Living on the airport -- comments?

As a member of Green Castle flying club, i might be able to answer some
questions if you have any about the club. I believe that the club would
request
you become a member to use the runway. I can tell you that, as you know,
we do
get busy during the summer months. Lots of 150's chasing each other in the
pattern Hope to see you at the airport sometime.

So what makes you think it's at Green Castle?

;-)

I spoke with Don at length about the requirement to join -- no troubles
there. Heck, if I had known what I was doing when I moved to Iowa back in
'97, I'd have moved near Greeen Castle in the first place, and been a member
all along.

The only downside of the whole equation (other than timing -- like we need
another project right now) is the damned hangar situation. Leaving our
plane outside is not acceptable, but he says there should be space available
in one of the open-sided hangars for the short-term.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay, when you look back 20 years (or more) from now, are you going to
regret not taking this chance? That's how I'd look at the decision.

I know-- that thought is haunting me.

But we really can't (shouldn't?) take on another project right now, as we're
only about 1/3 of the way through our hotel renovation....
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Cub Driver wrote:

Jay, there are lots of good ways to soundproof that house if it comes to that.

Well...

A berm would help, but it would certainly spoil the runway view from
the deck.

I was thinking more along the lines of triple-glazed windows and a layer of 3/8" foam
insulation covered by a second layer of sheet rock on the inside. Has the added
advantage of keeping the house warmer in the winter.

George Patterson
This marriage is off to a shaky start. The groom just asked the band to
play "Your cheatin' heart", and the bride just requested "Don't come home
a'drinkin' with lovin' on your mind".

I was with you all the way until you got to that "cheap beer" stuff....

Obviously somebody didn't consult with the beer pooh-bah. Hmmm, substitute
"good beer" (by Jay's standards) and I can see you in this story Jay. Gosh,
think of all the fodder you'd have for posting!

--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

Obviously somebody didn't consult with the beer pooh-bah. Hmmm,
substitute
"good beer" (by Jay's standards) and I can see you in this story Jay.
Gosh,
think of all the fodder you'd have for posting!

More than a hotel? Ha!

I don't post 10% of the stuff I see happen around here. You'd be amazed...
(I was! :-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

In article , "G.R. Patterson III"
wrote:

Jay, there are lots of good ways to soundproof that house if it comes
to that.

Well...

A berm would help, but it would certainly spoil the runway view from
the deck.

I was thinking more along the lines of triple-glazed windows and a layer
of 3/8" foam
insulation covered by a second layer of sheet rock on the inside. Has the
added
advantage of keeping the house warmer in the winter.

having just tried to reduce noise penetration into a room of my house,
let me say that adding sound insulation to existing walls, floors,
and ceilings isn't all that easy. The best results include staggered
2x4s in a 6" wall (so that no stud is in contact with both sides of
the wall) and solid tight doors ($).

--
Bob Noel

Jay Honeck wrote:

Obviously somebody didn't consult with the beer pooh-bah. Hmmm,
substitute
"good beer" (by Jay's standards) and I can see you in this story Jay.
Gosh,
think of all the fodder you'd have for posting!

More than a hotel? Ha!

I think he meant more *on topic* fodder for posting. :-)

George Patterson
This marriage is off to a shaky start. The groom just asked the band to
play "Your cheatin' heart", and the bride just requested "Don't come home
a'drinkin' with lovin' on your mind".

having just tried to reduce noise penetration into a room of my house,
let me say that adding sound insulation to existing walls, floors,
and ceilings isn't all that easy. The best results include staggered
2x4s in a 6" wall (so that no stud is in contact with both sides of
the wall) and solid tight doors ($).

Yeah, that's the way the hotel is constructed. (Plus double-thick drywall.)

You can have a heavy metal band in the suite next door, and you'll not know
it.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay,

The bank selling the property is a BIG PLUS. Banks don't like to own real
estate. They will likely sell it to you at a discount. I am a part-time
landlord. The first rental property I bought was a foreclosure. I offered the
bank cash and an early closing date. After a few dickers back and forth, I
bought the property for thousands less than it would be worth on the open
market. Bank made back their loss and got it off their books. I got my first
rental at a good price. Everybody won. So if you want it, get your financing
lined up and make a low-ball offer.

I do agree, however, that resale will be interesting. There are only so many
people out there that want to live on an airport in Iowa. But then, why would
you be selling it anyway?

Best regards,

Steve Robertson
N4732J 1967 Beechcraft Musketeer

Jay Honeck wrote:

It's a chance I'd take. I have an uncle who once lived in a house with
an active railroad track 30 feet from the bedroom window and did quite
well for a number of years.

One huge concern: Ease of re-sale.

This property was seized from the previous owner, who went bankrupt. (Easy
to see why -- according to my sources, he put as much money into the decks,
gazebos, hot tubs and additions as he spent on the entire home originally.)
When his cell-phone business went south, he tried to sell the home (at some
absurdly inflated value) and was unable to do so before the bank foreclosed.

The bank is now selling it -- another down-side.

My fear is that most people would not see having an active runway 100 feet
away as a selling point.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Another observation that no one has discussed (I think)....


Ignore the airport part....


Do you reallllyy like the house?

Is its location (ignoring the runway next door) realllly where you want to
live?

And given that it might be a little hard to sell at a later date due to the
airport....how sure are you that you and your job are going to stay in the
general area for a good while?

Even though there might not be anything inherently bad about living next to an
airport (for you) and that it might actually be a really good thing.....dont
let that factor overwhelm any other considerable negatives.....for example a
really long crappy drive to and from work.....living far from all your friends
and family....or a house you really dont like and cant fix it up the way you'd
like to.....because those negatives (and possible others) will grate on you day
after day after day and if they are bad enough the perks of the runway next
door wont compensate enough in the long run...

Not trying to be negative...just some food for thought!

But, the chance sounds great to me

take care

Blll