the list with the introduction of Belize Air Ranch. The in-development community was created by Darla Zirbes and George Romine, two U.S. citizens who have been living and working in Belize for nearly six years.  

• READ MORE: Finding Freedom by Flying in Alaska

“…We have been here in Belize for about five and a half years, full time,” Zirbes said. “My dad bought the ranch, which is about 620 acres, in 2010. We have about 250 cattle here and have been developing the property [into an airpark].”

In the past few years, the land has changed a lot visually.

“The property was near and dear to Darla’s dad, but unfortunately, he got sick and could no longer take care of it,” Romine said. “At the time, I was working as an aircraft mechanic and in construction, which I had been doing for quite some time. We came down here and started building. We put in the roads, all of the fencing, cleared what needed to be cleared, and got the property and airstrip to where it is today.”

The 2,700-foot-long compacted limestone runway has an identifier of “LAF” and can be found at 17°11’49″N, 88°53’46″W. The initial plan was to build the airstrip for personal use only.

“I’ve been flying since 2000 and am also an A&P mechanic and builder,” Romine said. “We had an airplane here in Belize, and we kept it at another airport with a hangar. Then I thought, ‘Well, let’s just do it right here.’ So, we developed an airstrip in what was once a huge cornfield. It didn’t take long for us to build the runway. We used limestone taken from our property and had excellent heavy equipment operators to assist us. It was completed and approved by the Belize Department of Civil Aviation within a few months.” 

The idea to sell lots came naturally over time, and the current site plan calls for 20 hangar home residences. 

“There are a lot of pilots that come in and out of this area, and I didn’t really put a whole lot of thought into developing it as an aviation community for some time,” he said. “But after talking to some other local pilots and our family, we decided that we wanted to bring like-minded people here that like aviation and the freedom to fly.”

• READ MORE: Fort Worth Area Aviation Community Expands with Second Airpark

The community will emphasize aviation amenities, as well as the laid-back lifestyle afforded in the Central American country. Its picturesque location in the foothills of the Mayan Mountains ensures noteworthy views throughout the community, according to the couple.

The airpark is also completely off the grid at present, with utilities provided by solar systems with lithium-ion batteries for storage and backup generators, and water collection systems. High-speed internet is also accessible through a local  company. This all provides self-sufficient and sustainable living conditions for the airpark residents.

“We are trying to build a high-end airpark,” Romine said. “The home that we have just completed has 8,000 square feet…. It’s very large, with 3,000 square feet upstairs of living space with an air-conditioned hangar and a 2,000-square-foot veranda. It’s a very nice custom-built home, and those are the kind of houses [we will have] to try to keep it upscale. The idea is, as we sell more lots, to improve the community and airstrip by adding lighting to our runway and to pave it after there are enough people in the community.” 

Belize is a beautiful country along the Caribbean with a diverse natural landscape, from white sand beaches to dense forests. The couple expects that there will be a mix of full- and part-time residents at Belize Air Ranch and points out there are many reasons why it is an alluring place for retirees and others.

• READ MORE: Florida Rental Offers Escape With Oceanfront, Airstrip Views

“What is attractive to Americans and Europeans is that Belize is an English-speaking country, the only one in Central America,” Zirbes said. “You can also own your own property as a foreigner. Also, property taxes are very low. For example, we pay about $1,800 a year for our 620-acre ranch.” 

The first two individuals to purchase lots at the fly-in community are both from outside of Belize—one from Saint Martin and the other from Wisconsin. The couple also believes that the airpark will attract economic development to the region. 

There are many places within a two-hour flight of the airpark. One highlight is Flores, Guatemala, which is a colonial city situated beside a huge lake. Some of the world’s most renowned beaches are also a short trip away, including those in Cozumel, Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, and Tulum in Mexico.

“And here in Belize, there are a lot of small airports that are affiliated with world-class hotels,” Romine said. “There are lots of places in the area that are exciting places to visit and you can fly your plane into. Just a few examples are Blackbird Caye, the pristine lodges in Mountain Pine Ridge, Chan Chich at Gallon Jug Estate, and Lamani. The islands of Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker are about 30 minutes from Belize Air Ranch as well. They have many lodging options, excellent restaurants, and lots to see and do.”

