By LARRY GRIGGERS
Nestled under the airspace of the busiest airport in the world, Mallards Landing is home to about 150 property owners who love living in this aviation-centric community located in Henry County just south of Atlanta.
The airport, identified is GA04, features a 4,500-foot grass runway, pilot controlled lighting, and a nice comfortable width of 150 feet over most of its length. Homeowners can easily taxi to the runway from hangars located on their lots.
The community features a 76,000-gallon state-of-the-art pool and tennis courts and is managed by a homeowners association and several working committees consisting completely of volunteers. One neighbor even maintains a sophisticated weather station for the use of the pilots.
Interaction is encouraged by two annual fly-ins where hundreds of homeowners and their guests assemble to cheer on the aviation skills of pilots who compete with each other and keep the crows thrilled with their antics. The neighbors take up anyone for a free flight who wants to fly. Many of the residents are commercial pilots, as well as active and ex-military pilots. Some of the resident pilots have flown in every theater of combat from World War II to the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
From a Chili Cook-off that allows residents to compare their culinary skills to Bob’s Movie Night at one of the neighbor’s full-sized old-timey movie theater in his hangar, to awesome fireworks displays on the Fourth of July, Mallards Landing lives up to its slogan “A most extraordinary place to live!”
For more information: MallardsLanding.us
Larry Griggers is secretary-treasurer of the Mallards Landing Homeowners Association.