Aviation enthusiasts find home in Brussels countryside
BRUSSELS - Tucked into the farmland of Brussels in southern Door County is a tree-lined road named Lovers Lane. It’s barely wide enough to support two-way traffic much less anybody thinking of parking along the roadside taking advantage of its namesake.
Lovers Lane, however, is where homebuilt planes are parked. It’s the location of an airpark for passionate aviation enthusiasts.
The Crispy Cedars Airfield drew about 50 people and a few planes on Saturday for an open house celebrating the beginning of Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture Fly-In & Convention this week in Oshkosh. The fly-in is expected to draw a half-million people.
The aviation visitors marveled at Jan Eggenfellner’s hovering-style landing of his home-built two-seater. Unique on the market, it is a Super STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) aircraft. It features larger tires, big shocks and powerful lifting capabilities. The aeronautics engine designer flew in from Edgewater, Fla., for the EAA convention and to meet up with Jon Croke, who creates how-to videos internationally through HomebuiltHELP.com and is a columnist for Kitplanes magazine. Croke is also home/hangar owner on the Brussels airstrip.
Prior to Eggenfellner’s sky show, Ken Simonsen and Craig Jubin of the Green Bay Model Airplane Club flew their radio-controlled planes in acrobatic formations and amazed the small crowd with racing/trailing runs. Visitors also had the opportunity to get behind the handheld radio-transmitted controls of the RC planes.
It was all about airplanes.
The Crispy Cedars grass runway is 2,000 feet long, splitting the center of 80 acres of wide open field. Currently surrounding the airstrip is a farmer’s soybean crop. The runway is registered with the Federal Aviation Administration and Wisconsin Bureau of Aeronautics. More precisely on the maps as airfield 7WI8.
The farmer’s leased cropland will eventually become an aviation community. Airport home parks are rare and it’s the only one in Door County. Similarly, it’s like an avid angler living on a lake or an enthusiastic golfer residing in an estate surrounding a golf course. It’s what you love to do.
Three of the homeowners also built hangars on their lots, and five properties are still available. Each lot is about 3 acres and begins at $27,900. It is an aviation community with an all-access runway.
“It’s not like we have planes taking off constantly. It’s quiet. It’s very neighbor-friendly hobbyists,’’ said airfield owner Kevin Slezewski, adding, “When we (and wife Tracy) bought the property, it was a dream to put in a runway for ourselves, but later decided to share it with neighbors who also love aviation. We’ve been using it as a runway since 2003 and it has been an airpark since 2006. The lot owners have deeded access to the runway. There are no home owners association dues.’’
The airstrip is designed for single-engine land-based take-off and landing operations. “A Lear Jet or a business jet couldn’t land here,’’ said Slezewski.
Crispy Cedars does welcome private pilots at any time. “Just let us know you’re coming,’’ he said. There is no fee to land. Same heads-up courtesy would apply to radio-controlled airplane enthusiasts. Call 920-495-7539. More information is available at www.crispycedars.com.