How do you find the best fly-in community in Florida? Our guide will help aviation enthusiasts to find their airport community in Florida. No matter if you seek to retire, go on vacation or look for a sunny place for your weekends. There are many fly-in communities and definitely one for you!
Table of contents
- What is a Fly-In Community?
- Types of Fly-In Communities in Florida?
- River Fly-In Community Florida
- Aero Club – Wellington, FL
- Antiquers Aerodrome
- Spruce Creek Fly-In Community in Port Orange, Florida
- Fly in Community Ocala Florida
- Ridge Landing – Frostproof, FL
- Hidden Lake Estates and Airport
- Love’s Landing Aviation Fly-In Community in Weirsdale, FL
- Grass Roots Airpark
- North Captiva Island –
- Ocean Reef Club
- How to Find Your Fly-In Community in Florida
- A Word from healthylifestyleflorida.com
What is a Fly-In Community?
A fly-in community is specifically designed around an airport where residents own their own airplane and park in their hangar. “The hangar is usually attached to the home or integrated into their home. The residential airpark or fly-in community features one or more runways with homes adjacent to the runway. Many fly-in communities feature a variety of amenities, such as golf courses, equestrian facilities and more. Residential airparks or fly-in communities are usually privately owned and restricted to use by the property owners and their invited guests.”
Types of Fly-In Communities in Florida?
There are different types of fly-in communities in Florida. On the one hand, there are smaller laid-back sport flying communities. They are mainly focused around providing basic aviation services. On the other hand, there are larger communities that offer a more luxurious lifestyle with either community or nearby options. Overall, there are at least 12 fly-in communities in Florida to choose from.
Here is our list of the best fly-in communities across Florida.
River Fly-In Community Florida
Category: large, upscale flying-in community Florida
River Fly-In Condominiums is located next to Merritt Island Airport. Merritt Island Airport offers several amenities to pilot residents. For example, airplane maintenance, airplane storage, flight school, extensive avionics shop and rental rental cars.It has a 4,000 ft. long runway. “The airport’s north apron recently underwent $1 million in renovations, and in addition to its 148 current T-hangars, another 67 are scheduled to be built beginning shortly.”
River Fly-In community is very unique. It comes with more amenities than any other fly-in community in Florida which makes it especially attractive for busy or older pilots. River Fly-In features a beautiful 2 story Clubhouse with fitness center, Full Kitchen, Soccer Field, Swimming Pool and Spa, Nature Trail, Sand Volleyball Court and a theater. All Units have 9-foot ceilings, 10th floor with 10 feet ceiling. Soft Close All Wood Cabinets with Granite Countertops, and Porcelain Tile. Security, concierge services and golf cart transportation are all included!
Location is what makes this community stand out. The River Fly-In is only minutes away from shopping, dining, and recreation areas. Fishing, boating, golfing are all nearby. Cape Canaveral is also convenient for everyone who loves to go on boat cruises.
Aero Club – Wellington, FL
Category: small laid-back flying-in community
Aero Club is located in Wellington, Florida, one of Florida’s most expensive cities and the winter equestrian capital of the world. This Florida fly-in community has 248 home sites. Each home has a lot of around one acre of land. It is surrounded by the Flying Cow Polo Club (Flying Cow Polo Club is a USPA recognized polo club in Wellington, FL that caters to all levels of players.) and The Wanderers Club which offers family-friendly golf, tennis, and polo. The Sky High Equestrian Center offers the most modern and safest environment for horse accommodation and state of the art infrastructure. It provides a wide variety of custom-designed jumps for training.
Aero Club has a 4,000 foot runway which is lighted and paved. There is certainly an on-site refueling facility available to residents. The club also has a community clubhouse with billiards table, a social hall with full kitchen -which can be rented for parties and special occasions.
Antiquers Aerodrome
Category: small, laid-back flying-in community Florida
Antiquers Aerodrome is located West of Delray Beach. The gated neighborhood has only 35 homes. Each home sits on a 2.33 acre lot. As a result, Antiquers Aerodrome offers plenty of privacy and tranquility for each homeowner.
