Aviation Buffs Flock to Residential Skyparks
AV Press Feb 10, 2007 (also in other papers
nationwide)
By CHRISTINA ALMEIDA
Associated Press Writer
ROSAMOND ‑ Most
people have a car or SUV parked in the garage. Scott Loftin has three airplanes.
The 50‑year‑old aviation enthusiast is a resident of Rosamond Skypark, a tidy
subdivision on the edge of the Mojave Desert where single‑family homes are
adjacent to hangars, and airplane noise isn't considered a nuisance. Three days
a week, Loftin, a biomedical engineer, revs up the engine of his Glasair RV‑6 or
Cessna 152 and rumbles down a nearby runway to begin his commute to San Jose or
Los Angeles. "There's more to it than the time factor," he said. "It's the
mystique of flying to work."
There are some 560
skyparks across the country, ranging from fancy to comparatively modest, with
another 20 planned.
The popularity of
the communities is largely driven by aviation buffs like Loftin, who are looking
to use their planes more than just on the weekends.
Actor John Travolta
lives with his Gulfstream II jet and Boeing 707 at an exclusive airpark in
Florida that includes a country club and inn and the nation's longest private
residential runway at 7,550 feet, according to the community's Web site.
Rosamond, on the
other hand, consists mostly of empty nesters and retired couples who have saved
over the years to afford the unusual lifestyle. The neighborhood includes
colonial and ranch‑style homes distinguished by sprawling backyards that lead to
cavernous hangars housing anything from $90,000 two‑seater experimental planes
to gliders. Built in 1986 with 60 lots, the privately owned subdivision has
three vacant spots left, starting at $195,000. Houses average about $400,000.
Obeying an honor
system, residents and visitors typically avoid departures and arrivals early in
the morning and late at night.
Without an airport
tower, pilots navigate backyard taxiways on their own and radio each other
before taking off and landing at the 3,600‑foot public runway.
In the sky, they
follow standard visual flight rules and remain under constant monitoring by the
Federal Aviation Administration.
John Wilson moved
to the skypark nearly 20 years ago, looking for a bigger home and a place to
park his Cessna 182. Before retiring in 2001, he flew daily to Burbank Airport,
then drove six miles in traffic to Hollywood, where he worked as manager of
technical facilities at a television network. "Flying was the shortest part of
it," said Wilson, who averaged his air time at about 30 minutes. "All the time,
I'd look down and, shake my head and sympathize with all the people down there
... I'd say, 'Glad I'm not down there."' Wilson, 67, said he also saved almost a
dollar a gallon on gas by flying part of the way.
While the shorter
commutes are a boon, residents say the camaraderie of the community is what
keeps them there. "In a regular neighborhood, everyone does different
jobs. In this environment, we have a common interest," said John Manduca,
president of the Rosamond Skypark Association. "We're all pilots. We speak the
same language."
They also look out
for each other and their planes. Many airparks, including the one in Rosamond,
have numerous fences and padlocks. Airplanes are almost always kept in hangars,
and if they are outside, residents say they are disabled so no one can steal
them.
"People want to
know who is near their airplane, what is happening to it," said Dave Sclair,
publisher of Living With Your Plane, an online newsletter that tracks
residential airparks.
Above Rosamond,
planes crisscross the sky, carrying residents to and from work, away for
vacations or on joy rides.
Jim Payne, who
manages Northrop Grumman Corp.'s test flight operations for the Global Hawk
unmanned reconnaissance .plane at Edwards Air Force Base, is frequently among
the fliers. Payne uses his two‑seater Van's RV‑6A to commute 24 miles to his
office on the base. "Every morning there (are) several thousand people waiting
to get into Edwards," Payne said, "and I'm doing 150 mph over the gate."
Above
© AV
Press & AP
