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Ideas for Aviation friendly communities or Air Parks???

Sadly my brothers and I had originally inherited 2,000 acres of west Texas grazing land (desert), via my moms side of the family. But unknown to us, my dad was the exec of my grandma's will and he sold it off for basically nothing in the mid 1980s. ( when my brothers and I were already adults and the will said we were supposed to inherit at age 21 ) We only found out a few months ago when my parents died and I found the paperwork.
 
P-Ponk O-520.
The floats are only EDO 2960s to go with the Kenmore weight STC. The floats have seen better days and the weather here is too cold for stripper to work outside. A set of PK-3000s would be dreamy.


PK3000 FLOATS • $7,900 • FOR SALE Tight Floats off my C180, big hatches, all fittings. • Contact Dennis J. Chadala, Owner - located Muskoka, ON Canada • Telephone: 705-689-1235 • Posted April 2, 2018 • Show all Ads posted by this AdvertiserRecommend This Ad to a FriendEmail AdvertiserSave to WatchlistReport This Ad

Glenn
 
As someone who was raised in Alaska and has only left for college , military and the occasional trip, I find that i know nothing about how to proceed in other states.

Last October (first week) we were down in central Texas for daughter #3's wedding. I wanted to wander off through the brush to go look at a possible Cub landing site. The locals freaked out about fleas and ticks. Something I would not have thought about. The folks who live there thought it was rather cool, but my wife and I were swimming in the unheated pool at midnight.
 
Alex, We went through the same thing when we left Alaska in the late 80’s. It was a real culture shock for sure. Now I’m recently retired and we’re trying to figure out our next move. Always thought we’d head back to Alaska, or at least places West. Didn’t think through that our kids were raised here and moving that far away is probably not in the cards, so the whole thing is up in the air. Good luck, hope you find what you’re looking for..
 
One thing to check out are the retirement communities. Lots of them down south, happy hour about 3pm everyday and lots of stuff to do. Small lots but that will get you primed for sharing a room in the nursing home!! Mesquite Nv has some nice stuff with airport. Locals say HOT in summer, wind in the spring but rest of year Great!! I would love to find an airpark 1/2 hour form major hub for travel.
DENNY
 
Hi Alex, there is lots of room here in Northern NY and lots of flying. Fulton County has the most PVT. Airports in the state, 8 strips w/in 5 miles that I know of. Of course the wx isn't all the warm, looking forward to getting home to Seldovia to warm up.

Upstate NY and snow. Moved from Syracuse to Albuquerque 44 years ago and never looked back.
 
Interesting topic! We all a have opinions here is mine. I did the research on this several years ago and the wife and I did a discovery trip at that time and looked at airparks all across the South from East to West I can’t tell you how many we visited during the winter/spring of 2002. It was a lot. We found some really nice places but few where we’d choose to live. There is a tendency to be really high end “city” type parks and then lots on the other end, a bit like scrap yards with broken airplanes and broken cars lying about. I like to fly and build and tinker with airplanes and “stuff”. I fabricate lots of things in metal and wood so I’m in my hangar/shop most of the day. We prefer rural with reasonable access to what the city has to offer when we want to go there. We don’t prefer “classic dessert” which I would define as dusty and a bit of scrub vegetation. We do prefer dry and a bit of dust to wet, mud, and mold, which describes a fair bit of the South in my opinion, sorry. We really, really enjoy where we now live, which is South East of Wickenburg, AZ at 0AZ5. It is a very small airport community only 10 lots, half mile paved. I own a few additional acres on the South end where there are about 8 ways I can take off and land in the dirt that are between 300 and 600 feet long. That helps keep you on your game. We are right at the beginning of the mountains to the North of us, beautiful and a great place to fly. Two hundred feet in front of my hangar door is a gate that lets you in to public land where you can ride horses, four wheelers or hike for the rest of your life, thousands of acres. 20 miles across that way (east) is one of the most beautiful lakes in the Southwest for boating or water play. The desert here is rather different than that to the South of Phoenix. We have family that lives in that area and it is pretty barren, bleak, and most of the time except in the city. This here is Sonoran Desert which has much more vegetation and most
of the time is greener. We have lots of the big Saguaro cactus, lots of Palo Verde trees, some Ironwood trees and lots of other cacti which right now are beginning their spring bloom. There are lots of aviation communities around here so there is lots of flying and makes up for lack of current aviation activity on this airpark. There are many dry washes where you can land explore very close here. The downside of this airpark is that right now I’m the only one flying. We need some new people to move in and spice it up a little. There is a couple that is expecting to build here is the not too distant future he has a couple airplanes. There are lots available and one beautiful house and hangar for sale right now that your wife would love Alex. Great pool and great views. Of course, this is all my opinion and others prefer different things. We came from a very green area in Michigan but we enjoy it far more than we ever imagined.
 
Realtor, you can find it online. 42416 N 251st Ave, 85342
 
In the same boat

Once again my bride of many years is pestering me to move out of Alaska at least in the winter months. She craves warmth and a swimming pool.
Everyday (twice a day) she has a new list of potential homes and towns. Her ideas of nice places to live are not the same as mine.
So.... I might as well get myself into the process before I get stuck in someplace terrible.

Are there certain states or areas that are NOT aviation friendly that should be avoided ???
How about areas that are more likely to have aviation activities, fly-ins and such???
How about air parks or community runways??? Are there down-sides to those?

Any ideas???
My Wife & I like the weather intake Phoenix Area we traveled around looking at Air Parks within a 75 mile Radius , we found a very well laid out Development Pegasus Airpark about 45 minutes SE of Scottsdale it’s located at Queen Creek . The Airpark caters to Piston Powered Aircraft with a couple of Turbines lots of Backcountry flying right out the Back Door . Since we purchased our lot I know of 3 other Alaskans that have also bought there . Check it out a lot better than setting on a Golf Course wishing you were back home Flying to Skwentna for a Winter Lunch.
 
