Bartow McDonald IV, managing director at SVN Florida, is marketing and coordinating the sale of a $10.5 million aviation community property in Ocala, Fla., situated on the longest private runway in the United States. Jumbolair features the former Muriel Vanderbilt mansion, a warehouse/manufacturing complex, a banquet hall, horse stalls and Jumbolair Aviation Estates. The estates are a 38-lot private aviation residential development with deeded access to the runway.
“This is a tremendous property: Jumbolair has such a colorful history,” McDonald said. “It’s a point of departure for all kinds of private and business travel. The runway is so large it can accommodate a Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet.”
Jumbolair Aviation Estates is a gated community zoned for residential, industrial and agricultural use. The mansion contains 7,686 square feet, along with a 1,000-square-foot swimming pool and bar. The five-building warehouse complex is 88,730 square feet. Comprising the residential units are seven single-family homes, six apartment units and a seven-unit park for mobile homes.
Back in the 1970s, a Vanderbilt horse farm occupied the land. But Arthur Jones, who invented the Nautilus line of exercise equipment, acquired the property and set up – among other things – a refuge for African wildlife. His ex-wife, Terri Jones, turned the property into an aviation community a decade later. The Joneses and their work have been the subjects of reports on the ABC news program “20/20,” as well as “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” and other TV programs. Terri Jones appeared on Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Show.”
The Jumbolair Airport runway is 7,550 feet long, paved and lighted. Five Quonset hut hangers sit on the property, along with some horse stalls and a banquet hall that can seat 400.
“This is the place for someone with a passion for aviation who wants to be part of an exciting, vibrant community,” McDonald said. “This property is also in the heart of thoroughbred horse country. Ocala is the horse capital of the world, and the World Equestrian Center is just a short distance away – perfect for someone in the market for an equestrian estate.”
The 550-acre Jumbolair complex has been the stuff of folklore for many years. Actor John Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston, are longtime residents of the estates. Decades ago, the wildlife refuge at Jumbolair included a herd of elephants, some rhinos, thousands of crocodiles and a silverback gorilla named Mickey.
Also, the Jumbolair Airport runway is the site of the WannaGOFAST Florida 1/2 Mile Shootout, a renowned annual racing event for street-legal cars.
