On the market: Oregon homes with airstrips for private planes

Here's a different way to commute between home and work: Fly off in a plane parked in your yard. It's possible for pilots who live on properties with hangars and a shared or private airstrip.

Like the 10-acre property in Yamhill County that is rumored to have been used by D.B. Cooper, who hijacked a plane and parachuted into the Northwest woods with $200,000 on Nov. 24, 1971, after boarding at Portland International Airport.

The property, at 21821 SW Rock Creek Road in Sheridan, has a hangar and private landing strip. There is also a two-story house, built in 1922, with three bedrooms, one bath and 976 square feet. Listed at $279,900, that breaks down to $307 a square foot.

Another pilot-ready property: 4300 NW Charlton Road in Portland has eight acres on Sauvie Island that includes a private landing strip and an airplane. Listed at $1.499 million, there's a two-story daylight ranch house, built in 1955, with three bedrooms, three baths and 4,478 square feet ($335 a square foot).

In this week's real estate gallery, we look at Oregon and Washington homes on the market or recently sold that are perfect for a pilot.

There are approximately 150 pilot-ready homes within 50 miles of Portland Metro area and more than 300 private airport properties in the state, according to Connie Knittel of M Realty, who has specialized in airport homes for more than 10 years.

"Private use, public use ... creates places to fly," she says.

 

One of Knittel's first listings in Oregon was a public use, privately owned 35-acre airport and house in Sandy.

"It was a great experience," she recalls. "I found my appreciation and intrigue of pilots and flight during that time of attempting to sell a property that seemed like no one wanted it. I did a lot of research and investigating on what general aviation really was. I learned how to find the pilots. I learned what challenges these rural airport properties faced. I learned that banks and buyers were kind of leery of a commitment to a home like this."

Ten years later, she's still looking skyward.

"The visual beauty from the sky views from your small aircraft makes Oregon a great place to fly in," she says. "We have places to land."

It is time for you to land, jump out of a small aircraft and walk across the yard to fix dinner? Call air traffic control.

Story and photo gallery:  http://www.oregonlive.com