For those considering moving to an airpark in Belize, or just visiting the country, the couple has several options to stay on-site. La Familia Farms Lodge presently has five units with a large pool. Zirbes and Romine said that they can provide detailed information to guests about  Belize to include customs and immigration protocols, whether arriving by the airlines or in a private plane. 

Watch: Landing at Belize Air Ranch:

The post Belize Air Ranch: Selling a Slice of Paradise appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In October 2022, Stilson and his dad purchased 120 acres of land in southern Utah. From the outset, the intent was always to have a runway on the site.

“Location wise, we are about 10 minutes to the south of Beaver, Utah, up in the mountains [in the region of Fremont Indian State Park],” Stilson said. “We’ve named the land Fremont Ridge.”

The first priority for Stilson and his father—both pilots and joint owners of a Rans S-20 Raven—was establishing a place to land.

• READ MORE: Fort Worth Area Aviation Community Expands with Second Airpark

“This chunk of the property which we got had a flat, open area on top of this mesa,” Stilson said. “It was just big enough to be able to put a decent-sized runway, and it took about a month to clear all the sagebrush, cut out the runway, and put down [grass] seed. We started the process in late 2022, and the grass started sprouting up in the spring of 2023. The runway and base stuff have been ready to go for a little bit, but there’s still so much left to do.”

Stilson is hoping to put the grass strip on the map, both figuratively and literally. He said an upcoming priority is to get the runway noted on sectionals, in addition to finalizing plans to make the airport a bucket-list place for other pilots. 

“We put two small container cabins up there and plan to add more,” he said. “There are a lot of other amenities still on the way. We also plan to have a parking area, so people can park their plane once landing. Then we are going to be doing things like installing a pickleball court. The goal is to eventually…create a little pond and have some fishing up there,” and add a large grass field for soccer.

“Then we have 20 acres off the end of the runway that we may potentially turn into an airpark. People could either rent a cabin or just come park their plane and stay for a night. We would like to make it something special and a great pit stop for pilots who might be traveling through or looking to adventure in southern Utah.”

• READ MORE: New App Helps Pilots Connect, Find New Places to Explore

Stilson has slowly been letting the aviation community know about the airstrip. Even without amenities, the unique landing site has been eyed by a number of aviators as a place they want to visit. 

You may wonder: Can I fly into the airstrip? Once the airstrip is added to the sectional, Stilson plans to start allowing others to visit. 

According to Stilson, Utah’s laws make it an easier decision to open up the property for other pilots to enjoy.

“Utah has recreational laws that protect people who open their lands to people who want to recreate on them,” he said. “What I’ve been told is it’s almost smarter to rely on those laws than to try to create any sort of a liability waiver yourself, because these laws are already pretty bulletproof. The way to put it is, ‘land at your own discretion.’ If I put it on the pilot that they chose to land [here], then they take the liability.

“That doesn’t mean I’m not going to make it very clear what some of the risks that come along with landing at this strip. I think most backcountry pilots will have no issue at all,” he said. “The airstrip sits at roughly 7,000 feet, and it can get up to 95 degrees Fahrenheit up there. There’s a lot of risk with part of the runway that is essentially a no-go-around for most airplanes.”

• READ MORE: Development Underway for New 400-Acre Fort Smith Metro Area Airpark

Stilson has been intentional about making the roughly 2,300-foot airstrip as safe as he can. 

“If you don’t have climb performance, it’s going to be really hard,” he said. “I recommend people land the opposite way, which is also a little more challenging because it’s slightly downhill. But at least you have a go-around option. [When landing] you have to hug some mountains and your base-to-final [turn] can be a little interesting, since you have to clear a couple of trees. We are working on doing what we can to make it a little safer, just because it’s somewhat technical.”

The fact that the airstrip sits on a mesa presents another challenge.

“You get that aircraft carrier landing from the winds that can potentially drop you down very quickly if you’re not careful,” Stilson said. “There are definitely a few technicalities to consider. But I think they are not going to be a huge deal, especially because we installed a [SayWeather] system and a windsock. This was a no-brainer for me because I need pilots to be able to get the wind direction and speed, as well as the density altitude.” 

In an attempt to help keep backcountry aviation alive, Stilson said he created this runway to spark a sense of adventure.

