Jumbolair Airport is a private-use

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

. It is located in the unincorporated community of

Anthony Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the '' Antonii'', a ''gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton, ...

, which is seven miles (11 km) northeast of Ocala, Florida, United States. Frank Merschman owned and operated Jumbolair until 2019 when it was sold to Jumbolair Development LLC, managed by Robert and Debra Bull. The airport has two

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concre ...

s: 18/36 with an

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...

pavement measuring 7,550 x 210 ft (2,301 x 64 m) and 9/27 with a

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...

surface measuring 3,640 x 100 ft (1,109 x 30 m). According to FAA documents, 9/27 ""Greystone"" grass airstrip was once so degraded that only the smallest aircraft could use it.

Jumbolair

Jumbolair Aviation Estates is an aviation-related gated community and

airpark A residential airpark (also spelled air park) is also referred to as a "fly-in community". The word can also refer to a community specifically designed around an airport where the residents each would own their own airplane which they park in thei ...

situated alongside the airport's runway, the largest private paved airfield in the United States. A horse ranch built by

Muriel Vanderbilt Muriel Vanderbilt (November 23, 1900 – February 3, 1972) was an American socialite and a thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder who was a member of the wealthy Vanderbilt family. Early life Muriel was born on November 23, 1900 in New York City. ...

, which was purchased by Arthur Jones (inventor of the Nautilus cam) in 1980, sits at the community's center. The development contains multiple lots connected by taxiways which lead to the runways. John Travolta and his wife

Kelly Preston Kelly Kamalelehua Smith (October 13, 1962 – July 12, 2020), known professionally as Kelly Preston, was an American actress. She appeared in more than 60 television and film productions, including '' Mischief'' (1985), '' Twins'' (1988), ...

were some of the first land purchasers. The runway length allowed Travolta, a pilot, to operate his Boeing 707 jetliner. Travolta announced in May 2017 that the aircraft had been donated to the

Historical Aircraft Restoration Society The Historical Aircraft Restoration Society, often referred to by its acronym, HARS, is an Australian based aircraft restoration group. The group has two museums, at Shellharbour Airport in New South Wales, Australia, and Parkes, New South Wales ...

near

Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wa ...

, Australia. In January 2007, litigation prevented all property owners in the subdivision from accessing the runway with their aircraft. The access issue was resolved when Jumbolair purchased the adjacent land and remaining airport rights.

Accidents and incidents

On August 26, 1985, a Luscombe 8E Silvaire, registration number ''N47BM'', was observed to make two steep turns and enter a spin at an altitude of about AGL immediately after takeoff from Runway 9 at Greystone; the ensuing crash killed the pilot and passenger and destroyed the airplane. Witnesses reported to investigators that the pilot had previously exhibited a lack of control coordination in the aircraft and had engaged in reckless flying on previous occasions. The accident is attributed to the pilot's loss of control and his subsequent stall/spin and uncontrolled descent. The pilot's "ostentatious display", "improper use of procedure", "overconfidence in ispersonal ability", and "overconfidence in heaircraft's ability" are noted in the report.

References

External links

Jumbolair
* {{Florida airports Airports in Florida Residential airparks Transportation buildings and structures in Marion County, Florida