Neighborhood guide · Fresno

Sierra Sky Park where the hangar comes with the house

Sierra Sky Park is a built-out residential airpark in northwest Fresno, where most homes have hangars and planes can taxi on some streets. Its privately owned runway is open for public use in 2026, and an active EAA chapter keeps a steady schedule of events at the field.

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The Sierra Sky Park airport sign beside the runway area
The airport sign at Sierra Sky Park.
At a glance
Where
North of W. Herndon Ave between N. Brawley Ave and N. Blythe Ave, up to the river bluffs
City or county
Split: most homes in unincorporated Fresno County; the runway and main taxiway in the City of Fresno
ZIP codes
93722
Size
About 110 homesites on a 1946 subdivision of about 130 acres
HOA
An HOA exists; dues and membership terms are not documented. Check each listing.
School district
Fresno Unified, per Census mapping. Confirm attendance boundaries with the district.
Today

Sierra Sky Park today

Sierra Sky Park is built out with custom homes on about 110 homesites around the runway, and most homes have a hangar or a taxi-through plane port. The streets were laid out 60 to 80 feet wide for aircraft, and airplanes have the right of way. The city limit runs down the centerline of Spaatz Avenue, so the runway is in the City of Fresno while most homes are in the county.

The runway is open and in use. FAA data effective Oct. 1, 2026 lists Sierra Sky Park Airport (E79) as privately owned by the Herndon-Doolittle Association and unattended, with a 2,473-by-50-foot asphalt runway in fair condition, low-intensity lights from sunset to sunrise and a PAPI on runway 30. Fresno COG's airport land-use plan, posted in January 2025, counts about 14,350 operations a year from 2016 FAA data and lists no proposed changes to the airport.

EAA Chapter 376 is based at the field, with more than 130 members and a clubhouse at 4344 W. Spaatz Ave.

The General Plan shows future mixed use, open space, office and commercial land around the airport. In July 2022 the City sold 14.6 acres at the southwest corner of Herndon and Brawley, across Herndon from the runway, for a planned medical office building.

Airport ID
E79 (formerly Q60)
Runway
12/30, 2,473 by 50 ft, lighted
Owner
Herndon-Doolittle Association, open to public use
Founded
1946
Most visited

The airpark and its fly-ins, open to visitors

Most people come for the novelty of houses with hangars and streets that double as taxiways, in a community widely described as the first residential airpark. The field is public-use, and most of its operations, 11,599 of about 14,350 in the 2016 count, were itinerant rather than local.

The biggest public day is the End O' Summer Fly-in & Car Show, run by EAA Chapter 376 at the airpark. The 39th annual show was Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, and it supports free Young Eagles flights. A free Father's Day Fly-in & Car Show was also held there in June 2021. Check the chapter's calendar for upcoming dates.

If you drive through, watch for aircraft on the streets; they always have the right of way. Pilots should note that the field has no tower and uses CTAF 122.9.

Where
North of W. Herndon Ave, Brawley to Blythe
Fly-in
October (39th held Oct. 11, 2025)
Chapter gatherings
Second Saturdays
Around the neighborhood

Where people go nearby

  • Riverside Golf Course

    About 2.4 miles west

    The City's public 18-hole course, built by the WPA in 1939 to a Billy Bell design. An April 2026 lease amendment added a $1-per-round fee, and a driving-range expansion is proposed.

  • Riverside Trail

    From the Riverside Golf Course parking lot

    About 1 mile of steep paved trail down to a sandy beach on the San Joaquin River.

  • EAA Chapter 376 clubhouse

    4344 W. Spaatz Ave

    Young Eagles rallies and lunch on second Saturdays, plus ground school in the fall and from winter into spring.

  • San Joaquin Country Club

    3484 W. Bluff Ave, east along the bluffs

    A private 18-hole club. Our Van Ness Extension guide covers the neighborhood around it.

Homes

What the homes are like

Lots

About 110 homesites line the runway area. The streets were laid out wide for aircraft, and street signs and mailboxes are set low so wings clear them.

Age and style

Lots were for sale by 1950 and the first home went up in 1952, so build years range widely; check each listing. Homes are custom and individually built, and most have an attached hangar.

Builders

No production builder is documented. The airpark is built out.

HOA and taxes

A homeowners association exists, but its dues and whether membership is required are not documented, and neither is Mello-Roos or CFD status. Check each listing.

Hangar and taxi access

Fresno County allows taxiing on most county streets, while City code restricts aircraft on certain City streets, including Herndon, Blythe and Brawley avenues, part of Doolittle Drive and most of McCampbell Drive. In 2020 the City proposed adding part of Spaatz Avenue. Verify hangar and taxi access for each lot.

Search boundaries

Some search sites draw Sierra Sky Park more widely, so a neighborhood search can pull homes off the airpark. Confirm runway access.

Insurance

We found no public guidance on insuring an airpark home, so ask your insurer early.

Location

Getting around, and schools

Freeways

W. Herndon Avenue is the main access and runs east to Highway 41. The Figarden Loop links Brawley to Bullard, where the Veterans Boulevard interchange with Highway 99 opened in late 2023.