“Southern Utah is perhaps one of the most magical places to explore as a backcountry pilot. I’m an avid member of the Utah Backcountry Pilots Association and strive to be a good steward of the beautiful state we live in,” he said. “I hope our small airstrip opens the door to pilots who want to experience the southwest in a unique way.”

The post Perfect Spot: Building an Airstrip on Fremont Ridge appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Zach Milton, land consultant for The Landings, provided FLYING with a look at the popular fly-in community in Granbury, Texas, which USA Today has named the No. 1 historic small city for three years in a row.

“I work for Patten Properties, which is a third-generation land developer,” Milton said. “We’ve done over 700 acreage communities across 36 states over the last 45 years or so but have never really done an airpark.

“The Anthony family owns Pecan Plantation. They have owned it since the 1940s, when it was the largest pecan orchard in the country. Then in the 1970s they started putting in amenities and a few hundred homesites on the land. They put in a marina on the lake, and they established a golf course. Then they put in the original runway, 0TX1.”

Pecan Plantation sports around 3,000 homes, which includes around 400 lots between its two runways (0TX1 and 66TE). 

“The newer airpark here is The Landings, which is the one that I’m selling now,” Milton said. “We’ve got another two or three phases to go, and right now on the market, we have 30 or so lots that are available. Then there are probably another 30 or 40 that are not released yet. We’re moving from north to south and in phases, and have sold about 108 lots in the last year and a half.  I’d say we sell about 10 to 20 lots a month, which from my understanding, is far and away the fastest-selling aviation property in the country. So, we’re extremely proud of what we have.”

Milton, who routinely markets these runway homes at annual aviation gatherings like the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo (Lakeland, Florida) and EAA AirVenture (Oshkosh, Wisconsin), knows why aviators have been so receptive to The Landings. He explained that the community strikes the perfect balance between aviation and nonaviation amenities. 

“[One of the things that buyers find attractive] is that Pecan Plantation has more than just one airpark,” he said. “We’ve got the two airparks, so it’s a very active community. And we have EAA Chapter 983 here, which is one of the few gold-rated chapters in the world.

• READ MORE: New App Helps Pilots Connect, Find New Places to Explore

  The real appeal here is that it’s an amenity-rich community. It’s already well established with parks, pools, gated entrances, security, as well as fire and EMS services. We’ve even got a grocery store, gas station, pharmacy, bank, hardware store, equestrian centers, and two golf courses on site. There is also a marina with access to Lake Granbury, plus three riverfront parks with access to over 15 miles of the Brazos River.

“So, you can fly in the morning, golf 18 holes in the afternoon, go boating at sunset, and enjoy dinner at the clubhouse, all within a golf cart ride away. It’s basically a $199 a month HOA and then another $55 a month for the airpark. Everything is in that cost. We are only 35 miles from Fort Worth, so for most folks, it’s a pretty good deal and checks a lot of their boxes.”

Milton said that the relative proximity to the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area is a positive attraction for career pilots who fly from area airports. Some buyers have even planned well in advance for their retirement, snapping up lots years before building their dream hangar home.  

“I’d say most of our buyers are from outside the DFW area, including a lot of airline pilots who are relocating from all over the country and are looking to live in an airpark,” he said. “A big buying base for us is folks that are starting to plan their retirement, and they’re getting their lot picked out and locked down. They’ll take the next few years to meet with builders to dial in their plans and look forward to the future. We’ve had people move here as far as Washington state, Miami, New York, Canada, and Costa Rica. We’ve even had somebody from Thailand come.” 

He advised that all homesites have existing underground utilities.

“You can use any builder here,” he said. “There is a 2,000-square-foot minimum (living quarters), and there is no time frame to build. So, a lot of people are buying lots just to hold, getting their money out of the stock market, just to hold the land for the future. We have a handful of people who already live here and are buying property as an investment. They’ve seen when The Landings was first brought to market 10 years ago and 1-acre lots on the west side of the runway were between $75,000 to $100,000. Now, the taxiway lots start at $189,900 while direct runway lots are in the mid $300,000s (only four direct runways remain).”

Michael Mills,  one of The Landings’ newest residents, owns a Cessna 182, his dad’s former aircraft. Mills learned to fly in the aircraft and has completed a tip-to-tail restoration, sparing no expense since assuming its ownership several years ago. Living alongside his aircraft presents a novel way of life for the longtime pilot. 

