Lakeway Airpark
Encyclopedia
Lakeway Airpark is a public use airport
in Travis County
, Texas
, United States
. The airport is 17 nautical miles (31 km) west of the central business district
of Austin
. It is privately owned by Lakeway Airpark, Inc. and is located in Lakeway, Texas
.
Under the management of Lakeway Airpark LLC the airpark has at times developed a reputation in the general aviation community as being unfriendly to outside pilots. Despite being a "public use" airfield many pilots have been confronted by Lakeway police and cited for violating rules uncommon at most public use airparks. The situation was so contentious that the 2006 edition of John Purner's The $100 Hamburger devoted almost 3 pages (406-408) to the issue. Police enforcement became necessary in the early 2000s to try to curtail Airpark members from driving in front of aircraft to enforce "rules". Lakeway Airpark, LLC attributes some of the capricious rulemaking to a local deer issue. However, thousands of American airparks deal with wildlife issues which do not earn the management such harsh criticism among the flying community.
In an apparent effort to reduce airpark liability from the actions of their members, the City of Lakeway, at the urging of Lakeway Airpark LLC assumed many of the rules and regulations as part of the local zoning ordinance. This has resulted in many aviation unfriendly regulations found at no other comparable public use airpark in the country. For instance ultralights and gliders are not permitted to use this non towered, non weather reporting Class E public airpark. Members have been known to call police to enforce these rules against pilots.
of 909 feet (277 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway
designated 16/34 with an asphalt
surface measuring 3,930 by 70 feet (1,198 x 21 m).
A 3200 feet (975.4 m) runway was made in 1936. In 1989 it was expanded to a 3930 feet (1,197.9 m) and 70 feet (21.3 m) runway. The runway end zones were extended in 2003.
As of 2010 there are 29 residences surrounding the airpark with attached hangars on residential properties. In addition there are 4 freestanding condo style hangars on the airpark property and 1 large non residential hangar on AV zoned adjoining property not owned by the Airpark.
For the 12-month period ending February 29, 2008, the airport had 9,000 general aviation
aircraft operations, an average of 24 per day. At that time there were 58 aircraft based at this airport: 95% single-engine
and 5% multi-engine.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
in Travis County
Travis County, Texas
As of 2009, the U.S. census estimates there were 1,026,158 people, 320,766 households, and 183,798 families residing in the county. The population density was 821 people per square mile . There were 335,881 housing units at an average density of 340 per square mile...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The airport is 17 nautical miles (31 km) west of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. It is privately owned by Lakeway Airpark, Inc. and is located in Lakeway, Texas
Lakeway, Texas
Lakeway is a city in Travis County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,391 at the 2010 census; up from 8,002 in 2000. The city is located near Lake Travis.-Geography:...
.
History and Management
From 1939 to 1946 it was called Airfield Ranch. In the late 1960s the Ranch was purchased to develop an all encompassing getaway resort with golf, marina, lakeside hotel accommodations and airstrip for visitors. After the original development failed the project was purchased by Ross Perot. Perot's development company broke up the original properties and sold them off. The golf property is today's Live Oak course, the hotel/resort is the Lakeway Inn. Perot upgraded and lengthened the airstrip and subdivided adjoining properties as residential lots. In 1995 the airstrip property was sold to a Lakeway Airpark LLC, a not for profit corporation established for the purpose of managing the airpark. Under the terms of the original sale the property may revert to Perot in the event the property is not used as an airport.Under the management of Lakeway Airpark LLC the airpark has at times developed a reputation in the general aviation community as being unfriendly to outside pilots. Despite being a "public use" airfield many pilots have been confronted by Lakeway police and cited for violating rules uncommon at most public use airparks. The situation was so contentious that the 2006 edition of John Purner's The $100 Hamburger devoted almost 3 pages (406-408) to the issue. Police enforcement became necessary in the early 2000s to try to curtail Airpark members from driving in front of aircraft to enforce "rules". Lakeway Airpark, LLC attributes some of the capricious rulemaking to a local deer issue. However, thousands of American airparks deal with wildlife issues which do not earn the management such harsh criticism among the flying community.
In an apparent effort to reduce airpark liability from the actions of their members, the City of Lakeway, at the urging of Lakeway Airpark LLC assumed many of the rules and regulations as part of the local zoning ordinance. This has resulted in many aviation unfriendly regulations found at no other comparable public use airpark in the country. For instance ultralights and gliders are not permitted to use this non towered, non weather reporting Class E public airpark. Members have been known to call police to enforce these rules against pilots.
Facilities and aircraft
Lakeway Airpark covers an area of 15 acres (6.1 ha) at an elevationElevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 909 feet (277 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
designated 16/34 with an asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
surface measuring 3,930 by 70 feet (1,198 x 21 m).
A 3200 feet (975.4 m) runway was made in 1936. In 1989 it was expanded to a 3930 feet (1,197.9 m) and 70 feet (21.3 m) runway. The runway end zones were extended in 2003.
As of 2010 there are 29 residences surrounding the airpark with attached hangars on residential properties. In addition there are 4 freestanding condo style hangars on the airpark property and 1 large non residential hangar on AV zoned adjoining property not owned by the Airpark.
For the 12-month period ending February 29, 2008, the airport had 9,000 general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
aircraft operations, an average of 24 per day. At that time there were 58 aircraft based at this airport: 95% single-engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
and 5% multi-engine.