Air Park living on the cheap

[deckofficer]

For those that have researched air park living, the most common price break is the fixer for $300K and it goes up from there. In my research over the last 6 years while I was caring for my dad, I found a number of air parks that are in the price range of the average Joe.

Last week I drove to 7 Bays, Washington to look at a couple of homes, and made an offer on one. The Realtor hadn't mentioned the seller took out a 2nd on the property and wanted more than market. He has a renter and has positive cash flow, so he refused my offer. In the long run this was a good thing, but that was a long drive to come up empty. 7 Bays is right on Lake Roosevelt with its 650 miles of shore line. Below are some pictures of the place I put an offer on and the area.













I just got back from a even longer drive in the opposite direction to Columbus, New Mexico. For the aviation history buffs, this was the 1st Aero Squadron for the US back in 1916. Within one section of land about 3 miles north of Columbus, there are 3 air parks. Hacienda Sur Luna Air Park has a paved and lighted 4800' runway, no HOA fees, and is considered the "high end" of the 3 air parks. All lots are either 2.5 acres or 5 acres, and the last pre-owned home and hangar sold last month for $70K. There is another home and hangar listed at $138K, but with that recent $70K sell, $138K is a stretch. Here is a video of the owner of the $70K home going for a short hop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myIdFscuu9M

The next air park is Windsock Estates and my friend Dick lives there and put me up for the two nights I was there. His is the nicest in this air park and his hangar is 80' X 60' and on 5 acres. He would consider selling at $200K. A few pictures of Dick's home.





The final air park is 1st Aero Squadron Airpark and has the "cheap seats". The last two air parks have dirt/compacted gravel 5200' runways, both in great shape and maintained for free. Also no HOA fees. Dick's first place was here and it has changed hands twice over the years. The current owner doesn't get down much any more but never placed it on the market. Dick asked if he might want to sell it without even listing it and he replied "yes". All Jim wanted was what he bought it for years ago and said $45K~$50K. I split the difference and offered $47,500, and it was accepted, so now I have a home/hangar on 2.5 acres that is rather modest but will serve me just fine. The hangar is 60' X 40' with the home in the back plus a 2nd bedroom as a add on room outside the hangar's foot print. Only 725 square feet of living space, but it is only me. I've met a number of my neighbors, what a great earthy group. Summers aren't as hot as the location would indicate because it is on the southern section of the Continental Divide so elevation is 4200'. Mexico with all the cheap dentists, pharmacies, and optometrists are 6 miles south of the air parks.

My new home/hangar

























I guess the purpose of this long post is for the folks that would like to retire at an air park and be able to do it on the cheap. I met Mary, Steve, Ron, and Dick, the common denominator is to fly on a tight budget. Flying takes 1st seat, ego, social status and keeping up with the Jones's doesn't even get a seat, my kind of folks.

[MrMorden]

Great post, thanks Bob!

[Cluemeister]

Great story. It's hard to beat that value. That's less than the cost of building a hangar on leased property in many places!

[ANewHope]

Congratulations! That is pretty exciting to read. Are those pictures after you moved in or while you wer e looking? I'm new here. I was curious if those were your planes.

Enjoy! Sounds like a great find.

[deckofficer]

Congratulations! That is pretty exciting to read. Are those pictures after you moved in or while you wer e looking? I'm new here. I was curious if those were your planes.

Enjoy! Sounds like a great find.

Pictures are from two days ago when the place was seen for the first time by me and written offer accepted verbally. Planes belong to Ron who has too many projects in his hangar and was storing them there for free of course. That is the kind of community it is, helpful folks.

[Jack Tyler]

Bob, thanks for sharing the story and also the pics. This is a slice of general aviation that mostly stays hidden behind rumor and assumption; it's great you've shared some of the reality. And your story isn't all that unique, at least in some parts of the country. You remind me of a friend who flew ANG and was a Captain on two commercial carriers, both of which went TU. So Brent found himself exiting a supposedly highly paid career with only a modest pension from either one. IOW not much money but a lifelong retirement plan to live & fly off a private airpark. He had to accept some compromises, one of them being a perpetually high Density Altitude (his field is at 6,000' elevation) and another being some distance from any big or even moderately sized city. But he ended up in a nice home with a nice hangar and a good group of neighbors, and all of it available in New Mexico. So yes, it is indeed possible.

And then there's an RAF colleague of mine, Rol, who had an eclectic career that spanned owning a movie theater in Santa Monica (which he had to defend by arming his workers; quite a story) to now running a self-funding aviation charity that pays little. But his wife and he had the goal of living in a beautiful setting with their own airstrip for his 172 along with a home, despite having modest financial resources. Again, there were compromises such as the DA at his 6,000'+ elevation and his home by the county road being some distance from his strip...but the land is impressively rugged, unique and strikingly attractive. And once again, Rol lives in New Mexico. (There seems to be a theme developing here...)