• READ MORE: Development Underway for New 400-Acre Fort Smith Metro Area Airpark

“I lived in Colombia and wanted to move back to the United States,” Mills said. “But I was tired of paying hangar rent, so I knew I wanted to move to an aviation community. I was surfing the web one night looking for places in Miami, actually. Then a Pecan Plantation ad from Zach popped up in my Facebook feed. I called him at 11 p.m., and he answered.”  

Mills and his wife had the opportunity to check out the community in November 2022. Texas wasn’t on their initial list of places they considered moving to, but they were sold as soon as they visited Pecan Plantation for the first time.

“We closed on the lot in January of 2023 and just moved in a few months ago,” Mills said. “So, everything is finally coming to fruition. I’ve been busy working, but everybody here seems pretty friendly, and we really enjoy the amenities here. One thing I enjoy is the fact that I can walk out my back door and be in my airplane in the same amount of time that I could be in my car. I really like flying to new places around here for lunch. I haven’t yet done a lot of flying in Texas, so I am still learning the lay of the land and where good food is.”  

The post Fort Worth Area Aviation Community Expands with Second Airpark appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Sam Sessler, a private pilot from Seattle, has created a new way for fellow aviators to share their aerial adventures with one another in a mobile app he created called Hangar. 

“A little over a year and a half ago, I had an idea for an aviation platform used to share flights and connect pilots,” Sessler said. “This was mainly inspired by two things: pilots sharing screenshots of their flight tracks to Facebook groups, Instagram, Twitter, etc., and my love for Strava, the run/bike/hike sharing platform. So, in November of 2022, I set out to build this thing.

“Hangar is a social sharing platform for pilots. It is more than a logbook and can allow you to make new connections. I see a logbook as a work item, whereas this is more of a storybook about your flights. You can go back and look at all the different flight tracks, statistics, and pictures from your favorite flights.”

Sessler has built the digital product entirely himself, including creating the code that powers its diverse functionality. His main goal is to build the platform with the community, rather than for the community, and is continually working to incorporate user feedback into future versions. 

“Hangar is a flight-sharing platform that utilizes ADS-B to retrieve your flights and share them with the world, or just your followers,” he said. “The maps are fully interactive, and you can include up to four flight tracks (10 with the pro membership) stitched together for these fun multileg cross-country trips. Pilots will be able to see their flights broken down into each leg.

“There is also a stats button on the bottom right that shows altitude and groundspeed charts throughout each leg. The pro membership has takeoff and landing wind data. Pilots can include up to six images with their flights or simply just post a map. My favorite feature…is the ‘props’ button. Instead of sticking with a boring ‘likes’ feature like every other social media platform, Hangar users will instead give ‘props’ to each other. The icon spins when you click it, which is kind of fun.”

As many pilots know, finding new and unique places to fly to can be a challenge. Hangar makes it easy to discover new places to explore, searchable by several characteristics. Users can even search for fly-in restaurants to find their next “$100 hamburger” destination.

“[You can] find airports near you or explore over 70,000 airports around the world on Hangar’s interactive map,” Sessler said. “Each airport shows flights that have been posted to it, basic airport info, live weather, and reviews that users leave. Once more users are on the platform, the explore page will develop into a more exciting experience as well with new features allowing you to discover active pilots on the platform.”

One of the most unique features is what Sessler has labeled the “stick-and-rudder rating.” This rating, he advised, is a custom formula that highlights a pilot’s currency based on total hours in the past 90 days that helps gamify their recent flights. He also noted that pro users have access to a map that shows all of the airports they’ve flown to, as well as a reference to takeoff and landing wind conditions during those flights.

The Hangar app, which was released in late February, is available for download in the App Store. The basic version is free, and the pro version is $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year. 

“We have more than 2,500 users so far, so it’s going pretty well, and these users are active,” Sessler said. “Initially I had beta testers for three weeks before I launched Hangar to work out some of the bugs. I posted the app on a couple of Facebook groups and got like 130 people from that. Then I started rolling out a couple of Instagram ads, just kind of testing the waters after I launched. Those, I think, helped a lot. People are liking the app a lot.”

One of those users is Sean Smith, another pilot from the Seattle area. Smith, who flies a 1979 Mooney M20K from King County International Airport-Boeing Field (KBFI), was one of the first to download Hangar.

