If exploring the U.S. in your airplane and camping out under the wing is your idea of a grand adventure, then a new group called the American Air Campers Association is eager to provide you with all the resources you need. They are building a website with a directory of aviation-accessible campsites, along with an online gear store where you can rent or buy equipment for your trek. The group also plans to lobby for continuing access to airports and improved facilities, Don Abbott, founder of the for-profit group, said at Sun ‘n Fun this week. “We think adding camping facilities is a great way for airports to attract more traffic,” Abbott said. “We want to promote, preserve and protect the combined freedoms of camping and flying in America. And we want to get young people out to fly with us, to hike and laugh and tell stories by the campfire with us, and get away from their video screens.”
Memberships in the for-profit group are $49 a year and include full access to the Web directory, which will go online next month, Abbott said. It will launch with about 1,000 airports listed, and later will add seaplane sites. Users can search according to a variety of criteria, such as facilities on site and access to parks or other attractions. Each site will include information about nearby places of interest such as where to rent a car or find a hotel or hospital if needed. The AACA also plans to organize camping fly-ins and eventually would like to create new fly-in camp facilities. Lots more info about the group is available online on their website.
