So where do Y'all live and fly?

[Snap]

G'day there guys and gals,
I just had a look at Van's site (to see finished/first flights) and there is this guy that lives in an Airpark. Now I have to say that this does sounds so damned cool! I want to live in a place like this. You live and breath aviation and just so happens that you next door neighbor does to. The whole community does.http://www.vansaircraft.com/images/firs ... ay1_sm.jpg
http://www.vansaircraft.com/images/firs ... ay2_sm.jpg

So where do you all fly and live? Anyone live like this? It would be great to just open up the garage and start her up and taxi out on the road and go baby! Go!

[captain_john]

Well, I live south of Boston and close to Cape Cod. It takes me 25 minutes to drive to the airport. I really like my closest airport, Plymouth, MA. It is very accomodating and has enough people there to be interesting without the stuffiness of a "big" airport.

There I really like living here. It is a beautiful area, sepecially in the fall. Flying around near the shorelines and ponds is the best. Massachusetts Bay is always a great place to be!

CJ

[spikescopilot]

Spike and I live in Baltimore, MD -- and fly out of Frederick, MD.

[jim_geo]

Snap, I don’t know what it’s like on the east coast but out here on the west coast airport communities are not all that uncommon. It is a nice thought to have a hanger rather than a garage. One of the communities I spent a short while in during transit last May was Rosamond California on the edge of the Mojave Dessert. A small aviation town, from what I had seen it looked as if people actually used the city streets for taxi ways to the airport. Closer to home in Oregon is a small town named Independence. They have a small airport there with houses that adjoin the airport property by way of taxiways leading to the runway. Then there’s Evergreen airport right over the Columbia River in Washington more or less across from Portland International. They also have a large number of houses that adjoin the airport by way of a grass taxiway. Another that comes to mind is a very cute little airport community in Fall City Washington however that one is very private, emergency landing for non residents and a citation if it’s not an emergency . I’m sure there are tons more of these enclaves about. This list has been only a few that come to mind.

[Dan A]

I live in Eastern Washington and fly from here to San Diego CA., To small back strips in Idaho and Washington or where ever I so desire. To Colorado to visit my Grand children. The 8 will provide me with a 4 & 1/2 hr flight to see them as opposed to 10 hrs in the t-craft or 3 days in the auto. Then of course I am looking forward to many hours cutting holes in the sky in many other positions than straight and level!.
Can hardly wait!!

Dan RV8 N742DA

[captain_john]

Snap, I don’t know what it’s like on the east coast but ...

I can. We have a few airport communites near me. The closest one to me is Falmouth Airpark. I know of one RV-4 based there and there may be more. There is another in Southern New Hampshire called Windsock Village. That one, I may consider relocating to in my retirement.

Seems to me there is a website that lists airparks. I was on it not long ago.

CJ

[728GD]

Hey all! I am a relocated North Dakotan, Oklahoman, now Californian. I keep my 6 at a combination air park and airport. Although I am not lucky enough to live there, Cameron Park, CA (O61). I am lucky enough, however, to know a great friend who purchased a completed RV6 4 years ago and he does live on the airport. It just so happens he has just enough room in his hanger for an additional RV6, mine. So I still get to taxi down the city streets and push my door opener in my plane for the airport access gate to open. (My wife loves that part) I hope to retire, some day, at an airport community. There is just something about aviation people, the best in the world..
Dale

[Snap]

now that just sounds so damn cool.
Man, I can't wait till I can live in an Airpark. We have some here in Australia but they are mostly out in the bush/Outback

[Spike]

I would *love* to live at an airpark. I was also thinking that I would love to run a small airport when I retire. Right now we live about 45 minutes from the airport which frankly stinks. It works out though because FDK is one of the better GA airports that Ive ever used.

Hmm, maybe we should all start an RV based airpark


-- John

[captain_john]

...now that's a good idea!

Giving it some tought, it seems that most airports are turning into RV airparks! Of late, I have seen more RV's than you can shake a stick at! I have also heard more "Experimental N123XX" radio calls and can't help but wonder if the hailing ship is an RV!

CJ

[maverick]

I'm in San Jose, CA.

The RV-4 that we just bought will be hangared at RHV, a Class D that's about 5 miles SE of San Jose International (SJC).

The RV-4 we bought just before Thanksgiving is still in Vancouver, WA -- it's been raining there non-stop, so we haven't brought it back yet. It's our first airplane.

