Living with the Airplane in the Garage

Many people dream of having their home in a community with a golf course so that from the patio they can directly access to play some holes. Others dream of having their boat in the backyard with direct access to the sea, lake or some river.

But others dream of having their private jet parked in front of their house. This is the case of actor and millionaire John Travolta, who owns a property in one of the many Florida airpark communities that exist. At John Travolta's mansion, there are four private jets and a Boeing 707 that the actor has in his garage. The residents of these Florida airpark communities have their own Private Airport.

The urbanization where John Travolta lives was built a few years ago, by an eccentric millionaire, who decided to build a paradise for lovers of aviation. In its more than two million square meters, the urbanization houses 125 families and a Private Airport with a plane track of 2,200 meters.

Travolta who is a qualified pilot and has several licenses, including a commercial pilot, is considered even among aviation lovers as an eccentric. In his mansion, there are not only five airplanes parked, but also has its own control tower. Travolta also has a crew of six properly uniformed people.

Although it seems incredible, these cases of Florida airpark communities are starting to stop being an exception. In recent years, dozens of urban developments of this type have proliferated in the United States. In these complexes, the owners have their planes to travel freely when and where they want. So, the dream of living with your plane in the garage is slowly leaving it to be a privilege of eccentric billionaires like Travolta.

According to a study by the Civil Association "Living With Your Plane", in the United States, there are more than 22,000 homes in more than 400 housing estates with Private Airport registered by the association. In many of these urbanizations, roads are dual-use and can be carried by both cars and aircraft. However, there are no records of accidents involving loss of life, except that of a boy who was killed in Chicago after hitting his bicycle against an airplane.

Most of these communities are located in the southern states of the United States, where the weather is best, and in locations far from the big cities. Some others are located next to public airports where the non-residents can make use of the plane track, although many others only allow the landing and take off exclusively of the neighbors of the urbanization.

Generally, the owner pilots a small plane from the door of his house until the main track and from there takes off towards its destination without greater difficulty. Owners of these homes with Private Airport reveal the feeling of freedom they feel when they can fly anywhere, anytime, even to get to work. Most people living in these Florida airpark communities are professional pilots who work for large companies, but there are also amateurs who have taken out pilot's license, as is the case with John Travolta.