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After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the appeal of these communities is even more apparent. There's no need to get to the airport two hours in advance, or to stand in a mile-long line to get through security, and no delays on the tarmac. If you own a home in one of these developments, you can grab a cup of coffee in your kitchen and then literally take off in your plane.
"We have people who commute to Denver, Las Vegas and Los Angeles from here," says Greg Basso, a real estate agent who sells homes in the Grassy Meadows Sky Ranch in Hurricane, Utah. "It's all about convenience."
Because single-engine, twin-engine and turboprop planes are the most popular among private pilots in the U.S., most airparks are designed to accommodate these planes. Some, such as Spruce Creek Fly-In in Daytona Beach, Fla., can accommodate smaller jets, like the Gulfstream G2 and G4.
Basso says he has received at least a dozen inquiries since Sept. 11 from people seeking information about homes in airparks. "If I got two or three calls a month, that would be a lot. Interest is definitely up, and people are telling me they just don't want to live in the big cities anymore."
According to the Living With Your Airplane Association, there are 425 airparks in this country. Florida, which has at least 52 airparks, leads all states, while Washington follows closely with 50 and Texas has 43. The airparks range in size from just a few people sharing a grass strip to sprawling developments with thousands of homes equipped with tennis courts, swimming pools and spas.
The key element, though, is an attached hangar to the home and direct access to a taxiway leading to the runway. The runway, flight operations and security are managed and maintained by homeowners' associations. And like other communities focused around a particular activity--whether it is playing golf, horseback riding or flying planes--you've got to really love it. Obviously, living in an airpark, you can't mind the noise: The sound of planes revving up for takeoff and coming in for landings has to be music to your ears.
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