Creating A Private Airport: A Comprehensive Guide

Building an airport is no small feat, whether it's a model or a real-life airport. If you're building a model airport, you'll need to plan out the design, choose a scale, and select materials like cardboard, wood, or plastic for the base. You'll also need to decide on the type of airport you want to create, such as a small regional airport or a large international hub. On the other hand, creating a real-life airport involves evaluating the property, considering approaches, and dealing with potential issues like power lines, cell phone towers, and noise complaints from nearby homeowners.

Design the airport

Designing an airport is a complex task, but with careful planning and attention to detail, it can be a rewarding endeavour. Here are some key considerations for designing your own airport:

First, you need to decide on the scale of your airport. This will determine the size of your base and the number of structures you can include. Choose a suitable base material, such as stiff cardboard or balsa wood, and cut it to the desired size. Use a pencil and ruler to sketch out your design, ensuring that you have enough space for all the necessary components.

The next step is to build the essential airport structures, such as terminal buildings, hangars, and parking garages. You can purchase modelling kits in the scale of your choice or create these structures from scratch using cardboard or wood. Don't forget to include taxiways, runways, and aprons, which can be painted on the base using black and white paint. Runways should be designed as wide roads with solid white lines down the middle, leading from the taxiways to the landing and departure points.

To add realism to your design, include finishing touches such as figurines of people and vehicles. Look for figurines in appropriate scales and dress codes, such as pilots, flight attendants, and ground crew. Place them in relevant locations around the airport, such as near the terminal buildings or on the aprons. You can also add miniature cars, tankers, fire engines, and shuttle buses to create a bustling airport environment.

When designing your airport, consider the surrounding landscape and terrain. Choose a plot of land that is fairly smooth and open, especially if you plan to accommodate larger planes. If the surface is rougher with rocks or obstacles, you may need to use specialised equipment, such as a tracked skid steer loader, to prepare the land. Keep in mind any potential complaints from nearby residents and try to minimise disruptions.

Finally, pay attention to the small details that bring your airport to life. Add patches of grass using ground foam, painting it green and gluing it to your base. Include signage, lighting, and other airport features to enhance the authenticity of your design. Remember to refer to real-world airports for inspiration and guidance, ensuring that your design is functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Build the runways

Building the runways is a key part of creating your own airport. You should design the runway to look like a wide road with a solid white line down the middle. It should lead from the taxiway to the point where the plane lands or departs. Mark the landing areas with eight white bars and add white chevrons to indicate the direction of the runways. Planes take off near the chevrons. You should make at least one runway, but if you are basing your model on a real-world airport, make the same number of runways as that airport.

You can paint the runways on the base in black paint. Pencil in your design on the base first, using a ruler to make sure everything fits to scale. If you don't have enough space, eliminate structures, runways or other items. Alternatively, cut a larger base to accommodate your design.

If you are building a real-world airport, you will need to buy, borrow or rent a tractor and get proficient at pulling a box blade. For rougher surfaces with rocks, a tracked skid steer loader such as a Bobcat, Kubota or Cat is often a better choice. If you have a fairly smooth plot of land with a pasture or a large open space, one suggestion for tailwheel pilots is to go with larger tires, such as bush or tundra tires, and land with minimal surface preparation.

Add the finishing touches

Once you've built your airport, it's time to add the finishing touches. These can include people and vehicles, as well as grass and other landscaping.

For people, buy figurines from craft stores, model stores, or stores that sell miniatures. Try to get them in the same scale as your airport. Look for figurines dressed as pilots, flight attendants, people in coveralls, and families to represent passengers and the public. Glue them around the airport in appropriate places.

For vehicles, find miniature cars, tankers, fire engines, shuttle buses, and other vehicles that belong at an airport. Again, get these in the same scale and place them around the airport.

To add grass, buy some ground foam from a hobby store. Paint the foam green and let it dry. Spread some white glue on your base where you want the grass, then crumble up the ground foam and spread it over the glue. You can also spray the foam lightly with white glue if you don't want to crumble it.

If you want to add landscaping, consider using a tractor and a drag to cut ditches and put down seed. Borrow or rent a grain drill to drag behind the tractor. Put the seed down in late spring or early summer, irrigate it, and add a little fertiliser.

Assemble the airplanes

To assemble the airplanes, you will need to purchase model airplanes. Smooth the models with sandpaper if needed. Paint the airplanes to match the types of airlines you have chosen for your airport. You can add decals for authenticity. Place the airplanes on the aprons, taxiways, and runways.

You can also add patches of grass using ground foam. Purchase ground foam from a hobby store and paint it green. Spread white glue on your base where you want the grass to be. Crumble up the ground foam and spread the crumbles over the glue. You can also put down the foam first and then spray it lightly with white glue if you don't want to crumble the foam.

If you are building a real airport, you will need to purchase or lease land that is suitable for an airport. You will need to obtain the necessary permits and approvals from the relevant authorities. You will also need to hire contractors to build the airport infrastructure, including runways, taxiways, and terminal buildings.

If you are building a model airport, you can use modelling kits or build the structures from scratch using stiff cardboard or balsa wood. You can also add figurines and vehicles to your model airport to make it more realistic. Try to get them in the same scale as your airport. Look for figurines dressed as pilots, flight attendants, and people working on the aprons and hangars. You can also add miniature cars, tankers, fire engines, and shuttle buses.

Lay the grass

Laying grass is an important part of creating your own airport. To start, you will need to purchase ground foam from a hobby store. Paint the foam green and let it dry. Next, spread some white glue on the base where you want the grass to be. You can then crumble up the ground foam and spread the crumbles over the glue. If you don't want to crumble the foam, you can put it down first and then spray it lightly with some white glue.

To create a more natural-looking grass area, you can borrow or rent a grain drill to drag behind a tractor. This will cut the ditch and put the seed down in the ground. The best time to seed is late spring or early summer. You should irrigate the area as best you can and add a little fertiliser.

If you are looking for a quicker option, you could consider using a mower. A rotary deck mower with 18 decks can cut a 38-foot swath in just 12 minutes. This will save you time and effort, especially if you have a large area to cover.

Frequently asked questions