Deep in the heart of Texas

Lakeway Airpark: Finding friendship, flying, and fun in one special place

September 1, 2024 By Julie Summers Walker

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We missed the doughnuts. It was a beautiful spring morning in Texas and the community surrounding Lakeway Airpark was invited for “Meet the Pilot” day, a monthly open house on the ramp outside the small terminal building and clubhouse for 3R9.

This is the second in a series on "Living With Your Airplane" in airparks across the country.

There were so many young families with children of all ages running among the parked aircraft, fingers sticky with sugar, one could hardly begrudge missing the morning treats (although one aircraft owner admitted he’s learned to keep his airplane closed during the event because of those sticky fingers).

Lakeway Airpark presents these monthly open houses—sometimes with full-on pancake breakfasts and rides in aircraft—for one main reason: to foster good community relations. Lakeway, Texas, is a suburb of Austin on the site of a former 2,700-acre ranch and incorporated in 1974. The city is about 13 square miles and has approximately 27,000 residents. It is on the south shore of 65-mile-long Lake Travis, a recreational site for boating, fishing, and other water sports. While the city was first envisioned as a retirement community to Austin, it has expanded to offer a first-class school system, attracting families. The longest running resident is the airpark, and hangar homeowners, pilots, and aviation enthusiasts want to ensure Lakeway residents appreciate aviation.

“We work hard to keep the community involved, which is one of the reasons for the ‘Meet the Pilot’ events as we call these Saturday morning events,” said Phillip Thompson, president of Lakeway Airpark Inc. Retired from 3M, he’s a 20-year resident of Lakeway, owner of a Beechcraft Bonanza, and has served in various capacities on the Lakeway board.

“Keeping the community involved and having an understanding of the airpark is key; they learn and know the airpark is an asset to the area. We’ve done this well through our community outreach,” he said. In addition to the monthly events, Thompson said he often brings businesspeople from the community out to the airpark. “We illustrate how the airpark interconnects with the other forms of transportation here. Lakeway has a lot of leisure activities here. It’s also a resort and retirement community. There are a lot of playing fields, from golf courses to other activities. So, the air park is a great asset to the community; we bring in several million dollars for the greater community.”

Life on the runway

"It was a great move; we’ve made so many friends. It’s our social circle." - Sue Durio

Keith Durio, a contractor and pilot, built his wife her dream home. It was where she wanted it, designed the way she wanted it, and when they moved in, just the way she wanted it. Then he flew his Cessna 310 into Lakeway Airpark, visited with homeowners there, and found a lot to purchase. He came home to their “dream” home with a new dream—to build a home on the airpark and live with their airplane. Marriages have ended over less. But Sue Durio is not a typical spouse. She’s Keith’s co-pilot in all things.

“I said ‘no way’ at first, but it has been good. One of the main reasons are all the friendships we’ve made here. It was a great move because of so many friends; it’s our social circle,” she said.

The couple built a three-bedroom home with a small pool opposite the terminal building and clubhouse on Flying Scot Street. Their backyard adjoins the golf course. They keep their Cessna 310 in the hangar attached to the house. Keith enjoys sitting outside with the hangar door open so neighbors can walk up and visit. On this day he is watching the Masters Tournament golf championship on his outside television. He delights in neighbors walking by and stopping to ask who is in the lead.

“Aviation is a small part of what Lakeway is,” Durio said. Sue adds that there are championship golf courses, the lake and marina, and a world-class spa. The couple uses the 310 to visit their grandchildren and to go on vacations. “We’ve been to Belize, the Bahamas, upstate New York—we’ve been all over in it,” Sue said. “But it’s nice to come home.”

Thompson lives directly on the runway. His home is 2,500 square feet; his hangar 2,000 square feet. His office is in the hangar, and it overlooks the runway. “My favorite things are the friends and the camaraderie,” he said. “If you need something, someone has it. We have movie nights, popcorn. We set up a screen in a hangar and people pull up in their golf carts. Golf carts are indispensable here.”

