AOPA President Phil Boyer and his wife visited a one-of-a-kind fly-in community and bed and breakfast enroute to Sun 'n Fun this weekend. Jumbolair Aviation Estates in Ocala, Florida, is situated on what is purported to be the world's largest private airstrip. 17FL (Greystone) is FAA licensed with a 7,550-foot paved, lighted runway and a huge 10-acre paved parking pad. On the first Sunday of each month, the resort hosts an elegant brunch. This fly-in brunch is popular with area pilots, with every size and type of airplane lining the grass on each side of the wide runway and business jets parked on the giant ramp.
The Inn at Jumbolair contains five spectacular bedrooms and every amenity a pilot and friends could want from a bed and breakfast facility. The aviation estates portion of the property contains two- to four-acre lots, nestled among the trees, providing "Living With Your Plane" access to the huge runway. John Travolta is building a home in Phase I of the project.
Jumbolair is the result of the vision and effort of Terri Jones-Thayer and her husband Jeremy Thayer. Terri is an accomplished pilot who is type rated in everything from a Citation to a Boeing 747. Jeremy, in self-defense, is now a student pilot.
02-2-022x
Related Articles