Alex, We went through the same thing when we left Alaska in the late 80’s. It was a real culture shock for sure. Now I’m recently retired and we’re trying to figure out our next move. Always thought we’d head back to Alaska, or at least places West. Didn’t think through that our kids were raised here and moving that far away is probably not in the cards, so the whole thing is up in the air. Good luck, hope you find what you’re looking for..

Mark, come to SW Michigan. We love it here!

Kurt
 
SO FAR, FOR ARIZONA I HAVE THIS LIST.... I am probably missing some...

Big Springs Airpark Prescott
Castle Wells Morristown
Eagle Roost Airpark Aguila
Flying Diamond Airpark Tucson
Flying J Ranch Pima
Hangar Haciendas Laveen
High Mesa Air Park Safford
Inde Motorsports Ranch Airport Wilcox
Indian Hills Airpark Salome
LaCholla Airpark Oro Valley
Mogollon Airpark Overgaard
Montezuma Heights Airpark Camp Verd

Moreton Airpark Wickenburg
Pegasus Airpark Empire
Pilot's Rest Airpark Paulden
Ruby Star Airpark Green Valley
Skyranch at Carefree Carefree
Stellar Air Park Chandler
Sun Valley Airpark Fort Mohave
Thunder Ridge Airpark Morristown
Triangle Airpark White Hills
Twin Hawks Marana
Valley of the Eagle Aguila
Western Sky Salome
Whetstone Airpark Whetstone
 
Montana, Idaho can be really cold of course that is relative.
Western Washington is wet
Eastern Washington Foggy much of the winter
I personal spend time in Chandler, AZ and Bozeman, Mt in the winter and a lot of time in Washington, Idaho and Montana in the summer.
I found Trinity Center (O86) in California interesting. For the most part California is easy to fly around in, not sure about the taxes there.
For what it is worth, I have a PA12 on an amphi's and an Piper Malibu the Western US is great flying.
 
No California for me.
The property taxes in Arizona seem to be less than Texas. I need to figure out how much the state income taxes would be. It might be a wash.
 
No California for me.
The property taxes in Arizona seem to be less than Texas. I need to figure out how much the state income taxes would be. It might be a wash.

Alex
I recently purchased property in Sierra Vista. I believe you are correct the property tax in Arizona is reasonable compared to my home state of Minnesota. As far as income tax I was informed by my accountant that no tax would be due Arizona unless I declared that my primary residence and spent (I believe in excess of 182 days a year in Arizona). As a side note the state income tax in Arizona is less than MN. Everyone's situation is different depending on homestead options etc. look at the entire picture and decide what works best for you. Best of luck from a soon to be snowbird.


Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org mobile app
 
My wife and I are considering snowbirding in Arizona after I retire at the end of this year. We spent a week there in February looking around. You might consider the Robson's Ranch retirement community at Eloy, which is less than 10 minutes from the local airport, E60. It's only 20 minutes from Casa Grande, a decent sized town on I-10.
 
Keep in mind Alex, everything in the states will cost less to buy in the states compared to Homer so even with state income tax and sales tax in most places you will be ahead.

Kurt
 
With the legalized gambling taxed in Nevada, seems like taxes for vehicles homes even sales tax should be minimal or non-existent?
 
Yes, Nevada is a no income tax state. The last time I was down around Nellis and Indian Springs I noticed that the food prices at the stores in North Vegas were about the same as Soldotna and Kenai AK prices. I have looked at some places ( over the internet) around ELKO NV. I have flown around the parts of Nevada that are legal to fly over. I know why they used it as a nuclear test zone. I guess the areas around Reno and along the border with CA are very pretty. I wonder how income taxes work if you rent out your house in Arizona ( or where-ever) while you are back home in AK, like as in air BNB or something like that. ??? If my business is based in Alaska, do I still pay AZ income tax since the rental property would be down there??? It would be nice to find a place where I could instruct for a few years in the winter. Being the worlds best seaplane instructor is no fun when the lakes are frozen.
 
My wife and I decided to settle in Arkansas. It might be worthy of consideration for some of you considering this subject. Here are some things to think about:

Pros:
-- Lots of outdoor opportunities. Lakes, rivers, hills, mountains, hunting, fishing, you name it.
-- Respectable and growing backcountry-ish aviation. RAF recently opened a strip in NW Arkansas. Lots of private strips whose owners have granted permission... see https://airfield.guide/default.asp
-- Good cultural stuff when you need it in northwest and central Arkansas
-- Climate. Not much snow. Unlike where I lived in Texas, 10 gust 20 is not considered a calm day.

Cons:
-- It's Arkansas. Americans from the other 49 states sometimes assume certain negative stereotypes apply to Arkansans.
-- Taxes are higher than some neighboring states, but military retiree pensions are not taxed by the state
-- Climate. It's hot and humid in the summer.

My wife and I own a lot on a strip in Central Arkansas. Some people have put real nice houses along it. Others have real nice collections of junk. But, the front yard abuts the grass strip. Back yard abuts a stocked trout river. Pretty hard to find that combo elsewhere.
 
My wife and I own a lot on a strip in Central Arkansas. Some people have put real nice houses along it. Others have real nice collections of junk. But, the front yard abuts the grass strip. Back yard abuts a stocked trout river. Pretty hard to find that combo elsewhere.

Valley?
 
River Acres. 3AR8
Sweet spot and a great river to fish, we looked all over Arkansas for a lot on a good river before we decided to move to the land of never ending projects... Meanwhile, back at the Ranch!
 
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