I live on a runway – when I want to pop out I just jump in my plane and take off… it costs about the same as driving
A PILOT who chose to live on a runway explains that jumping in his plane and taking off costs him almost the same as driving.
After looking for a home that could house his airplanes, Joe Sobczak, 69, decided that his new address would be at a residential airpark in Groveland, California.
The pilot bought a £550,000 three-bedroom, seven-bathroom property at the Pine Mountain Lake Airport where he could keep his Beechcraft T-34 Mentor plane.
And whenever he needs to pop out, the 69-year-old just jumps on his plane and casually jets off.
The former US Air Force fighter jet pilot told CNBC: “I don’t really have to tell anybody if I’m going flying. All I have to do is taxi out and take off.
“It’s never loud …. It’s so quiet that it’s noisy.”
Joe explained he prefers using his plane for transport rather than a car because it makes him feel safer.
The test pilot who mainly works out of the San Francisco International Airport takes a 45-minute flight to nearby San Carlos Airport and then drives another 15 minutes to get to work.
“The reason I feel safer in the airplane is because I have total control of my environment, as opposed to driving a car where it’s me and the 5,000 other cars that pass me by on the way to the Bay Area.
“In the airplane, it’s all under my control.”
But safety is not the only reason Joe prefers flying to driving.
He explained that flying to work costs him about the same as the three-hour drive.
Joe bought the aircraft for £140,000 alongside another pilot and the two of them share maintenance costs.
They have been able to save a lot on repairs as Joe is a certified engineer and often does the work himself.
Fuelling the plane costs him about £0.80 more per gallon than a car which means a roundtrip to work costs him about £95- close to what he’d spent if he’d driven to work.
When it comes to his new neighbourhood, Joe said he loves being part of his new community.
There are about 90 homes with direct access to runaways at the Tuolumne County airport.
As there is no control tower residents use a common traffic advisory frequency
Joe added: “It’s a phenomenal social environment because you have an immediate group of people who have common interests.
“The services are somewhat limited, but the trade-off is easily offset by the serenity and peacefulness of [the community].”
And even though he owns three homes, Joe admits this one is his favourite and has no plans of leaving anytime soon.
He said: “I plan on being here for quite a while. I can live up here. Fly airplanes.
“Stay out of the congestion of the Bay Area. Breathe the fresh air and take a trip to Yosemite in 30 minutes. It’s all the justification I need.