A residential airpark (also spelled air park) is a "fly-in community" specifically designed around an airport where the residents own their privately owned airplanes which they park in their hangars, usually attached to the home or integrated into their home. A residential airpark features one or more runways with homes adjacent to the runway or taxiways. Many fly-in communities feature a variety of amenities, such as golf course, equestrian facilities and more. Residential airparks are usually privately owned and restricted to use by the property owners and their invited guests. Most do not include commercial operations or businesses. The communities have also become a niche real estate market, with some firms dedicated solely to these developments.
Ideas for airparks existed as early as 1944 and the first airpark was Sierra Sky Park in Fresno, California, established in 1946. [1] [2] The Living With Your Plane Association estimates that there are at least 426 residential airparks in the United States. Florida is estimated to have 52 airparks, followed by Washington with 50, California with 28, and Oregon with 23. [3]
Fresno Yosemite International Airport is a joint military–public airport in Fresno, California, United States. It is the primary commercial airport for the San Joaquin Valley and three national parks: Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon. It offers scheduled passenger flights to several major airline hubs in the United States and international service to Mexico. The facility opened in June 1942 as Hammer Field, a military airfield. The airport is owned and operated by the city of Fresno and operates two runways on a property spanning 1,728 acres (699 ha). Its airport code "FAT" stands for Fresno Air Terminal, a former name for the airport.
Whiteman Airport is a general aviation airport in the northeastern San Fernando Valley community of Pacoima, in the city of Los Angeles, California, United States.
Dayton–Wright Brothers Airport is a public airport located 10 miles (16 km) south of the central business district of Dayton, Ohio, located mainly in Miami Township, Montgomery County and partly in Clearcreek Township, Warren County, near the suburb of Springboro. It is owned and operated by the City of Dayton and serves as the reliever airport for Dayton International Airport. It mainly serves corporate and personal aircraft users. The airport's identifying code, MGY, is a reference to its former name of Montgomery County Airport.
The Pompano Beach Airpark is a public airport located one mile (1.6 km) northeast of the central business district of Pompano Beach, in Broward County, Florida, United States. The airport is publicly owned by the City of Pompano Beach.
Delaware Airpark is a public use airport serving the Dover area. It is owned by the Delaware Department of Transportation and operated by the Delaware River and Bay Authority and located one nautical mile (2 km) west of the central business district of Cheswold, a town in Kent County, Delaware, United States. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a local general aviation facility.
Cameron Park airport is a public use airport located in Cameron Park, El Dorado County, California, United States. This airport is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility.
Air Park-Dallas Airport is a public airport located 16 nautical miles (30 km) northwest of the central business district of Dallas, in Collin County, Texas, United States. The airport is used solely for general aviation purposes. It was built as an airpark-style development, with adjacent homeowners having perpetual runway access guaranteed by restrictive covenants, but no formal ownership or management interest in the physical airfield facilities. The airport was formerly within the city limits of Hebron, Texas but was annexed by the city of Carrollton in 2008; the nearby residential lots were not included in the annexation.
Sierra Sky Park Airport is a privately owned, public-use airport seven miles (11 km) northwest of the central business district of Fresno, a city in Fresno County, California, United States.
Independence State Airport is a public-use airport located one mile (1.6 km) northwest of the central business district of Independence, a city in Polk County, Oregon, United States. It is owned by the Oregon Department of Aviation.
Lawrence County Airpark is a public use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) west of the central business district of Chesapeake, a village in Lawrence County, Ohio, United States. It is publicly owned by Lawrence County Board of Commissioners. The airport lies across the Ohio River from Huntington, West Virginia.
Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome is a heritage-listed airport in Evans Head, Richmond Valley Council, New South Wales. The airport is approximately 1 km (0.62 mi) north of the village. During World War II it was Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Station Evans Head supporting RAAF No 1 Bombing and Gunnery School (1BAGS) and subsequently the RAAF No 1 Air Observers School. At the height of operations there were three asphalt runways and one grass strip. Only a single asphalt strip is still in use by private aviation. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 22 November 2002.
Moraine Airpark is a public-use airport situated in the city of Moraine, Ohio, United States. 4 miles (6.4 km) southwest of the city of Dayton in Montgomery County. The Airpark originally was called South Dayton Airport which was originally located on Stroop Rd and Lamme Rd in from 1941-1954. It's moved to its current location in 1955 and has been open to the public for the last 68 years (2023). They have everything from a Fairchild to a Christian Eagle based here.Careflight has a hanger for maintenance based there as well. The airpark is the first home base of the National Waco Club. It is also home to a chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association, which itself holds Young Eagles Days where young pilots are taken for free airplane rides.
Lewis Byington Ford was a Monterey Peninsula real estate developer. He was a major force in developing Pebble Beach and Carmel Woods. Ford established the Carmel Valley Airport, the first airpark of its kind in the United States, and developed a nearby business district. He created the Carmel Realty Company, was a cartoonist, poloist, baseball player, coach in the Carmel Abalone League, and acted in and directed over 45 plays. Ford was a major part of the social circle and society leader in the Monterey Peninsula.
Arthur Dunn Airpark is a public-use airport located 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of the central business district of the city of Titusville in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The airport is publicly owned and is administered under the cognizance of the Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority. The airport has one paved runway that is 2,961 feet in length and a turf runway that is 1,805 feet in length.
Ridge Landing Airpark, also known as Ridge Landing Airport, is a private use airpark located four nautical miles west of the central business district of Frostproof, Florida, United States. The airpark is located between Orlando and Tampa and equidistant to Miami and Jacksonville. It is privately owned by John Fazzini.
Hernando Village Airpark is a privately owned, public use airport in DeSoto County, Mississippi, United States. It is located two nautical miles (4 km) southwest of the central business district of Hernando, Mississippi. The airport is part of the Green Village Residential Airpark in Hernando.
Falls Church Airpark was an airport located in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County, Virginia from 1945 to 1961. The facility was located on a parcel of land owned by Eakin Properties, a Virginia real estate development firm. The airport was primarily used for general aviation and civil defense purposes until encroaching residential development forced its closure. The area formerly occupied by the airport is now mainly used as a shopping center with the western end of the complex occupied by the Thomas Jefferson branch of the Fairfax County Public Library system. Parts of several apartment complexes are also located on some of the airport's former grounds.
Carmel Valley Airfield was a privately owned airpark in Carmel Valley, California, from 1941 to 2002. The airport was later called the Carmel Valley Vintage Airfield. The California Historical Resources Commission voted to nominate the "Carmel Valley Vintage Airpark" (CVVA) as a State Historic Resource. The Commission found that development of the airport was important as it represented the "first airpark in the United States and in the world." The airfield closed due to noise and environmental concerns.
Sierra Sky Park, the first-ever residential airpark, was born.