The generous private grass airstrip is 5,500 feet with a 600 foot approach and offers dusk to dawn lighting. Another interesting feature is the fact that nearly all of the residences have their own private hangar. This means plenty of space – not only for the private airplane! The large hangars offer storage for boats, ATV’s, RV’s, collectible cars and other hobbies.
Another advantage of this fly-in community is the fact that it is minutes away from Delray Beach’s exciting downtown. Delray Beach was once named “Most Fun Small Town in the USA”.
Residents can enjoy shopping, dining, art galleries, music events, and more. “The Pineapple Grove Arts District is dotted with public art and galleries. Nearby, Cornell Art Museum displays contemporary works. The lakeside Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens offer tea ceremonies, calligraphy workshops and serene outdoor spaces.”
Furthermore, there are plenty of golf courses nearby like the Indian Spring Country Club or Hunters Run Country Club.
Spruce Creek Fly-In Community in Port Orange, Florida
Category: large, upscale flying-in community
The Spruce Creek Fly-In Community is located just south of Daytona Beach. Spruce Creek Fly-In is known as the world’s finest residential, country-club airpark. It has about 3,500 residents and has about 1400 properties.
Spruce Creek has a private airport with a paved 4,000+/- ft. runway that is approximately 176′ wide. There are paved taxiways, a private GPS approach, VASI lights, aviation services and 100LL and Jet A fuel.
The gated community offers a wide range of social activities. For example, “community festivals, children’s recreation events, “lunch bunch”, a social “flying” club, a garden club, mahjong, bridge, quilting and reading groups, the Creeketts dancers, Sunday Bikers, Women of Wings, fitness classes, canoeing, kayaking, fishing and more more. The Spruce Creek Country Club has an 18-hole golf course, six lighted Har-Tru tennis courts; and six new lighted pickleball courts.
There are many home styles at various price points. They range from executive homes with residential hangars, to homes with golf course, water or conservation area frontage to villa-style condominiums.
Fly in Community Ocala Florida
Ocala is a very unique community in central Florida. “In 2007, Ocala/Marion County was officially named the “Horse Capital of the World®,” a testament to the County’s unique involvement in all things equestrian and its record of producing some of the finest champions in the sport. With a beautiful, mild climate all year long and soil rich with limestone calcium for strong bones, Ocala/Marion County is home to more horses than anywhere else in the country.” But Ocala has more to offer: The collection at the Appleton Museum of Art includes pre-Columbian artifacts and contemporary art. The waters of Silver Springs State Park are dotted with kayaks and glass-bottom boats. So let’s take a look at some more fly-in communities in Florida. Ocala has two fly-in communities:
Jumbolair – Ocala, FL
Category: small, between laid-back and upscale flying-in community
Did you know that John Travolta purchased the first lot in Jumbolair Aviation Estates on which he built his home in 2002? Maybe he liked that “Jumbolair is home to the largest, licensed, Private Runway in America. The asphalt runway at the Jumbolair Airport ’17FL’ is designated 18/36, is 7,550 feet long and 200 feet wide at an elevation of approximately 100 feet MSL. The south end of the runway has a 24’ tall concrete blast wall. GPS approach and VASI approach lighting system. The community also has designated taxiways.”
The community is currently building its own equestrian center and luxury clubhouse. Aviation enthusiasts can purchase a lot to build their own dream home. With a size over more than 2 acres, there is lots of room for peace and privacy.
Leeward Air Ranch – Ocala, FL
Category: small, between laid-back flying-in community Florida
Leeward Air Ranch is located southeast of Ocala. It has a good infrastructure nearby with all kinds of groceries stores, the baseline golf course, a fishing pier plus a local High School and Taylor College. The Runway features are 18-36: 6200′ x 165′ – Pilot Controlled Lighting on 122.6
Leeward Air Ranch is designed around the passion of flying. Residents love sport flying and/or airplane restoration. The Leeward family runs this community and is highly enthusiastic about airplanes in the third generation.
Ridge Landing – Frostproof, FL
Category: small, between laid-back flying-in community Florida
Ridge Landing Airpark is located in Frostproof, Florida south of Orlando in Central Florida. This means that there is an abundance of lakes nearby for fishing, kayaking, canoeing and hiking.
Ridge Landing homeowners enjoy the luxury of flying into a 3000′ X 60′ paved and lit runway. Ridge Landing is a smaller community with currently only 100 lots. All lots have access to taxiways that lead directly to the air-strip. The lots range from one to two acres.
