Hi All,
Wife & I are planning to move to the Dallas area. Looking at airpark property...
Would love to hear some inside info/warnings/gotcha's from local people who know the area. Good stuff. Bad stuff. Anything helpful for people like us who would be new to the area.
We've visited several airparks in the Dallas area already, and are planning to return over the weekend of June 6th for a second look.
Some random considerations:
We are in our mid 50's, and have no children.
We're very active in our local EAA chapter, and would want to do the same in Dallas. We are active homebuilders, having finished one aircraft and with another project well underway. We would enjoy living in a community with neighbors who have similar interests.
Want this to be our retirement home, where we'll live when we're old. Thinking about a single level, attached hangar, easy runway/taxiway access.
Not opposed to building a new house. Wife wants a nice porch. Doesn't have to be fancy, but I do want a hangar of sufficient size to store at least our two small airplanes (one a low winger, and the other a high wing), room for a modest workshop, and maybe room for a fair sized camper trailer.
Want to OWN the lot, versus own a home that sits on a parcel that's actually owned by (and leased from) some "airport authority". Prefer to be outside the Mode-C veil.
Want a healthy ratio of pilot residents vs non-aviation general public residents, that is friendly to homebuilders and experimenters. Emergency landing areas nearby are a plus.
Currently live in Minnesota. We both work hard and we anticipate working another 10 or 15 years before retirement. Minnesota charges a steep state income tax (9.85%), which on top of property taxes makes a move to Texas attractive just on that merit alone.
We visited Borland (very nice), Pecan (wife loved it but I'm concerned about the area's pilot to non-pilot ratio), Hicks (wife didn't like, plus it's inside the Mode-C), Bar VK (I liked).
Wife wants to visit Hidden Valley (we skipped that one last time because it's inside the Mode-C, but I'm willing to look).
Thanks for any wisdom and advice anyone is willing to share.
Patrick Hoyt
Eagan, MN
Wife & I are planning to move to the Dallas area. Looking at airpark property...
Would love to hear some inside info/warnings/gotcha's from local people who know the area. Good stuff. Bad stuff. Anything helpful for people like us who would be new to the area.
We've visited several airparks in the Dallas area already, and are planning to return over the weekend of June 6th for a second look.
Some random considerations:
We are in our mid 50's, and have no children.
We're very active in our local EAA chapter, and would want to do the same in Dallas. We are active homebuilders, having finished one aircraft and with another project well underway. We would enjoy living in a community with neighbors who have similar interests.
Want this to be our retirement home, where we'll live when we're old. Thinking about a single level, attached hangar, easy runway/taxiway access.
Not opposed to building a new house. Wife wants a nice porch. Doesn't have to be fancy, but I do want a hangar of sufficient size to store at least our two small airplanes (one a low winger, and the other a high wing), room for a modest workshop, and maybe room for a fair sized camper trailer.
Want to OWN the lot, versus own a home that sits on a parcel that's actually owned by (and leased from) some "airport authority". Prefer to be outside the Mode-C veil.
Want a healthy ratio of pilot residents vs non-aviation general public residents, that is friendly to homebuilders and experimenters. Emergency landing areas nearby are a plus.
Currently live in Minnesota. We both work hard and we anticipate working another 10 or 15 years before retirement. Minnesota charges a steep state income tax (9.85%), which on top of property taxes makes a move to Texas attractive just on that merit alone.
We visited Borland (very nice), Pecan (wife loved it but I'm concerned about the area's pilot to non-pilot ratio), Hicks (wife didn't like, plus it's inside the Mode-C), Bar VK (I liked).
Wife wants to visit Hidden Valley (we skipped that one last time because it's inside the Mode-C, but I'm willing to look).
Thanks for any wisdom and advice anyone is willing to share.
Patrick Hoyt
Eagan, MN