One of the prettiest flights in the world is in our back yard -- the San Francisco Bay Tour. You fly over SJC, up north along the peninsula, past huge San Francisco Intl all at around 3500. Then ATC drops you to 2000 (you're in class B by that point) and you tool around over San Francisco: over downtown, circling Coit Tower and TransAmerica Pyramid. You can then head over to the Bay, fly over the Golden Gate Bridge, backtrack over the Bay to Alcatraz Island and its former prison (now museum), fly over the Bay Bridge. You can go north and land at Napa Airport or go back south. As you go south, you can see Oakland Intl. across the bay on your left. Sometimes San Francisco Tower will route you directly over SFO and its 4 parallel / crossing runways -- that's pretty cool!

Bay tour pics: http://www.eeeyore.com/weblog/archives.php?id=A2004051

Max

[captain_john]

That is cool! Tell Polina that we said "CONGRATS!"

The Citabria is a GREAT airplane! What's it like in the rear hole? I never sat there. They say you can really feel the effects of yaw and tell when the ball isn't centered. Is that true?

CJ

[maverick]

Yes, I like the Citabria. Of my currently-170 hours, about 150 are in a 7ECA, including first solo and checkride. It will always have a special place in my heart.

The rear in a Citabria -- it's not bad. Much better visibility than I thought. Actually, flying in the back of a Citabria is what pushed me to consider an RV-4, in the sense that I wouldn't mind sitting in the back. With a pilot wife, I get to sit in the back quiet a lot!

You do get a massive 'ground rush' during the flare since you're sitting much lower than the front pilot.

Non-coordinated flight is much easier to feel from the back, as is setting all plane attitudes, etc. It's almost 'easier' than from the front, except you don't have as much forward vis.

If you're in San Jose, you can rent Citabrias at http://www.ameliareid.com/

[svanarts]

I live in Modesto, CA and fly out of Oakdale, CA (O27). It's about a 20 minute drive for me but I don't mind. It's all rural out here anyway. There's lots of airparks around but I can't afford to live on a single one of them!

[l & d lewis]

That's why we sold out and left California, best move we ever made. cost way too much to live there, and too many people. I lived in Northern CA for 30+ years. The neighbors keep trying to close the airport because the fire tankers make too much noise. We live in Alaska now where they appreciate airplanes, and the flying is spectacular...........Larry

[Spike]

Awesome Larry. Do you have any pictures from up there. Everyone I know that has visited has been in love with it.

-- John

[l & d lewis]

Hi John,

We have lots of pictures, our current airplane is at the Palmer Airport, about 3 miles from the house. We have the 1940's version of the RV8A, the Varga Kachina 2150A. My wife and I flew it here from Southern Utah. It suffers from some of the same problems as the RV4, legroom and baggage capacity. Other than that its a great airplane. We've settled on the RV8A, have the preview plans, but haven't gotten any farther.

Great board,

Larry

[N728E]

Hey y'all,
I live in Hereford, AZ(nothing but an intersection) on 4 acres at the end of 3/4 mile of dirt road. (No one goes past my place to get to theirs.) My C172 is based out of Bisbee, AZ (P04), a great, little non-towered airport with a paved 5,900' strip(17/35), approx. 3,000' dirt (2/20) and a 1,200' x 50' dirt taxiway(8/26) that works when the winds are howling out of the west. I've got a 40 minute drive to get there which sucks but it's still better than not flying. My -7A wings are in a rack out at the hangar but all my completed tail components are in my spare room and the fuse sections (in progress) are in my garage just 20' from my door, so I work on it 10-20 hours a week as available. Been at it about 28 months(slow-build) but it'll be worth it when it's done. Hope to see/meet some of you at the fly-ins.

"hawk"

[Spike]

Wow, thats a big airport for the amount of operations that airnav says it has. Is it a strong flying community out there?

And welcome to the group. Glad you have decided to start posting

-- John

[N728E]

Bisbee is smaller than it sounds. The elevation is 4780 so in the summer we frequently get a DA higher than 7K. It's also only a couple miles from the Mexican border so we get regular traffic from the Border Patrol and other LE organizations. The North, East, and West sides of the field have mountains so the calm runway for T/O is 17 while landing is 35. There's room to do it either way but the approach is much better towards the South. And you don't learn to fly there(like I did) without getting real good at X-wind operations. If fact, I think I do better with a X-wind than without.

"hawk"