By contrast, I visit private airparks in Florida fairly regularly as I'm invited to speak about the Recreational Aviation Foundation. Next Wednesday I speak at Spruce Creek which, I'm told, has 3,000 residents. (Good grief...!) Prices at these places are high to moderately high and the generational shift is often quite apparent. In newer airparks with lots of land, the developers are having a hard time finding buyers who want to build, and at established airparks there are homes and hangar homes for sale but not so many buyers. The Southeast - and especially Florida - is perceived as the ideal place by many older folks to settle down in retirement. Lots of places to fly, 12 months of flying possible (if some of it bumpy and sweaty), and ~450 private airports/airparks in the state. But a diminishing pilot population and the high cost of airpark home ownership are working against that 'promised land' appeal.

BTW the #1 downside I hear about most often when it comes to airparks is 'politics'. Factions centered around differing opinions for development and/or rules, one owner's actions detracting from the general population's preferences and so on. Bob, I hope your initial impressions of the neighbors bear out over time although it sounds like you may have 'chosen wisely'.

So now that you are (actually, will soon be) a New Mexico resident and re-entry pilot, you need to connect with the New Mexico Pilot Association and also the RAF folks there. An easy way to do both is to talk with Larry Filener, who's active in both organizations and loves flying in New Mexico. As your time & plans allow, give Larry a call. You won't be disappointed. http://theraf.org/team/larry-filener

Congrats on the Big Decision and, especially, with acting on your dream. Step #2: Find that plane. Step #3: Get that license and have some fun!

[deckofficer]

Jack,

Thank you for taking the time for such a well thought out post and of course I will hook up with Larry Filener, he or his contacts could be pivotal for the next stages of my plans, finding a plane and instruction.

When you drew parallels to your friend's situation about the company he worked for going out of business and him with a minimum pension, sucked it up and made it work, made me re-read my post to see if I offered info on my situation. I didn't but will at this time. I had a good career that I left early to care for my dad. I went back to college in my late 40's at California Maritime Academy with the hopes of a career on merchant ships all the way through retirement. After only 10 years my dad at age 90 needed constant care and I went to my older brother and sister and told them it would be my pleasure to care for him 6 months each year if between them they could split the remaining time. This would allow me to keep working but my siblings didn't have any desire so I stopped working early in my new career. Because I had lofty goals for my retirement, during those 10 years I lived like I was making about 1/4 of my earnings and the rest went into savings. I'm sure glad today I did this because I was able to care for dad for 6 years and 3 months. He was a very good father to me, so what comes around goes around.

To make a long story short, plans for the future always seem to be written in sand at low tide. My plans included a lot of "bucket list" goals, but now need to concentrate on just one and figure out how to it on the cheap, hence the post here for others that might find themselves in the same compromised financial condition as myself. If this posts helps just one aviator realize the dream of living with his/her plane in a not so well healed condition like myself, I will feel the pleasure from sharing.

Thanks again for your post Jack, hope we stay in touch and I'll keep you updated as things unfold. The day I'm moved in and have Internet access I will contact Larry Filener, join AOPA and RAF and see where things go from there.


Cheers,

Bob

[zodiac flyer]

Thanks for the great post. I am in south florida and have been looking for an affordable airpark home for years.
Hopefully I will get there one day.
Dave

[deckofficer]

Thanks for the great post. I am in south florida and have been looking for an affordable airpark home for years.
Hopefully I will get there one day.
Dave

Dave,

My post was for folks like you who have spent a lot of time trying to find the least expensive air parks. My search was limited to the 7 western states, went for 6 years on the Internet while I cared for my 96 year old dad. He passed away last month so I was able to see in person the air parks I had discovered searching every lead I could find on the Internet. In the $100K~$150K range I found 2 air parks, $150K~$175K range there were 5. The $50K~$150K range only had 3 air parks, and all of them within a single land section. What I visualized for these 3 air parks was numerous ramp mummies, derelict cars, trailers and hangars but upon arriving after a 1300 mile drive I found good earthy folks that just have a love of flying and no egos or air park politics that are typically found in upscale air parks. More important I found homes and hangars that represent the pinnacle of bang for the buck. Mary's place was spotless with kitchen upgrades that include granite counter tops, 2 bedrooms, office, large living room, hangar, and RV shelter. Mary and her late husband Bill were the 2nd owners of the place I bought and when their current place came on the market they bought it because of having at least 3 times the living square footage of my place. Now here is the kicker, I asked Mary if she was to sell her current place, what would she expect to get out of it and her reply was $80K. As I mentioned above, I bought my place from Jim, who bought it from Bill and Mary, with its modest but clean 750 square foot living area and large 60' X 40' hangar with cement floor and apron on 2.5 acres. To me, $47,500 isn't much coin for all that I got and it allows retirement and flying on the cheap for the rest of my days. I can't wait to get moved in, but I have a few collectible cars that for each one means a 2600 mile round trip towing my covered car transport trailer.

