Without
much noise the single engine airplane is arriving,
smoothly
and gently it touches the ground on the lighted 4000 ft-runway, turns
onto the taxiway, taxies to a beautiful home and disappears in its large
hangar. Dick, an airline-captain, flew home from Orlando with his Comanche
in only 15 minutes instead of wasting one and a half hour on the crowded
highway back from the carrier airport, from where he shuttles to New York
and flies his Boeing 747 around the world. But now he can enjoy the evening with his wife in his home in Spruce Creek, Florida. 2400 ft has
the runway in Egelsbach near Frankfurt, a busy general aviation airport, a
common length in Germany, but in the USA everything is a little bit larger.
The
airfield, then called Samsula, was constructed during World War II
and was used as military training base with four crossing runways. After
the war there was no use any more and it was sold to the municipality of
Daytona Beach.
Soon
after WWII the American businessman McKinley Conway from Atlanta
bought his first Cessna 170 and began
using it for business travel.
But it annoyed him that he always had to organize and wait for
transportation as soon as he arrived on his destination airport. On the
other side there were many abandoned former military airports like Samsula.
He developed the idea of the “Airport City” with the motto: “Live,
work and play in the same spot”, in
which he could taxi his airplane to the offices and plants he wanted to
visit and park at the door to save time. He began a campaign to promote
his idea, looked for surplus former military bases and approached the
local governments to propose, that he prepare a development plan for them.
Conway himself didn’t invest in such projects. Today there are several
hundred of such Fly-in developments in USA.
On
his search for suitable sites he came also to the Samsula airport and
discovered immediately that this outstanding position was not only
suitable for industry, the moderate climate of north Florida and the
beautiful beaches nearby were perfect for living. But the city officials
did not want to implement his idea and Conway was no real
estate developer with
the necessary funds. He summoned together some of his pilot friends in
Atlanta, together they bought the land and developed the project, which
could start 1970. When the group years later went due to high capital
outlays into bankruptcy, Thompson
Properties took over Spruce Creek. A paved entrance road was installed,
one of the four runways remained, one turned into a taxiway, roads and taxiways to the houses were constructed. A 18-hole golf course, tennis
courts, a Country club and further infrastructure were established.
Today
about 1,000 families live in the 8.9 square kilometers community, among
them many active and retired airline-pilots, in addition, many young
families with children. They appreciate the security of this guarded
residential area, which is accessible only through two gates. And this
small paradise is not only for the super Rich, the homes are sold between
120.000 and 800.000 Dollar, so that for each level something is to be
found. A visitor must present himself at the gate and gets a daily guest
pass.
Spruce
Creek has 48 km paved roads and over 22 km of taxiways for airplanes. Many
trees, meadow and nature were preserved in the area. The Country club with
a 18-hole championship golf course as well as several tennis courts offer
an enormous recreational value to the inhabitants, that are by far not all
pilots. Who doesn’t have an own Swimming pool can use the pool there, but
the “World’s most famous beach” in Daytona is only five miles away.
The
special thing at Spruce Creek is the intact social life and the
friendliness of the residents. Here one feels immediately at home. Pilot
friends meet in the evening to take off for a formation flight together, many
residents do their own aircraft maintenance work, rebuild old aircraft, or
assemble kits as hobbies.
On Saturday morning the members of the Flying club meet under the large
oak tree near the runway, talk about their airplanes or undertake a
Fly-out for breakfast, others play golf. The speed within the community is
limited to 25 mph, so that children can play outside without danger. To
visit the neighbors within the nevertheless quite extensive area one
drives also gladly environmental carefully with the electrical Golf carts.
The
most famous inhabitant of the Fly-in was once the actor John Travolta,
which sold however in the meantime his house, because his large airplanes
were a little loud for the residents.
The
biggest event
is however the Christmas month. Starting from Thanksgiving Day take place
almost daily Christmas Parties and the highlight is the Toy parade
on second Saturday in December, where the inhabitants decorate all their
vehicles, affectionately called toys, and organize a parade through the
village. Then under the large oak tree the best decorated vehicles and
costumes get a prize and residents and guests celebrate with Hotdogs and
soft drinks.
more
information:
http://www.fly-in.com
