Superior Aero Estates’ new runway was completed and then shortly after welcomed its first aerial visitor as part of a grand opening celebration in late summer last year. This was a significant milestone in the project in Culver, Minnesota, that Nick Clattenburg began pursuing in earnest in 2016.
“The airport [outside of Duluth] is now officially open, and grass is down, although last summer was pretty rough, in terms of weather not cooperating for construction,” Clattenburg said. “The rain would not stop, and so that’s why we had to push back the grand opening to late August. People saw that there was a new place to land, and many decided to check it out. There were close to 50 to 60 people that came to our grand opening, and everyone is very interested in the community that we are building.
“The first phase [of the airpark] is platted, and we have plans to put in some hangars. Then we have phase two planned, which will have minimum lot sizes of two and a half acres— instead of four and a half acres.”
As Clattenburg can attest, developing an airpark from scratch is a substantial undertaking. Carving a 3,500-foot-long landing strip out a dense forest is only one of the major tasks he focused on at the outset. Just like when it rains, developing an airpark isn’t all sunshine—but he expects there are rainbows at the end.
“Financing was probably the most challenging aspect,” he said. “Airparks are a niche development, and navigating the appraisal process requires a lot of patience. Fortunately, in Minnesota the Department of Transportation’s aeronautics department is very supportive, making the runway review and licensing process relatively straightforward. From the start, I aimed to exceed the DOT’s minimum requirements for runway length, drainage, smoothness, and slope. While this added significant work for the construction team, the effort speaks for itself in the quality of the runway we have today.”
Clattenburg is quick to provide suggestions for others who are exploring the thought of developing their own fly-in community.
“The first step I’d recommend to anyone looking to build an airpark is reaching out to [their] state’s DOT and your local planning and zoning department,” he said. “If these regulatory offices aren’t open to working with you, securing the necessary permits and approvals will be an uphill battle. I also strongly advise against purchasing land with the intent of building an airpark before getting a positive response from regulators—it’s a significant risk. For example, MNDOT requires a suitability analysis on a prospective property before any land purchases intended for airport development, which helps avoid major headaches down the road.”
Superior Aero Estates is well into the development process, and Clattenburg is currently laser-focused on selling lots.
“The runway is complete and will be ready for visitors this spring once the snow melt dries up,” he said. “Superior Aero Estates isn’t currently charted, as we wanted to avoid drop-ins during the fall while the grass was still getting established. However, we expect it to be charted soon.
“The seven remaining lots [in phase one] are currently for sale. Each lot is at least four and a half acres and will include fiber internet and power to the curb, with owner-installed well and septic systems. Owners are also allowed to rent out hangar space on their lot for some additional income. We are looking to attract a mix of investors and homeowners from the general aviation community. While there is an HOA, its primary role is to enforce runway safety, maintenance, fees, and reasonable property use.”
Clattenburg is excited that the airport will help remedy the hangar shortage in the Duluth area. Pilots have the option to buy their own space or rent it directly from Superior Aero Estates.
“There’s a very clear shortage in the country for hangars, but especially in Duluth,” he said. “MNDOT has even highlighted this in their state airport system plan, confirming that with Duluth International Airport [KDLH), Cloquet Airport [KCOQ], Moose Lake, and others, they all have wait lists with 30 to 40 people. I’m sure there’s some overlap, but that’s still a substantial amount of people looking for hangar space.
“We have all this extra acreage where we could make more hangars, some of which will be for rent. We are currently scoping about 20 acres for hangars and with that, we are looking at about 23 buildings—which would be 69 hangars. People will be able to build their own hangars, including box hangars, and expect that we will have some for rental as well. It would be a 99-year lease—consider it yours.”
The initial plans call for hangars to be 40 by 60 feet, with in-floor heat and bifold Schweiss doors. Four of these predesigned Morton buildings will be listed for sale in late spring and built on demand once purchase agreements are in place.
Clattenburg provided an overview of his plans for 2025, which includes marketing efforts, as well as breaking ground on additional airport infrastructure.
“Improvements to the land would include some initial hangar space that is going to be right off the runway,” he said. “We have a 2-acre piece of land that we are going to use to test the waters with hangars to see what the market adoption will be. Then marketing, we will be making some additional content, videos for sure, and hosting some additional fly-ins now that the runway is usable. Getting people to come in and enjoy what we built here allows the airport to speak for itself.”
The first planned fly-in for this year is scheduled for June 7.
“[It will feature] food trucks, music, and games,” he said. “YouTuber Grant Baker has already confirmed he’ll be stopping by with his family in a PC-12, and I’m working on securing additional display planes for the event. Anyone interested in flying in to tour the airpark [at other times] is more than welcome. We just ask that you coordinate with us through the contact form on our website so we can track visitors and notify you of any runway maintenance or mowing.”