This community should be great value for money in a beautiful rural setting of central Florida.
Hidden Lake Estates and Airport
Category: medium, laid-back flying-in community Florida
Hidden Lake Airport is one of the few fly-in communities in Florida that is located on the West Coast of the sunshine state. It is only 30 minutes to downtown Tampa and 15 minutes to the beach!
This beautiful fly-in community is home to approximately 150 houses. They have access to the lighted and paved 4,425-foot runway. Additional amenities are self-service 24/7 fuel options, dual-purpose roads and taxiways, and local aviation-based community events.
One of the advantages of Hidden Lake Estates Fly-In community is accessibility. A local High School, a state college, state parks, restaurants, shopping are all a short drive.
Love’s Landing Aviation Fly-In Community in Weirsdale, FL
Category: small, laid-back flying-in community Florida
Love’s Landing Aviation Community is located in Weirsdale, in central Florida. It is north of Leesburg and east of the Villages. Residents can enjoy a relaxing lifestyle in rural Florida with boating, fishing, kayaking, hiking and plenty of golfing nearby.
The community is designed for aircraft enthusiasts. All homes are close to the lighted 3,600-foot runways and share a lot with hangars to safely and securely store your aircraft.
If you’re looking for a quiet, peaceful community in a rural setting, to share your flying passion with like-minded pilots, Love’s Landing is the best option.
Grass Roots Airpark
Category: small, laid-back flying-in community Florida
Grass Roots Airpark is located in the scenic region of Lake County northwest of Orlando. There 3,400′ long x 250′ wide turf taxi-way. At Grass Roots Airpark you can find a Low & Slow Flying Club. That is a hangar lot community that is part of Grass Roots Airpark. These nine half-acre lots are located adjacent to the existing rental hangars and clubhouse and have direct access to the runway. Each hangar has an attached multi-purpose, air-conditioned space, which surrounds a common area garden that can be used for cookouts and hangar community gatherings.
To build your dream home buy one of the big lots that measure between 3.5 to 9.5 acres. Some are waterfront and allow you to go boating and fishing. This fly-in community in Florida is horse friendly and private.
North Captiva Island –
Category: small, upscale flying-in community Florida
North Captiva Island airport is also called Salty Approach. The airstrip is private and requires a membership or prior permission prior to landing. The strip is grass and approximately 2000 feet in length. Normally there are aircraft parked to the side of the runway, mid-point, on the south side. Houses line both sides of the runway so that you can straight walk home!
Property is upscale since residents can purchase beach homes. A private club membership includes two olympic-sized swimming pools, two clay tennis courts, complimentary kayak and bicycle rentals. In addition, the membership includes golf carts to get around and dining options.
To get access to this fly-in community one has to purchase an airstrip membership, a home and a club membership. For aviation and beach lovers, North Captiva Island is the best in Florida.
Ocean Reef Club
Category: large, upscale flying-in community Florida
Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo is not a typical fly-in community. The airport is an amenity of the famous Ocean Reef Club. It is located on a private, pristine peninsula beside America’s only living reef, bounded on three sides by water and on the fourth side by federal and state lands. Also one cannot park the hangar behind the house, Ocean Reef Club airport is the door to a luxury island life. Private golf course, marina, fine dining, spa, tennis, fitness and more turns this location into the most luxurious fly-in community in Florida.
How to Find Your Fly-In Community in Florida
Whether you’re passionate about flying, restoring aircrafts, or just watching your friends make use of the top-quality airport amenities, fly-in communities truly have something to offer every resident.
No matter what you’re looking for, Florida’s residential airparks provide some of the most unique, upscale, and luxurious living experiences, all with the ease and convenience of being able to fly your plane to and from your neighborhood.
If you’re considering a move to a private fly-in community in one of the best states for aviation, be sure to take a look at any of these incredible Florida neighborhoods to find the best fit for you.
A Word from healthylifestyleflorida.com
Airport communities in Florida are some of the best airparks in the US. With many different options, you need to make a list with your priorities first. It is all about the lifestyle you want to enjoy: simplicity or luxury. Nature or urban lifestyle. There is something for everyone.