Stuff You See While Flying: Sky Ranch

sky-ranch-airport

On a recent trip from Orange County we flew over a community that looked unusual. As you can see from the attached photo (click to enlarge), there’s one main street running right down the middle of the development with no homes or businesses on it. All the other streets feed off the main drag. Though they do have structures, none of them is near the intersection with the main road.

Puzzling.

I took a closer look and realized that’s no regular street, it’s a runway!

Runway 03-21 is the center of action at Sky Ranch Airport in Sky Ranch Estates. Sky Ranch is in Sandy Valley, Nevada, within feet of the California line.

Internet sleuthing says 75 planes are parked under the hangars that accompany most homes on the ranch. I also learned…

ARPT IS A RESIDENTIAL AIRPARK; AUTO TRAFFIC IS ON & ACROSS RYS.
OCNL LIVESTOCK ON AND INVOF ACFT MOVEMENT AREAS.

No control tower. No lights on the runway, except at the thresholds. But, you can fly home!

This is not the promise of the Jetsons. It’s as close as we get so far.

6 thoughts on “Stuff You See While Flying: Sky Ranch”

  1. “Fly-In Communities” (residential airparks) are the lifestyle dream of many light plane owner/pilots. Florida is littered with them, many co-located with private golf resorts (Spruce Creek near Daytona being one of the most well-known). Land in your neighborhood, taxi down the street, hit the remote and pull into your own attached garage/hanger. Step out, kiss the spouse ‘hello’, enjoy dinner.

    Some day…

  2. I echo everything in Greg’s comment! Most flying magazines that one can buy at any news stand, list many of these communities in their classified section.

  3. I will add to your first commentors, comment. In 1999, my husband and I drove to the Daytona area to attend his USAF group’s annual reunion. It was held in the hangar/aka garage, which was attached to their home, within what was a combination community–air strip and homes on one end and golf course and homes at the other. One could either step out their back door onto the golf course, or taxi out of their hangar onto the taxiway. Those roads leading to the homes were also taxiways and cars had to yield to planes. It was an interesting reunion. I do not believe that my photos were digital at the time, or I would send you pictures. They also had a large (greyhound size) camper parked inside. The gentleman owns a medium sized styrofoam plant where they manufacture decorative pillars for homes and many other sturdy/weight bearing strength,items used in modern construction today. Greg may even know of the place. I did not recall the name of the residential area, but it very well may have been Spruce Creek. This was a gated community.
    I would bet that there are similar communities out there, in the Palm Springs area or other somewhat elite neighborhoods that are flat.

  4. Geoff,
    We have one right here in eastern Connecticut too. It is just north of Colchester and south of Marlborough…do west of Route 2.

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