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Relocating Can Be Complicated When Airplanes Are Involved

Housing options may be easy to find, but great hangar options, not so much.

Finding a great hangar can be extremely challenging, and when faced with relocation, leaving one can be even more so. [Photo: Jason McDowell]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A remote worker discovered that relocating as an airplane owner prioritizes hangar availability over traditional housing factors, much like parents consider school districts.
  • The author required a very specific type of fully-enclosed T-hangar with electricity and access to grass runways, which proved to be an exceedingly rare commodity in the desired Ann Arbor, Michigan, area.
  • Faced with a long waiting list for a suitable hangar in Michigan and a lack of other viable options, the author decided to remain in Wisconsin, appreciating the good hangar, flying community, and diverse aerial adventures available there.
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Relocating to a different part of the country is, as it turns out, considerably more complicated when there’s an airplane involved. Just as parents might prioritize school districts when evaluating places to live, an airplane owner might shop for hangar options first and then center the Zillow search radius around the preferred airport. Or, if you’re like me, you become stuck in limbo.

It all started last winter. Fed up with endless frustrations inherent in my public-sector job, I began exploring options in an entirely different career. By spring of this year, I had accepted a new job that is 100 percent remote and allows me to live anywhere. By any measure, it was a huge improvement.

Jason McDowell

Jason McDowell is a private pilot and Cessna 170 owner based in Madison, Wisconsin. He enjoys researching obscure aviation history and serves as a judge for the National Intercollegiate Flying Association. He can be found on Instagram as @cessnateur.

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