“I heard about the app through Flights Above the Pacific Northwest (FATPNW),” said Smith. “I signed up for the beta and started using it immediately. It’s been fun to watch the meteoric user growth since [its] public launch.

“I’m a user of Instagram, and I’ve used it to meet other pilots and form friend groups. However, it’s too superficial, and it’s nice to have a pilot-specific app that self-selects for people who are actually flying. It creates a different type of community, less focused on showing off and more focused on actual flying. My favorite part is seeing people across the country take check rides and do their first solo. It’s been fun to be able to share flights on Hangar.”

The post New App Helps Pilots Connect, Find New Places to Explore appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Lorie Robertson, chief development and marketing officer for Patriot Airpark, highlighted the development team’s goals for the project.

“Patriot Airpark is a beautiful 400-acre site that was formerly a cattle farm here in Pocola [Oklahoma],” said Robertson of the city located just west across the border from Fort Smith. “The property is being carefully transformed into an aviation community with a master development plan that includes hangar homes, traditional residences, commercial and retail spaces, and outdoor amenities. The geographic location in the middle of the country creates a perfect hub concept for pilots and businesspeople with interests (and family) in other states.

“The flight time is dramatically less when you start from the middle. Combined with the low cost of living in the region and the incredible cultural and outdoor adventure opportunities in eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas, this is a fantastic place to live.

“Our typical hangar homes will be 5,000 square feet with 2,500 for the hangar and 2,500 or more of living space above or beside the hangar. Ideally, these will be ‘barndominium’ style homes built from red steel and metal siding, but traditional wood construction is also an option. Phase one includes 14 1-acre lots that are ready to go. We also have a construction company that can build homes according to the buyer’s specs, so they have a lot of flexibility with the design.”

Robertson, who previously spent many years in community and economic development, has been friends with Patriot Airpark’s founder, Alex Cardenas, for about 15 years. The two ran into each other one day at a local restaurant, where he asked her to come aboard and help provide additional lift to the fledgling project.

“Alex, the owner of the property, spent the last year and a half building a lake and other amenities,” she said. “The lake has a 1.5-mile trail around it, and several peninsulas that offer dry camping sites and picnic tables. It’s a really nice amenity that is great for camping, fishing, and kayaking, and it will complement our future RV park. Alex has invested considerable time and money to lock in the right outdoor amenities at Patriot Airpark. He has built a footgolf course [played with a soccer ball], cleared land for soccer fields, and started building mountain bike trails through the woods on the north side of the property.” 

Cardenas, a veteran and entrepreneur, already has moved to Patriot Airpark and is raising his family there. 

“We don’t want to overbuild the community,” Robertson said.  “We want to protect the rural lifestyle and the outdoor opportunities for adventure—the sports, the trails, the fishing, and everything that goes along with what makes Patriot Airpark special. In the initial concept plan, there are around 230 [lots]. Not all of those would be hangar homes, though. The property is naturally split by the orientation of the runway.

“Lots on the west side of the property will be aviation homesites, and the east side will be traditional single-family and multifamily residential. Airplane hangars are also a part of our master plan, as well as commercial, retail, and restaurant spaces that will bring homeowners together as a micro-community.” 

At Patriot Airpark, there is one newly constructed hangar, which is the site of a skydiving operation, Adventure Skydive Center. This is one of many businesses that the development team expects will be based on-site. The airport runway, recently designated by the FAA as OL42, has been established for more than 20 years and will soon host an exciting aviation event.

“We are hosting a National STOL Series qualifier event, Arklahoma STOL, on May 24-25,” she said. “This will be our first event, but our goal is to host the national finals [for the National STOL Series] next year, or at the latest, in 2026. We really want to bring that event here to the central United States.”

The National STOL event is expected to attract pilots from around the country as well as at least 1,000 aviation fans. Spectators are welcome to fly in before the competition starts. Choctaw Casino & Resort is less than five minutes away in Pocola, Oklahoma, and there will be a shuttle running to and from the hotel. Camping and RV spots are available before, during, and after the event through the holiday weekend. The event schedule and camping information can be found on the Arklahoma STOL website.  Registration for pilots is on the National STOL Series website.

Robertson advised that the interest in the area hasn’t been limited to attendees of the short takeoff and landing competition. Rather, Fort Smith and its surrounding communities have been the focus of aviation headlines for other reasons as well recently. 