[3Dreaming]

In my mind I think it might be worth while to look into a commercial hauler compared to making several trips. You could get them all there in one trip, and it might be cheaper than doing it yourself. You probably already know someone who could make a recommendation for a hauler, if you just ask around.

[deckofficer]

Hauling custom and collectible cars was a business I owned and operated during my downtime from ocean shipping. I know it might be hard to believe, but my making 3 trips saves over $2000 over a transporter taking my load. I just wish I still had my 3 car hauler instead of my single car enclosed hauler. It has to be enclosed because one of the cars has never been subjected to rain or any other weather.

[Jack Tyler]

Dave & the group, for areas of the country (like Florida...) where airpark lots & homes are just beyond the reach of financial mortals, some folks opt for buying a small piece of land at a place that hasn't really blossomed as an 'airpark' or has land available and work their way into the 'home' over time. An example might be Lazy S Farms in north central Florida. The airstrip basics are here: https://www.airnav.com/airport/7FL7

Now if you were looking at buying the whole enchilada that happens to be for sale, you'd see the $450,000 price tag and quickly move on.
http://www.aviationhomes.com/gallery/vi ... e=album130

But that's not what friend Lynn and beau (now husband) Mick did. They purchased a 5 acre parcel at Lazy S for a small amount and moved into temporary quarters. (They could have started with their living quarters being an older, affordable mid-size RV but it so happened there was a rental mobile home elsewhere on the property). They had a contractor lay a very large slab and erect the basic large hangar shell and a raised loft in the back half of the hangar. They now had a hangar for the plane, a large workshop area, and they could begin the process of building out the loft for their home with supplemental facilities (bathroom with outdoor shower, screened patio with hot tub, and a small galley area) on the lower level. It's a couple of years later now and they have a great place with lots of room in the hangar, on the second level, and on the surrounding land. And for a small fraction of that $450K price you see on the internet.

If that sounds like a one-time deal, I heard almost the same story from Bill about his home at Cannon Creek Airpark. https://www.airnav.com/airport/15FL This is quite an impressive facility, located about 50 miles west of Jacksonville in north Florida. If you looked at the home properties there, you'd see the same price range. But if you looked at the undeveloped land prices, you'd find them quite affordable. Bill, now mid-80's and still flying, bought a small amount of land, erected a hangar with a contractor's help, and then finished out one side of the interior for his home. (To supplement this 'where there's a will, there's a way' theme, consider Bill's income stream: He supplements his modest pension income by buying up lightly used ATV's around Florida during the winter, also buys a basic low-boy trailer and also finds one creampuff motorhome of medium size. In Florida, all of these are readily available with a bit of searching and, in the rural areas I've been describing, can be found at very low prices. Bill then puts the ATVs in the trailer, hitches it to the motorhome, and drives the whole rig up to Alaska. The prices up there are multiple times higher for all these things and he sells everything within a few weeks while visiting friends there, as Bill was a bush pilot at a resort there for many years. He then flies home ComAir and plays).

I think the moral to the story is that, if one is looking for a turn-key airpark home, you can expect the price tag will be pretty substantial in many parts of the country. But if sweat equity and chipping away at the end goal are part of the equation, there's actually more opportunities for airpark living than was true 20 years ago, when the aviation demographics were different and developers were still working off more demand.

[deckofficer]

Jack,

That is what Dick did. He bought the bare lot and built the hangar while living in his converted diesel bus. Nice 60' X 40' hangar with home built in the rear. When he sold it to Bill and Mary he bought another lot, 5 acre instead of the 2.5 acre and repeated the process but this time going with an 80' X 60' hangar. Bill admits he isn't handy so after he and Mary lived in what would later become my hangar/home, another much larger hangar/home became available and they bought it.

Here are some pictures of Dick's hangar/home.

























Dick is looking to downsized and is willing to sell the above home for $200K.

[Job CF]

Hi Bob
12 years have flown by ...
How are things at 1st Aero Squadron Airpark and the other two subdivisions of Columbus Airpark?
Who are the people to contact for more info, availability and prices?
Thanks!

[designrs]

This thread is inspiring. It’s great to be reminded of my dream to live at an air park. I have missed this great community and forum!