Eagle Crest Aerodrome (DE25), 4 nm east of Milton, Delaware, was established in 1952 by Joe Hudson. The privately-owned, private-use facility is the fifth busiest airport in the state and boasts a well-maintained 3,500-foot-long-by-100-foot-wide turf runway that sees a steady level of traffic from a mix of aircraft.
The 15-acre property is host to 25 hangars and a same number of homes. The airport is also the site for a fly-in community, which was developed in 1998.
Jeff King, originally from Michigan, moved to the airpark in the beginning of 2022 and currently serves on its board of directors. He explained how he came to move to a fly-in community more than 500 nm away from where he was born and raised.
“We didn’t have a specific geographic location where we wanted to go and looked all over the eastern portion of the country, anywhere from Florida to New Hampshire,” King said. “But we wanted something kind of unique, a little bit warmer, with a good tax environment, and that wasn’t too red or blue [politically]. Additionally, we wanted a draw for our kids, which Eagle Crest Aerodrome is near Rehoboth Beach. We also were looking for a growing area that had a rural flavor to it.”
King noted that he hadn’t visited southern Delaware before looking at the airpark and put an offer on a home in the community shortly after his family’s first visit. The airport’s runway was one of his primary points of focus and met his needs.
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“A lot of the Florida airparks are pretty [densely populated], and you need a paved runway in New Hampshire if you want to fly in the winter,” he said. “Even though Eagle Crest has a grass field, it’s pretty mature, having been here for 70 years, and is longer. I have a twin-engine aircraft, so the longer runway was important to me.”
In addition to King’s Baron 58, there are approximately 24 aircraft based at the field. This list includes a Navajo, Twin Comanche, turbine Bell helicopter, and a variety of single engine pistons, from a Cessna 210 to Bonanzas to Ercoupes.
A common question pilots who don’t live at a fly-in community may ask those that do is: “Would you recommend moving to an airpark?” King’s reply would be yes.
“I didn’t have any expectations to speak of [before moving to an airpark] and didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “But I am quite happy here, which has a lot to do with the area as well—and not just the airpark. Make sure the area appeals to you besides the airpark…While this is a relatively rural area, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and [New York City] are all less than an hour away.”
Living among like-minded individuals is an added bonus, and King noted that there is a considerable amount of camaraderie with the residents at Eagle Crest. There are several aviation, as well as nonaviation focused groups, that neighbors participate in.
There is opportunity for nonresidents to visit Eagle Crest Aerodrome, although prior permission is required. Check the airport’s website for details.
One of the draws for visitors is Hudson Fields, an outdoor sports and recreation venue that sits adjacent to the airport and is owned by the airport’s owners—the third generation of family members to manage Eagle Crest. The venue hosts a number of concerts and festivals throughout the year and is often chosen as a venue for weddings, family reunions, and other social gatherings.
One of the most notable aspects of the airport is a spaceship-looking residence that has been docked off the end of Runway 14 for decades. It’s a notable Finnish design, called a Futuro, that is now one of the last handful remaining examples in the United States.