“Within 15 minutes of Patriot Airpark, you have Fort Smith Regional Airport (KFSM) and Ebbing Air National Guard Base, which is home to the Arkansas Air National Guard. Ebbing was chosen by the U.S. Air Force to be the new site for the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program,” Roberterson said. “The Air Force estimates that as many as 1,000 families or more will be relocating to this region. The housing market is tight, so it’s great that Patriot Airpark is already established. We have real estate, and we are ready to build homes. We could start pouring foundations next week if we wanted to. Talk about impeccable timing.

“Everything seems to be falling into place—the development, the event, the amenities. It’s the perfect place and time to start this development because there’s nothing exactly like it in the market. We’re inviting prospective buyers to come on over to OL42 and ‘land where they’ll love to live!’”

The post Development Underway for New 400-Acre Fort Smith Metro Area Airpark appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“I grew up here. It’s where my dad had his original paint shop and have been around the airport since I was 7 or 8 years old,” Steel-Potter said. “The former owner had some health issues and had to sell Phillipsburg [in 2012]. The grass was 4 feet tall. The pavement, the runway, and everything was a total mess. But because I had known how the airport was before, and how busy it was, I knew it was worth saving.”

When the couple jumped in to keep the airport running, there was one small detail that would become a time-consuming and costly challenge to overcome. 

“Next to the airport there is a huge commercial nursery where they grow plants and trees, who had their eye on the airport to turn into an extension of their current property,” she said. “I couldn’t stand to know that it would have been a nursery had we not saved it. This company is the largest landowner in the county, and they had their eyes [on the airfield], and partial claim on ownership. 

“When we bought the airport, the center section of the runway was not owned by the current owners. The nursery had actually ended up purchasing that section of the land, and they sued us to close the airport. But the former owner of the airport had a first right of refusal to be able to purchase the land. It didn’t matter whether she could afford it or not, because she clearly couldn’t. We countersued and said, ‘Hey, look. We should have the opportunity, or at least Mrs. Miller should have the opportunity, to buy this land and you passed over her.’ The judge agreed and issued a summary judgment. We needed to come up with over half a million dollars in seven days.”

Steel-Potter said that this victory felt like a David and Goliath story. The duo has since invested more of their time and money into improving Phillipsburg for their business and the local aviation community. 

“There are 70 hangars here in total and we’ve put in 24 of them,” she said. “Some of the hangars are pretty old, though, so we are going to be tearing those down and putting new ones up. We have also renovated the existing main FBO building, have bought another building, and expanded my dad’s original paint shop with a new addition. We are also putting in a new FBO building with a really cool event space. It will be an airplane showroom for both Cirrus and Diamond aircraft [Steel Aviation is a Diamond Aircraft dealer for an eight-state territory and Jaime has closed over 2,700 used Cirrus].

“Then on the weekends, people will be able to rent it out for weddings and other events. Along with the event space, we are going to put in a commercial kitchen, and it’d be really cool if we could get a restaurant to come in and lease the space.” 

Phillipsburg Airport is a visible landmark for area residents, with an estimated 50,000 or more cars driving by each day. The addition of an on-field restaurant would further improve the accessibility of pilots and nonpilots interested in the airport and what is going on there. 

“In the summer 2023, we tore up the existing runway and put in a brand new 3,250-foot-long-by-75-foot-wide runway,” Steel-Potter said. “We haven’t really encouraged people to fly here [previously] because we used to have a 40-foot-wide runway until July. So really, unless pilots were really on their game, it was kind of dangerous to be here, and it was intimidating to some people. Now, we have a wider runway and a little bit more room in terms of a tarmac. So, we will start trying to get more people here.” 

This means an invitation for transient pilots, as well as other aviation businesses. She noted that there has been interest from flight schools and a vocational program, about basing their operations at Phillipsburg. Another possibility for the future is the addition of hangar condos. 

Like many other privately owned airport owners, Steel-Potter said that airport ownership isn’t the best path to financial independence. However, while she admits that owning an airport is challenging, it has been a rewarding experience for her. 

