Savoring Your Airfield's Parade of Eccentricity

Pilot finds his airport strikes a perfect balance of enough activity to be interesting but small enough to foster a community environment.

Jason McDowell

Wednesday, January 01, 2025 at 11:30 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Kimberly Johnson

With hangar space for 34 airplanes, a 3,100-foot grass runway, and a vibrant and active group of hangar tenants, Brooklyn Airport (7WI5) in south-central Wisconsin strikes an ideal balance of peacefulness and activity. [Courtesy: Jason McDowell]

Key Takeaways:

Small airports often foster unique and eccentric communities of pilots and aviation enthusiasts, creating memorable social environments.
The author recounts an experience where an airport's rotating beacon repeatedly failed due to revelers riding it during annual holiday parties.
At his current airfield, he discovers the remnants of a former tenant's extraterrestrial research, including mysterious equipment and abandoned vehicles in the woods.
These experiences highlight the diverse and quirky personalities found at airfields, which, in the author's current setting, contribute to a fun and interesting community without excessive risk.

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Some people keep their airplanes at big airports, surrounded by airliners and corporate jets, where the hangar tenants rarely interact. Others are based at tiny fields with only a few other hangars and little flying or social activity.

But if you’re like me, fortune has smiled upon you, and you’ve found yourself at airports with active communities of personalities that are unique enough to make any reality show producer salivate.