What are Airport Communities?
These are neighborhoods that own and use one or more runways. These runways are often owned and maintained by the community. They can be paved runways or just grass strips.
What is a hangar homes?
They are just like any home you have every seen. They come in all shapes and sizes and styles. The one thing they have, however, is a hangar – either separate on the property or attached.
If I went inside a hangar home would I see any difference to a regular home?
Nope. Hangar homes can range from small apartment type homes to large and beautiful mansions. Most are your regular everyday homes. Mine has two bedrooms and a large study – a courtyard, a 2 car garage and a 2000 sqft hangar, attached. I’ve seen homes with many thousands of square feet and others with only 900 to 1100 square feet.
What about Building Codes – anything special?
You’ll find that the Codes for the homes are the same. The hangar are usually treated as over- sized garages. There are exceptions to this in some areas. In Florida, a hangar greater than 2000 square feet in area will need to adapt to several commercial code provisions.
How to the airplanes get to the runways?
The houses right on the runway, if there are any, just take the airplane out and take off. The ones on the inside streets use the same streets as the cars and simply taxi over to the runway to take off.
Is there a right of way issue with the cars and airplanes?
Everyone one gives the airplanes right of way. If you are driving down the street in your care and see an airplane coming, you just drive into a neighbor’s driveway or off the street and let the airplane go by. They are almost always your friend and there is lots of waving.
How noisy can it be at airport Communities?
Noise is not, at least for me and those I know, a problem. Homes are so well built these days that any noises tend to not get into the house. Don’t get me wrong, you sometimes hear noises. Sometimes folks fly in for a meeting or for lunch. There are also times, on a beautiful late afternoon, when one of the guys will feel a bit frisky and go out and make some noise in his or her biplane. But to most of us, such a rare occasion is a real delight.
Do you use your hangar to store other stuff?
Of course. Like everyone else we tend to get carried away with various levels of “junk”. Gotta stay on top of it.
Are these hangar home eyesores?
They can be. But they can also be beautiful. My own home, if you were driving by the front, would not even be recognizable as a hangar home. The entry to the hangar is in the rear. From the front it looks like a regular home. The way I designed it architecturally softened the hangar portion of the home and you honestly can’t tell it is one. Drive around to the back and you’ll see the large hangar door.
How about towers. Do they have these control towers at hangar home communities?
Very few are. In our community we have two grass strips. Each pilot announces when he or she is getting ready to use the runway. It is a smooth running and safe operation.
Are there only one kind of person that live at these airport communities?
You will not find a more diverse group of individuals than you will at an Airport Community. The folks here are from every walk of life, every conceivable profession, every political persuasion, every age. The common thread is their love for aviation.
How big are the homes and how big are the hangars?
I’ve seen sizes ranging form puny to huge. I’ve seen hangars from spaces a bit bigger than a car garage all the way to gigantic 4000 plus square foot structures.
How expensive are airplanes to own and to fly?
Airplanes come in all shapes and sizes. They can be small and large – just about anything. Mine is about the cost of an SUV to run. But it is much faster and there are never any stop lights or traffic. As many know, John Travolta, owns an airport home and has jets. But this is not common. His runway is very long and wide and uniquely set up for jets. In our airport a jet taking off would look like the time travel car in “Back to the Future” and leave a trail of fire in the grass.
I hear that Travolta has a hangar home in an Airport Community. Do you know him?
You’re right. He does. He actually lives a few miles from me. You can likely find pictures of his home on the internet. Yes, I have met him. Seemed to be a very personable guy. Sure loves aviation. He wondered how long our runways are here at my neighborhood. I had to think for a second – I had never really thought about it. Difference between flying big airplanes and small ones.
I’ve found that most pilots have heard of these places. Many have likely thought it pretty expensive. But you will find, if you research it, that it can be an amazingly affordable lifestyle. It is really a matter of researching what is out there and learning a bit about the types of homes you can buy or build. Once you have decided to do this, you will likely find many resources of help and advise. It is, indeed, a lifestyle like no other. You’ll make friends like never before.
Ken Risley, airplane hangar homes,specializes in the designing and engineering of hangar homes throughout the Unites States. Learn more about Dream Home Design, today!
|
|