Airpark gets amateur pilots in air quickly

CHICAGO - With street signs carrying names like "Cessna Lane," and "attached" meaning an airplane hangar instead of a car garage, it’s a safe bet that Brookeridge Aero Estates isn’t a typical subdivision.

For Arnie Zimmerman and other residents of this unusual community in unincorporated Downers Grove, the days when a trip to the airport could easily chew up a day are largely gone, along with security checks.

Give Zimmerman 30 minutes and he can taxi his twin-engine Piper-Aztec from a hangar that looks more like an oversized garage and take off from a private runway.

"I can pull my plane out and fly to (nearby city) Schaumburg just for lunch if I want to," said Zimmerman, 74, who owns two other planes he also keeps near his home at Brookeridge Aero Estates.

Also known as air parks, or, as in the case of Zimmerman’s community, aero estates, these runway communities can range from two farm houses connected to a dirt landing strip to large exclusive, resort-style properties.

Nationally, there are about 625 of them. Popular for nearly six decades, they have enjoyed a modest growth rate even though skyrocketing gas prices and a recession have hampered the ability of some residents to fly as often as they might like, said Ben Sclair, publisher of Washington state-based General Aviation News.

At least 10 new airparks are at various stages of development throughout the country, said Sclair, who also runs the website livingwithyourplane.com.

"It’s a very appealing lifestyle," he said. "These communities might not be robust, but the ones that are there are doing pretty well for the most part."

Once located mainly in rural areas, they were popular with airline pilots who wanted to save money on maintaining their private planes. Now they are often encircled by suburban sprawl, frequently bumping up against new subdivisions. And perhaps surprisingly, these airparks also attract people who don’t fly at all but enjoy being near planes.

At most airparks, the homeowners pay fees and share ownership of the runway. The benefits for plane owners who live in these communities are many, Sclair said.

Shareholders have direct access to the airport. They can save on monthly expenses by not having to store their aircraft elsewhere.

Planes are also more safe in private hangars, as opposed to being tied down outside, he said.

With its drive-through streets, upscale homes and neatly trimmed lawns set on mostly half-acre lots, Brookeridge Aero Estates feels something like a golf course or country club community. About 360 homes are in the subdivision.

The paved roadways lead to an 800-yard-long air strip. About 100 properties have direct access to the airport.

Airparks must follow state regulations regarding the length of runway, clearances and setback requirements.

The owners also have to get approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The subdivisions in more rural surroundings often are in unrestricted airspace, which theoretically means they can fly out at any time, though many are bound by concerns of neighborliness, Sclair said.

Jeff Starr, 55, an airline pilot who lives in the Naper Aero subdivision in unincorporated Naperville, flies his single-engine aircraft a couple of days a week when weather permits.

The small plane, he said, is a welcomed change of pace from his full-time commercial job.

"I couldn’t take a triple-7 (Boeing 777) upside down," or fly in for breakfast, Starr said moments after landing.

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PUB: The Pantagraph

PUB DATE: 20110728

Section: Money

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