Distances

Driving estimates without traffic: about 10.8 miles (20 minutes) to Old Town Clovis, 12.5 miles (20 minutes) to Fresno City Hall, 13 miles (23 minutes) to Fresno Yosemite International Airport and 60 miles (about 1 hour 27 minutes) to Yosemite's South Entrance. By air, E79 is 188 nautical miles from LAX and 128 from SFO.

Shopping

The closest shops and services are along W. Herndon Avenue near Brawley. For more of the city, see our Fresno guide.

Schools

Census mapping places the airpark in Fresno Unified. Nearby elementary schools are Forkner Elementary (K-6), 7120 N. Valentine Ave., about 0.6 mile east, and Figarden Elementary (K-6), 6235 N. Brawley Ave., about 0.9 mile south. Middle and high school assignments depend on the address. See our Fresno Unified guide. Boundaries change, so confirm any address with the district.

Map of Sierra Sky Park, California, outlining the area this guide covers Sierra Sky Park Herndon Ave Brawley Ave Blythe Ave 1Runway
  1. 1Runway
Gold outline: the area this guide covers. It's our approximation, so confirm any address. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors; local streets from the U.S. Census Bureau. Open in Google Maps
History

Built for front-door fliers

In October 1946, Bill and Doris Smilie filed a subdivision plan for 130 acres that put a central runway among residential lots, with permanent access easements. The land was outside Fresno then, surrounded by orchards and farmland. FAA records date the airport's activation to May 1947, Bill Smilie was selling lots by 1950, and in 1952 the Smilies built the first home, beside the runway.

A 1963 update to California Vehicle Code section 21114 lets a local authority designate streets within half a mile of an airport for aircraft to taxi alongside cars, and Wikipedia credits the change to the airpark. Time magazine covered the community in 1965 as "The Front-Door Fliers." The runway was paved in 1980; the field once had a full-service FBO, a flight school and a Mooney dealership.

A monument to the Smilies was dedicated in 1996 for the 50th anniversary. In 2017 the City vacated the first 100 feet of Doolittle Drive for the Herndon expressway and trail project, and in 2020 a proposal to bar aircraft from part of Spaatz Avenue, next to a planned retail center, went to the council.

  1. 1946The Smilies file the 130-acre airpark subdivision on Oct. 23.
  2. 1947The airport is activated in May, per FAA records.
  3. 1952The first home is built beside the runway.
  4. 1963A Vehicle Code update lets local authorities designate streets near airports for taxiing.
  5. 1965Time magazine runs "The Front-Door Fliers" on Dec. 10.
  6. 1980The runway is paved.
  7. 1996A monument to the Smilies is dedicated for the 50th anniversary.
  8. 2020A proposal to bar aircraft from part of Spaatz Avenue goes to the council.
  9. 2025Fresno COG's plan lists no proposed changes to the airport, and the 39th End O' Summer Fly-in is held Oct. 11.
The field

Sierra Sky Park, by the numbers

2,473feet of runway
110homesites around the runway, approximately
14,350aircraft operations a year (2016 FAA data)
34acres of airport property
130+members in EAA Chapter 376
Worth knowing

Stories from the airpark

  • Widely called the first

    Wikipedia calls Sierra Sky Park the first residential airpark, and AOPA and the California Pilots Association call it the first aviation community in the world. Wikipedia says more than 500 airparks worldwide trace their origins to the concept.

  • Streets named for aviators

    Spaatz Avenue honors Gen. Carl Spaatz, Doolittle Drive honors Gen. James Doolittle and McCampbell Drive honors Capt. David McCampbell.

  • Run without government money

    As of 2012, the airport took no government funding; resident donations and volunteer labor kept it running. A cookbook, Cooking With Sierra Sky Park and Friends, was sold to help fund operations.

  • Teens building an airplane

    EAA Chapter 376's Skies of Dreams program has teens aged 14 to 17 building an RV-12iS light-sport aircraft at no cost to them.

FAQ

Sierra Sky Park questions

Can you really taxi your plane home in Sierra Sky Park?

On many streets, yes, but City code restricts aircraft on some City streets, including Herndon, Blythe and Brawley avenues and part of Doolittle Drive. Verify hangar and taxi access for each lot.

When was Sierra Sky Park founded?

In 1946, by Bill and Doris Smilie. FAA records date the airport's activation to May 1947, and the first home was built in 1952.

Is the Sierra Sky Park runway private?

It is privately owned by the Herndon-Doolittle Association and open to public use. The FAA identifier is E79, and the runway is 2,473 by 50 feet.

Is Sierra Sky Park in the City of Fresno?

Mostly not. Most homes are in unincorporated Fresno County, while the runway and main taxiway are inside the City of Fresno.

Which school district serves Sierra Sky Park?

Fresno Unified, according to Census mapping. Nearby elementary schools include Forkner and Figarden. Confirm attendance boundaries with the district.

Can the public visit Sierra Sky Park?

Yes, for public events such as EAA Chapter 376's End O' Summer Fly-in and Car Show, held each October.

Buying or selling here

Thinking about Sierra Sky Park?

Baylen and Chris can help you confirm taxi access, hangar details and city or county status for any home here, or price yours for sale.

See homes for sale in Sierra Sky ParkSee sold homes in Sierra Sky ParkWhat's my home worth?Call or text 559-213-7734

Trafton Home Team, brokered by Real (DRE #02022092). Baylen Trafton, DRE #02026482.

Sources and photo credits