General aviation businesses are high-risk propositions in all seasons. But when an economic hurricane such as the recent credit crisis spawns a collapse in the housing market and a precipitous drop in general aviation manufacturing, a residential airpark near GA's epicenter would seem doomed. Yet Lloyd Stearman Field-a privately owned, public-use airport in tiny Ben-ton, Kansas, just outside Wichita-is succeeding despite the broader financial devastation and its own seemingly disastrous timing. During the seven years since several partners-all biplane owners and pilots-bought a then-dilapidated airfield, the number of airplanes based there has swelled to 145 from 27; the runway has been widened and lengthened (twice) to 5,100 feet; new hangars have been bui sales of condominium hangars and private homes are solid; and a new airport restaurant with an outdoor stage for live performances has become a vibrant cash cow.
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