Ron Biritz has created not only one privately-owned grass airstrip in his lifetime, but two. Both of these properties were constructed simultaneously, one in Florida and the other in Michigan, the Great Lakes State.
Biritz, who is a 5,000-plus- hour pilot (he said he stopped counting “a long time ago”), said he sold the Florida airstrip in the early 2000s. He has since focused his attention on Silver Lake Airport (MI71) in Mears, Michigan.
“When I was a young guy, I said that I always wanted to be in Florida during the wintertime and up here in Michigan during the summertime. Then, of course, time went on, and the prices went crazy in Florida, and I punched out of there in 2006,” Biritz said. “We moved here the following year. The airport was already here, and the runway was built. Then we started developing and selling off lots after we built a house.”
Biritz spent the entirety of his multi-decade career in aviation while flying various general aviation aircraft—for business and pleasure. As a result, he understands how the industry has changed in recent years.
“I came to the conclusion that the aviation industry has changed quite a bit,” he said. “When I started both airstrips and got my DOT/FAA approval for both of them in 1990, there were a lot more aircraft and a lot more people flying. But there were not as many fly-in communities as there are now. A lot of them cropped up out of nowhere, even though there are less people flying.”
Now, 34 years after he established the private grass strip, Biritz is working to improve it. He anticipates that this investment will lead others to focus their efforts on the airport. This work includes a runway extension, as well as the addition of more homesites.
“After we moved to Silver Lake Airport in 2007, we added two additional pieces of property to either side of the runway, which gave us a mile [to work with]. We are in the process of extending the 2,660-foot-long turf runway to one mile. I still have 40 acres to the east that is undeveloped, where I’ve been pulling topsoil from. We have what is called sandy loam soil here. So we have to grow topsoil to fill in the 15-foot rise in elevation from east to west, a large hole, and a 400-foot deep ravine. When it’s all said and done, I think that I am going to have one of the only privately owned airstrips that will be a mile long, which will be nice,” he said.
Five hangar homes are currently under construction at the airport, with several other lots presently available.
The airport, which is one hour due east of Oshkosh, Wisconsin by airplane via a straight flight over Lake Michigan, has an abundance of outdoor activities, both in the summer and the winter, Biritz added.
“Silver Lake Airport is centrally located on Michigan’s west coast and is a short flight from Chicago, Indianapolis, and Mackinac Island. Many activities are within minutes of the airport. The nearby area offers art festivals, concerts, petting zoos, and farm fresh markets with fresh fruit and vegetables, to name a few. There are also many bakeries, wineries, restaurants, charter boats, and fantastic salmon fishing. The area also offers more than 70 miles of paved bicycle paths. Additionally, the world-famous Silver Lake and Silver Lake Sand Dunes allow you to drive on the dunes and on the beach,” he said.
Part-Time Opportunities
Regardless of the airport’s appeal to various aviation enthusiasts, Biritz understands that not everyone will be able to plant roots at Silver Lake Airport on a full- or part-time basis. So, he has added seasonal RV sites to the nearly 200-acre airport property.
“And now what I also see transitioning is that I think that there is quite the opportunity for seasonal, temporary rentals at airports. I opened up three campsites recently and can put more here,” Biritz said.
“Silver Lake Airport is the only private airport within 60 miles. I have already started the campground with two sites which are currently spoken for. I will be putting in 10 more this fall and eventually a total of 40. Each site will have two-and-a-half wooded acres for privacy. Next year I will have several dedicated for Airbnb. I will also be offering two yachts—one 36-foot Albin trawler and a 48-foot Viking motor yacht for residents to charter and or guests to use as a short-term rental,” he said.
