Spruce Creek Fly-In – Gated Community With Hangar Homes in Florida

FL – Are you looking for a hangar home community that offers everything, even security? If you are, you should check out the Spruce Creek Fly-in Community at Spruce Creek Airport (7FL6) in Port Orange, Florida. This world-class community is located 10 miles from Daytona Beach and the Daytona Beach Speedway. The residential airpark is widely known as being one of the most sought-after and unique aviation communities in the world.

Let’s take a look at why Spruce Creek Fly-In Community is such a go-to location for pilots and aviation enthusiasts.

1. What is the history of the airpark?

Spruce Creek began as a small village, and the cemetery can still be viewed by the residents today. It contains the gravestones of families that lived in the Spruce Creek area, as well as civil war soldiers. Of course, the development of Spruce Creek is uniquely tied to Daytona Beach and the invention of the airplane. In fact, did you know that the sands of Daytona Beach used to function as a runway? The hard-packed sand and lack of obstacles made the beach an ideal place to take off and land, and the nearby hotels frequently hired pilots to provide entertainment in the form of air races and aerial stunts. In 1928, the beach airport was moved to Bethune Point. In the 1930s, the airport was moved to its current location and eventually became the Daytona International Airport. However, Spruce Creek’s history really began during World War II. During this time, Florida became a major military location. The state was divided in half, with one side dedicated to the Navy and the other side dedicated to the Army. The Navy took over Daytona Beach airport and started building smaller reliever airports. One of those airports was at Spruce Creek, and it was designed as a Naval Air Operational Training Base. This airport was completed at the end of 1943. Once WWII ended, the military airport was turned over to Daytona Beach. In 1969, McKinley Conway purchased Spruce Creek and a few of his investor friends. They had a vision for a new type of community that they named the Fly-In Concept. The goal of this community was to create an air airport city where business professionals and airport owners would have multiple modes of transportation available and be able to live and work around the airport. The project was approved, and construction was started, but the project hit a snag in 1974 due to the Real Estate Depression. Construction on the community was halted, and the property fell into foreclosure. After the Real Estate Depression ended, Jay Thompson of Thompson Properties purchased the 1,400 acres that encompassed Spruce Creek. He also had a vision for an airport community but decided that a dense urban development wouldn’t do as well as a country club version. Today, we can see Jay Thompson’s county club fly-in reality at Spruce Creek. The property contains a 4,000-foot runway, a championship golf course, a country club, and many social clubs and community events. With all these amenities, it’s easy to see why Spruce Creek is the most exclusive and well-known aviation fly-in community in the United States.

2. What is the community like now?

If you want to live in the world-famous fly-in community that John Travolta once called home, Spruce Creek is that location. The community is situated on 1,350 acres of land. It has a 4,000-foot runway that is 150 feet wide, and the taxiways are 60 feet wide, which means they can accommodate a wide variety of general aviation aircraft, helicopters, and private jets. The community has a total of 19 miles of taxiways and 23 miles of roads. They offer 100LL and Jet A fuel as well as airframe, avionics, and powerplant repair services. The airport can accommodate 650 aircraft, and there are 1,300 homes that range in price from $300,000 to several million dollars. Residents can enjoy the Spruce Creek Country Club and eating at the Downwind Cafe, watersports, hiking, running, rollerblading, golfing, playing tennis, and learning to fly. The community also offers a variety of clubs for people who enjoy flying, reading books, playing Bridge, and gardening.

3. What types of airplanes call the community “home”?

Spruce Creek is unique in that it can accommodate a variety of aircraft from Stearmans to Gulfstreams. In fact, Spruce Creek is home to the most famous Stearman, the Princess Belle. They also have Fokker Triplanes, Wacos, and a Sopwith Camel, as well as many other historic airplanes. It’s even said that they have the largest concentration of Van’s Aircraft RVs in the world.

4. What makes the community unique from other airparks?

Spruce Creek offers a unique neighborhood and living environment. In fact, it’s so unique that it’s been nearly immune to real estate crashes since it was completed. It is a private, gated community with security that patrols the neighborhoods. The airport offers a private GPS approach, and the community is home to single-family homes, mansions, townhomes, and condos. There are even a few empty lots still available in the community where homeowners can build custom homes. The homes that back onto Spruce Creek contain boat docks, which means these homeowners can drive in, fly in, or boat into the community.

5. Are there any fly-ins/events that the community holds?

Spruce Creek holds regular events for residents. One of their most popular is the Friday Night Tailgate Party. This is where residents gather around to tell stories, play games, eat, drink, and watch the airplanes. Of course, residents of the community can also attend the Florida International Airshow, the Orlando Airshow, and the Stuart Airshow at Witham Field.

The best place to learn more about the Spruce Creek Fly-in Community is on the Spruce Creek Community website.