“I often say that this place is like a money pit because we receive no federal funding and no grant money,” she said. “It truly is self-funded. But the beauty of that is that we put up two rows of T-hangars and they put the same two rows of hangars down at Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport [KMGY]. We were able to get ours up in three months, and it took them two and a half years at quadruple the cost. And I own these hangars and don’t have a lease. From that standpoint, it’s been really beneficial. The flip side to that is when it snows, we have to maintain the runway. When it needs to be crack-sealed, or even a new runway surface is needed, I’m responsible for that. There are pluses and minuses.

“We’ve looked at moving to Dayton International Airport [KDAY, located8 nm east] or moving some of our operations there. But I would put up a couple of million-dollar facilities that I would give back to the airport in 20 years and would still be responsible for the maintenance, taxes, and an impact fee. I would be paying the city $10,000 a month just to be on the land. When I bought Phillipsburg, I was 32, and it just didn’t make sense to take it and build that facility in Dayton to have to give it back in 20 years. It made more sense to take a chance on this place, and thankfully, it has worked out.” 

A lot of the airport’s success can be credited to its headlining tenant, Steel Aviation.

“I think the only way to truly make it work, and the only way that we’ve made it work here, is because we have Steel Aviation,” she said. “If I just were trying to run this place as a privately owned airport, it would never support itself, at least not to the level it does now with all of the new improvements. We get a ton of customers from Steel coming in and supporting the place. But to stand alone on its own, without everything that we have going on here, it would be tough.”

The post Ohio GA Airport Beats with a Heart of Steel appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

But the other day, when I opened up my engine cowl during a preflight inspection and discovered several pounds of grass, twigs, and debris packed tightly into every nook and cranny of my engine compartment, the local starling population was fortunate they were out of my reach. 

It had been a long week, and for days, I’d been looking forward to the simple pleasure of solitary pattern work at a nearby 1,700-foot grass strip that I love. The runway is rolled so frequently, it’s as smooth as a pool table. After a long, frustrating day of work, an hour or so of landings is a great way to clear my mind and unwind.

• READ MORE: When It’s Better to Have It and Not Need It

On this particular day, however, the birds had ensured my trip to the hangar had the opposite effect. I worked for about 30 minutes with a flashlight, needle nose pliers, and a Shop-Vac to remove the piles and piles of brush and grass from around the engine before finally giving up. I wasn’t convinced I’d be able to remove every last bit of it, and given the fire hazard it presented, I decided I’d let my mechanic remove the cowl and blow it all out thoroughly when he arrived for some unrelated work later in the week.

As I reflected on the day’s ruined flight, two observations occurred to me. First, while the shopping process for a hangar to rent is nowhere near as complex as that of an airplane, one can still benefit from some basic detective work. And second, when given the choice, a nicer hangar is most likely worth the extra investment.

Last summer, I opted to move out of my original hangar and into my current one, reasoning that I preferred to share the two-airplane hangar with my friend Dan, who occupies the other half. While it would be difficult to give him up as a hangar mate, the extremity of the bird infestation now has me reconsidering the move. I simply never took the time to look into the new hangar in depth. A hangar is a hangar, I thought.

• READ MORE: 5 Things I Wish I Had Known Before Buying My First Airplane

Now, with a few years of ownership behind me, I’m able to assemble a list of subtle but important concerns that will dictate my selection of future hangars. The current bird concern tops the list, as so much time can be wasted cleaning off droppings and clearing out nest materials. But I’d also approach existing hangar tenants to determine whether water seeps in through the roof or beneath the walls and whether ice dams trap form during the winter.

I’d also ask about the land immediately around the hangar and find out whether it floods and how well the snow is actually cleared during winter. If the main door is electric, I’d be curious to know what happens in the event of a power outage and whether a small generator or battery pack could be plugged in to get the airplane in or out. After all, a power outage that leaves the door open ahead of a violent storm could be disastrous for both the hangar and the airplane inside.

Cell service would also be a concern. With decent coverage, I’d have good day-to-day connectivity, and I’d be able to use a remote switch to turn my engine preheater on or off from home. Good coverage would also enable the installation of cameras, both for security and to check the runway and ramp conditions before making the drive to the airport. My current location has terrible coverage, and all of these things are challenges.

• READ MORE: The Pros and Cons of Aircraft Towing Solutions

I would never have thought of these things when I first bought my airplane. But now that I know what to look for and what questions to ask, I’d spend some time hanging out at potential airports a bit and learning about their hangar situations before deciding on any particular location. And if faced with a nicer hangar option that comes at a premium cost, I’ll consider how much time and effort I’ve had to spend dealing with the various woes of a bad hangar and account for that in my decision-making process.

