Spirit of Aviation Kept Dallas Airpark Thriving Post-Pandemic

“My dad, Jesse Thompson, is credited with the idea of creating an airpark," Mark Thompson said. "When I was a kid, we started with an original 100 acres that we farmed. My dad was in the crop-dusting business, so this land was our home base, and we had a dirt strip here.

“Fast-forward to the late 1990s. We had a friend who lived at an airpark north of Dallas, and that’s what sparked the idea of creating an airpark. [Even after coming out of a recession that hit their family business hard], we managed to come up with a very well-used road grader and started cutting a few roads. That’s how the community was born. It was a very slow start, and we’d sell maybe a lot a year, if not every two or three years.”

There have been some challenging years managing the airport. Both professionally and at the airpark, Thompson, along with wife Becky, has continued his father’s well-established legacy.

“We continued to operate the crop-dusting business until three years ago, when I figured I’d pushed my luck long enough,” Thompson said. “I had done that for about 32 years, and between that and being an A&P mechanic, I’ve managed to make a living out of it all, while still trying to sell property at the airpark.”

What seemed to be rocky footing for Tailwind was actually the opposite. Recent years have brought favorable tailwinds, though. 

“COVID came along, and I thought that would be the end of us. It was just the opposite,” Thompson said. “I guess people were trying to get out of cities. I am not sure, but property sales picked up and I’m sold out today. We have 102 lots in the development and 68 have homes on them.” 

Not every home sports a plane, but the spirit of aviation is alive in the airpark.

“We have a 2,500-foot-long paved runway, which has another 1,400 feet of turf on the south end that’s usable,” he said. “The tailwheel [pilots] like to keep the grass portion to fly off of. I have also built hangars over the years and right now can accommodate 19 planes in T-hangars. And I have room to build some more, which I’ll do over the next few years. In total, between residents and T-hangar tenants, we currently have 85 planes based here.”

Tailwind has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1997. 

“With us being rural, the airport is pretty laid back and very quiet,” Thompson said. “We’ve got a good mix of people. Some don’t fly and others are actively flying. And everyone gets along well.”

With many diverse aviation backgrounds among its residents, Tailwind Airpark offers a wealth of aviation knowledge all focused on the next generation of aviation professionals. Thus, in an effort to fulfill that endeavor, Tailwind Airpark has established the Tailwind Airpark Community Aviation Scholarship Program, a non-profit entity dedicated to help approved candidates with some of the costs incurred in the pursuit of an aviation career.

Tom and Jodi Myers have lived at the airpark for five years, something which they would recommend to others to consider.

“We originally bought an existing hangar home at Tailwind in 2019, which we sold in 2023, and built a new home around the corner from it,” Jodi Myers said. “We are longtime aircraft owners, flying our Mooney M20 15 years and now a 1966 Meyers 200D. Living in an aircraft community has been a dream of ours for years.

“[Tailwind has a] great…flying community. We love to watch the different airplanes taking off and landing. There is such a diverse variety of aircraft here. It’s so fun to watch. We also enjoy the rural setting, yet not being too far from Dallas for visiting museums, enjoying a night out, or going to the symphony.”  

Some may even say that Tailwind Airpark is an economically friendly hidden gem.

“Our dues are at $550 per year, which, in my opinion, is about half what it should be,” Thompson said. “At some point, they’ll have to increase, but that’s what they are today. We don’t have a [homeowners association], and that’s good and bad. I think that’s one draw for people is that we do not have one.

“The residents look to me to run and maintain the place, and that’s pretty much what I do on a day-to-day basis. I manage the airport and still work on a few planes but am trying to cut back on that. The runway is the heartbeat of the place—that’s what makes it an airpark and why people are here. At some point, when I’m not here, it will have to go to some sort of a nonprofit entity [for management.”

As the community ages, Thompson is starting to put additional focus toward its long-term viability. Preserving the runway and the airpark for future generations is his primary concern.

“I want this place to remain an airpark long after I’m gone,” he said. “It’s my legacy to offer a place for future aviation generations to enjoy and call home.”