Runway Living: Where Homes Touch the Tarmac

The United States takes aviation to another level.

Picture yourself waking up at home, heading to your personal hangar, and hopping into your small plane. Within minutes, you're soaring through the sky—all without needing to walk or drive anywhere.

Just so you know, in certain regions around the globe, this can happen. Specifically, in the United States, there are more than 400 residential airparks or fly-in communities.

These days, they are also expanding to other countries, including Canada, South Africa and Australia.

If you're in Europe, you can find one in France, another in Sweden, and a third in the UK. However, if you're from elsewhere in the world, you'll have to keep dreaming about it, unfortunately.

In 2013, while I was finishing my pilot training in Florida, I noticed neighborhoods with runways running through the center of the houses during some of my flights. I asked my instructor -“what about landing in one of these airports”? Little I knew these communities existed.

Spruce Creek Fly-In, in Port Orange, Florida

Imagine living surrounded by aviation freaks like you! Going on flying trips on the weekend together, meeting at the pool, and everyone bragging about who has the best airplane!

I'm still astonished that you can take off and fly from your home to a major airport without going through any security checks.

An abandoned Florida airfield

The origin of these communities emerged shortly after the end of World War II. There were numerous unused airfields and a surplus of certified pilots who were no longer required. After the war ended, the Civil Aeronautics Administration suggested building homes along the paved runways. In Florida alone, there are about 70 of these, with Texas and Washington following.

The biggest one in all the united states is Spruce Creek, located 11 km south of Daytona Beach in Florida. This community accommodates around 25,000 general aviation aircraft anually. An average of 68 flights per day. There are about 700 airplaes housed in private hangars at this airport.

The homes in that area must be soundproof because the constant noise of airplane is always present. Fortunately, just 1% of the planes are jets!

This airport originally had four paved 4,000 foot runways and was abandoned by the U.S. Navy in 1946. Now, it even has a golf park for its residents!

Are you considering purchasing a home in one of these fly-in communities? Certain properties feature an attached hangar with the house, similar to the one shown below, starting at $1.2 million.

Notice the hanger on the left, the car park in between

I appreciate how taxiways are distinct from regular roads. This way, you won't have to worry about being hit by your neighbor's truck while you're taxiing to the runway!

The right side chart of Spruce Creek airport differentiates from roads in black color (and names) with taxiways in magenta color (with aeronautical names like Sierra, Tango West)

Discussing another fly-in community in Florida, Jumbolair in Ocala is home to John Travolta and his jets. John Travolta has been a commercial pilot for many years. He has not only owned a Boeing 707 for nearly two decades but also pilots it himself to various movie shoot locations and family vacations.

Please take a look at his fine mansion in Ocala

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