by Engineer Designer on February 26, 2014
In Lafayette, Indiana, home of Purdue University, is nestled the flying community called Timberhouse Aero Estates. This small and peaceful community, consisting of 23 estate size lots, is perfect for any who love aviation, horses and outdoor activities. The property is less than an hour away from the Indianapolis Speedway and less than two hours away from Chicago.
Lot sizes vary between 2 and 11 acres each. And even though this community is near the conveniences of medium and large cities, it still is a country setting for folks who want to horseback ride or even participate cross-country skiing.
The community consists of 125 total acres carved out of the surrounding 400 acre farm called Timberhouse. It is relatively new with most of the 23 lots available for sale as of early 2014.
The runway is a 3000 foot long grass runway. Personally, I love grass runways especially if they are maintained well. This particular runway appears to have been well designed with drain tiles having been run the full length of the runway which carry moisture away from the runway surface. If you want to fly in there to check it out, the Unicom frequency is 122.75. The runway is lit.
The covenants are relatively simple with strategic rules to maintain the aesthetically pleasing nature of the community. Home sizes must be at least 2000 ft.² and hangar sizes must be at least 1600 ft.². If you are building there, it is not required that you build the hangar but you must place the home on the property in such a way that a hangar can be eventually built either by yourself or a future owner.
This appears to be a charming community located in the Midwest near enough to key educational and business areas to suit either those still active in the work world or those desiring to retire to a country setting.
Click here for more information.
by Engineer Designer on February 26, 2014
Located in North West Michigan, Torchport Airpark is a northern climate community located in one of the most beautiful regions of Michigan. It is tucked between Torch Lake and Lake Michigan and surrounded by hundreds of acres of beautiful forests.
It is near Charlevoix and Traverse City on US 31. It is near clean lakes, at least four golf courses, excellent health facilities, sandy beaches of Lake Michigan, boat launch sites for those who love to float as much they do aviation, and, of course, near many areas rich in northern sports such as cross country skiing, snowboarding in overland hiking with snowshoes.
The ownership has been set up in such a way that if you live and own a site in the area you will never lose the right to use and manage the runway. This is an important feature to consider with any airpark in that some are using a barrowed runway with rights that can be gone with the wind. Not so at Touchport.
Typical homesites run 1 acre. Homes can be either attached or detached from the hangar. Homes must have a minimum of at least 1400 ft.² on the main floor, exclusive of decks, porches, garages and hangars. Garages must be built and have a minimum of 576 ft.². Buildings which are built as separate structures must conform with each other in terms of quality and materials. Such restrictions are important to maintain a minimum standard of quality and folks never regret living in the community with standards such as these. All utilities are underground. Wells and septic tanks need to be placed on each site for each project.
There are two runways, one 9/27 and the other 4/22. 9/27 is 3300 feet long by 100 feet wide and 4/22 is 2600 feet long by 100 feet wide. The CTAF is 122.9.
If you love the north, there is no better place than northern Michigan.
Click here to learn more.
by Engineer Designer on February 26, 2014
Jumbolair is a private use, gated community in central Florida which stands as one of the most upscale neighborhoods of its type in United States. Before I knew anything about it I used to notice on my cross-country flights north from Tampa that there was this massive airport runway out in the middle of nowhere. When one flies over it one is struck by the sheer size of the runway, both length and width. The runway is 7550 feet long by 210 feet wide - I can practically land my airplane on it crosswise. There is a second runway which is grass which is 3640 feet long by 100 feet wide though it is easily lost by its dominating brother. This runway can easily accommodate large jets and several of the folks living in jumble air do, indeed, fly jets.
The property was developed by Arthur Jones who was the inventor of the Nautilus. It is currently managed by Terri Jones.
There are a wide variety of homes in this community most of which have values over million dollars. Most are exquisite estate type homes safely nestled behind a breathtaking and guarded gate. Jumbolair also offers a 9000 ft.² banquet hall which can comfortably seat several hundred people. It’s a great place for social functions such as weddings and corporate events.
This community truly sets the “gold standard” for residential aviation communities. It’s location in central Florida is one of the greatest places in the country to fly. Jumbolair is surrounded by a multitude of other much smaller fly-in communities in Marion County and throughout the entire state of Florida. Marion County is unique in its rolling hills and majestic oak trees; somewhat different than we see in most areas of Florida.
I personally moved to Marion County myself nine years ago because of the beautiful countryside and topography. I don’t live in Jumbolair; I'm about 18 miles south east of it, but I am able to partake in the richness of the area.
Phase 2 homesites are now available numbering about 20 ranging in size from a bit over 2 acres to a bit over 4 acres each. The covenants are designed to protect the nature of the property. Homes can have a minimum of 3800 ft.² of air conditioned space exclusive of a garages, hangars and porches. Two-story residences must have at least 4500 ft.² to help keep the footprint to a feasible size. Due to the wide variety of architectural styles presented, each design is considered on an individual basis by the Architectural review committee for approval. No roofs may have asphalt shingles: tile, slate and wood-type roofs are the acceptable finishes. If considering purchasing in this community make certain that you study the covenants carefully as they will become part of the purchase of the property.
Due to its superlative architecture and many recognizable names who live there, Jumbolair has been featured in many prominent magazines including Architectural Digest, Pilot Magazine, Private Pilot and others.
If you’re looking to live in central Florida, experience year-round flying conditions that exceed most other places in the United States, enjoy a nearby charming town of Ocala, and experience one of the finest flying communities in the United States, you are encouraged to check out Jumbolair.
Click here to learn more.
Lot sizes vary between 2 and 11 acres each. And even though this community is near the conveniences of medium and large cities, it still is a country setting for folks who want to horseback ride or even participate cross-country skiing.
The community consists of 125 total acres carved out of the surrounding 400 acre farm called Timberhouse. It is relatively new with most of the 23 lots available for sale as of early 2014.
The runway is a 3000 foot long grass runway. Personally, I love grass runways especially if they are maintained well. This particular runway appears to have been well designed with drain tiles having been run the full length of the runway which carry moisture away from the runway surface. If you want to fly in there to check it out, the Unicom frequency is 122.75. The runway is lit.
The covenants are relatively simple with strategic rules to maintain the aesthetically pleasing nature of the community. Home sizes must be at least 2000 ft.² and hangar sizes must be at least 1600 ft.². If you are building there, it is not required that you build the hangar but you must place the home on the property in such a way that a hangar can be eventually built either by yourself or a future owner.
This appears to be a charming community located in the Midwest near enough to key educational and business areas to suit either those still active in the work world or those desiring to retire to a country setting.
Click here for more information.
