Never a dull moment

Big idea

Armstrong is from Florida, but when his friend and eventual silent partner suggested the idea of an airpark in the mountains of Tennessee, he was intrigued.

“My partner said something like ‘my wife’s family knows about this land up by the airport and nobody wants it. It’s too close to the airport; nobody wants to live that close to an airport. Do you know anybody who wants to live close to an airport?’ And I thought, yeah, I do,” said Armstrong, a lifelong pilot and aircraft owner.

That was 18 years ago. The partners bought 450 acres adjacent to the county-owned Scott Municipal Airport (SCX) in Oneida, Tennessee, about 50 miles north of Knoxville. The plan was to start with a couple of houses and a clubhouse, develop streets and sewer and electric, and sell lots to like-minded aviation enthusiasts who would have through-the-fence access to the airport, with its 5,500-foot-long runway.

“Our plan was to have an aviation community in the mountains. It’s easy to do an airpark in Florida—it’s flat and old airstrips are everywhere. But what we have here appealed to us. Living in the mountains with an airplane; that’s unusual because of the topography. It was a little crazy—turn 450 acres into an airpark in the middle of nowhere? It started out as a plan that became an addiction and is now a passion like no other.”

But it didn’t start out so well. The clubhouse was built and opened in October 2006. It had a sales office, and several houses were started as well as phase one of roads and utilities. Armstrong hired a salesperson, hung up the For Sale sign, and waited. That was spring 2008.

“I think everyone remembers what happened in the spring of ’08. My friends in the business said, ‘You don’t have bad timing; you have the worst ever.’ The economy crashed and the real estate business was going down in flames and the phone wasn’t ringing for a long, long time. That was ’08, ’09, ’10. It was a slow start.”

He had to let the salesperson go and moved up to the property and built his house. He didn’t borrow any money, just sat tight and waited.

“I don’t think it ever ends up like you think it’s going to, but I can tell you I’m awful proud. The joy that I get living here; I drive through the community that I helped create. It’s a good feeling.”

Big airport

Scott Municipal Airport (SCX) sits on a plateau in the Cumberland Mountains above the airpark community. It has a storied history and it, as well as the Big South Fork River and Recreation Area, all leads back to Howard Baker, former U.S. senator from Tennessee and Ronald Reagan’s chief of staff.

“The story goes, Reagan says, ‘I want you to be my chief of staff,’ and Baker, who is an aviator, flew a Conquest, said ‘sure Mr. President, but I want an airport so I can fly from Scott County to D.C. on my own airplane.’ Reagan calls the department of the interior and says, ‘build Baker an airport.’

“And they did. It’s 5,500 feet, it’s lighted, has a maintenance facility, a brand-new FBO….You don’t really need all that for the locals, but Baker wanted it. And on the other side of our property is the national park, another result of Baker’s ties to the area.”

There are 25 homesites that have hangars with the house and taxiway to the airport. The rest of the 50 homesites are nestled throughout the woods, and residents keep their airplanes—and other toys—at the hangar complex adjacent to the airport entrance. The smallest hangars are 42 feet by 36 feet and there are 50-by-40 box hangars as well as very large 60-by-60 hangars.

“We learned very quickly it’s not the size of your airplane, it’s how much stuff you have. Where’s the antique car going to go? Where’s the tractor go? The motorcycle? We’re continuing to build box hangars because they give our residents a little more extra room for their stuff.”

The community has a big Cirrus presence, but there is a large group of Beechcraft Bonanza owners, some Van’s RVs, and several RVs under construction.

“You know if you build an airplane here, you can bet your life that your neighbor is going to come and help or tell you what you’re doing wrong. That’s part of the deal.”

Flying here is challenging, but Armstrong says it’s worth it. Pilots get used to climbing to get over the mountains.

“What you get back visually is incredible. My son is a pilot as well, and we fly a 150. We love to take it from here and go north into Kentucky and fly over the rest of the Big South Fork; the views at 2,500 feet or even 4,000 feet are absolutely exquisite.”

Big community

The community is in its final phase of its four-phase development. Armstrong is still selling. On this gorgeous fall afternoon, he has prospective clients staying at the clubhouse and the fifteenth annual “Low-Country Boil” event is in full swing; there’s even a jazz trio playing while the guests and residents enjoy a catered meal and potluck.

“Folks flew in from all over. Our residents showed up in droves. We steamed 100 pounds of crab and 100 pounds of shrimp. It was a lot of fun. We do about six or seven of these kind of events all year. It’s a great opportunity for people who are thinking about joining us to come in and experience not just the place, but the people. It’s a wonderful group of people.”

And when we returned to AOPA in Maryland after our Tennessee adventure, I received an email from one of those prospective buyers: “We met at the Big South Fork Airpark party last weekend. I was part of a two-couple group who were considering purchasing lots. You gave me your card and said you would be interested in what we decided. Well, we purchased a lot. So did our friends. We met many good people while we were there and really enjoyed the community. Everyone was very welcoming. It’s a beautiful location and we are looking forward to getting there.”

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