As for my current bird situation, I’ve got a plan. The airfield has recently been sold to a new owner. He’s not a pilot, just an enthusiast looking to get into aviation as a hobby. And it sounds like he has yet to go up for a flight with anyone.

There’s an old saying: “A good lawyer knows the law, and a great lawyer knows the judge.” Perhaps a nice evening flight among the hayfields will kick off a good working relationship with the new guy. With any luck, it just might culminate in some weatherstripping, deterrent spikes, and maybe a cat or two to address the bird problem.

The post Going to the Birds, And How Not To appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Jack Poff, the founder of Shumway “Innernational” Airport (IL05) in Effingham, Illinois, hopes that the facility will still be used as an airport once it’s sold.

“Well, I sure hope we do get to sell it as an airport, because at the point it doesn’t sell that way, it’ll revert back to farm ground,” Poff said. “And that would absolutely break my heart. I can tell you that I put enough work, love, and TLC into this property that I would hate to see it be anything else.” 

To understand Poff’s attachment to the airport with the 2,338-foot grass runway, you have to look back at why it was built. In 2006, the construction professional by trade decided to find a piece of land suitable for a runway, following the reentrance into aviation after a long break.

“After I got married and started raising a family, I was out of aviation for quite a while,” Poff said. “But after my son was born, he started getting interested in remote control airplanes, and we joined a club here in the area. The fellow that owned the place where we flew the remote-controlled planes decided to sell the property, and it was no longer going to be available for us to use.”

Poff explained that flying remote control planes ultimately turned into flying fixed-wing aircraft again and the desire to own his own airport. That’s because the two had nowhere suitable for him and his son to fly. 

“Along the same time, I went up to EAA AirVenture [in Wisconsin] with my son, and we ended up over in the homebuilt section,” he said. “I had been out of aviation for a while, so I was asking some of the homebuilders what they would recommend, as far as planes to build. And they said, ‘definitely a Van’s.’ Within a year or so, I decided that we were going to start in on an RV-9A build.

“I bought the different kits to assemble and started working on them in my garage. It got to the point [in the build process] that I told my wife, ‘Now you’re going to have to start parking outside because I need more room to build my airplane.’ She told me that I was going to have to find somewhere else to build it. Along the same time, I was also looking for a place for the remote-control field. And then I thought, ‘Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. Why not go ahead and find enough property to have a full-scale runway?’” 

Poff started talking to a local farmer who, after some persuasion, was willing to part with some of his land. But it would take several acquisitions to piece enough parcels together to create a suitable landing site. He wound up with 37.72 acres, where he built a 5,200 square-foot hangar/shop and an attached 2,344 square-foot, three-bedroom apartment.

The airfield has served its purpose well. For nearly two decades, Poff has flown an RV-9A from it, albeit a different one than he purchased shortly after his first visit to Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh. He now believes that the time he spends mowing the airstrip will be better used toward finally finishing his nearly complete RV build.

“Sometime in the middle of doing all of the work last summer, I decided that I was spending an awful lot of time working on the airport and the runway,” he said. “But again, no time to spend on building the airplane, which now is going into its 20th year of construction. So, I’m getting really close, but I’m not done yet. I just want to finish it up. And frankly, after hosting fly-ins the last 15 or so years, I shouldn’t get all of the fun. Someone else should enjoy it.” 

Poff said that over 350 people and 65 aircraft attended the last fly-in the airstrip hosted in 2022. It included a pulled pork luncheon cooked by his wife, Darlene. 

“Before I decided to sell the airport, I decided to improve the runway,” he said. “There were a couple of places where it was a little bit rough and there were some different things that I wanted to do. I wanted to move it 10 feet farther to the north to give it more development potential. If you’re going to develop lots, you need all the extra space that you can get. So we decided to [do that on the south side of the runway]. The airport was closed during all of 2023, and we got the grass planted at just the right time. It really looks great.

“Shumway Innernational has always been a favorite of all people that like to land on grass. I’ll say it’s their favorite place to land here in southern Illinois. And it’s even better now, in better shape than it’s ever been.”

The post Illinois Grass Strip Airfield Ready for Next Generation of Owners appeared first on FLYING Magazine.