He learned to fly at the age of 40. He has owned a Luscombe, an American Champion Citabria, and built a Van’s RV–7. Today his hangar holds his 1977 V-tail Bonanza. “Being with your airplane is a great convenience,” he said.

Bluebonnets and balsawood

"We work hard to keep the community involved. Lakeway is a great asset to the community." -Phillip Thompson

Saturday morning is winding down. Often after these gatherings, the Lakeway Airpark Inc. board holds its monthly meeting but today there’s been so much activity they’ve put it off this month. Nearly all the residents have come out and brought their aircraft. Josh Cobb relocated from Santa Barbara, California, and has been filming a promotional video for the airpark and offering rides in his Cirrus SR22. Jesse Beckett has been offering rides in his red and white seaplane that he keeps in Lakeway even though he resides at another lake, Lake Buchanan, Texas. Thompson has been answering questions and delighting kids by handing out balsawood airplanes. Lee Finch, a longtime resident and restorer of a Cessna 305 L–19 “Bird Dog” (see “Pilots,” p. 112) has answered hundreds of questions about his historic aircraft. Durio points to a plaque on the side of the terminal/community building that lists the many people who have donated funds to keep the airpark running.

“We have an enormous following of nonpilot supporters—more than 1,000—made up of families, enthusiasts, outdoor types, and people who enjoy hanging out with and talking to pilots,” Cobb said. “Having this airpark near our home was a big part of our decision on where to live. We are a tight-knit community of friends, pilots, and volunteers.”

The bustle and excitement of the morning is over, and the community is returning to its natural bucolic state. The Texas state flower, the Bluebonnet, trims the lanes of the taxiways, ramp, and runway. Hillside homes of varying designs are welcoming, with their hangar doors open and their resident aircraft outside taking in the sun. Golf carts buzz along the street and taxiways, residents with coolers on their way to visit with friends at different open hangars.

“It’s the way life should be,” Thompson says.

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Mike Collier, Bill Kulpa, Joan Collier, Keith Durio, Sue Durio, Jean Thompson, and Phil Thompson are among the friends who regularly gather at one another’s hangars for cocktails and camaraderie most evenings at the airpark.

Even the littlest pilots-to-be enjoy the Meet the Pilot event at Lakeway.

Homes are well-groomed and gracious along the 3,930-footlong runway.

HOA President Phillip Thompson keeps his 1977 V-tail Bonanza in his hangar overlooking the Lakeway Airpark runway and his office is located over his hangar.

Having children at the Meet the Pilot event is one of the hallmarks of the monthly gatherings.

The “Airport Mascot,” a yellow Ercoupe mounted on a pole at the airpark’s entrance, was trucked from Oklahoma to Texas by former Lakeway Airpark resident BD Thompson.

Lake Travis covers 30 square miles in North Texas. The view from The Oasis Restaurant, perched on a bluff overlooking the lake, is spectacular.

The massive restaurant features artwork, sculpture, and kitschy gift shops.

The food is predominantly Tex-Mex, but the menu is almost as expansive as the restaurant!

Sunsets are free

Lake Travis is a reservoir formed by the Mansfield Dam built in 1942 on the Colorado River. The lake is famous for boating, fishing, sunbathing, and has the only legal clothing-optional park in Texas. We know this because we attempted to visit the park after lunch at The Oasis, a massive restaurant located on a 450-foot cliff overlooking the lake. Unbeknownst to us, Hippie Hollow Park charges a fee to enter and when we explained that we only wanted to look at the view, we got the side eye: The park attendant believed the view we wanted to partake was naked sunbathers. We did not visit. But lunch at The Oasis was good and the grounds simply astounding. There are more than 40 outdoor decks and the restaurant seats more than 2,000 guests in its 30,000-square-foot facility, the largest outdoor restaurant in Texas. Owned by the Theriot family, The Oasis was started in 1982. It bills itself as the “Sunset Capital of Texas.” Not to be missed are the art galleries, gift shops, and other quirky and kitschy rooms and hidden nooks and crannies throughout the establishment. —JSW