Need to Live Near the Sanford Airport?

mcooper

New Member
I was thinking of attending DCA, but we were thinking of living more towards the Orlando area (or any area nicer than Sanford from what I see and here) since my wife would be working and and my young ones would need to go to school and daycare.

Is there a reason you couldn't live further than a couple miles from the airport?
 
You can live where you want, but I hate long trips to work. Lake Mary is nice, but if you want to go east, Titusville is good, too. I moved to Titusville a year and a half after I finished with Comair(DCA) because it's got everything I'm looking for, beach, Disney (other attractions), and beach, plus we are close to the beach, and I can go boogie boarding with my kids, and we are close to the beach. But the number 1 thing about Titusville, my house shakes a bit during a rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, plus it's close to the beach. Florida has a lot of beaches, but not many of them rumble during a Space Shot.
 
Two follow ups for you 9L...

1. Although partly for my wife being able to work, I was also asking because I didn't know how early you had to be there and/or how random (or volatile if you will) the scheduling is. IOW, do they call you and say hey, we need to go up on 30 minutes?

2. You mentioned you moved after you finished the academy. Did you get picked up by one of the regionals? I ask because I guess I didn't expect that you'd be in that area still.
 
JMO, but that's about an hour away isn't it? Would you rather spend the extra 2 hours daily commute with your family instead? If you look up housing you can almost always include a search for surrounding areas and then you might be able to find something closer, if you want. Just a thought.
 
You have to be there at least an hour before each flight, one and a half for instrument. Don't worry, though, that time isn't down time, it's prep time. Almost the same thing I did at Comair(DCA) I do with my airline, today. From Take-off performance to Cruise Data, to everything else, it's DARN GOOD training.

On a side note. When I went to the academy, I had a wife and 2 kids. She is, and was, a full time mom, which ment that we couldn't live on CFI pay. That's why I became a Flight Engineer rather than a CFI.
 
With the kids you may want to look at the Oviedo area. Its about a 20-30 drive, but is known for the best schools in Fla. I live in Deltona. Also about 20-30 min away, from what I've heard the schools around me are good too. Housing prices are great right now and there is about a 19% appreciation rate currently. Take a look at www.apartmentguide.com look at Lake Mary and Heathrow. Altamonte Springs is also a decent area and between Sanford and Orlando. What does your wife do? I can keep an ear out for jobs in the area for her or mail ya sundays clasified sections. PM me an address if ya like.
 
My wife and I didn't like Sanford either. We looked in both Altamonte Springs and Lake Mary. Both are really nice and close. It's all a matter of how far you're willing to drive. We found a nice townhome in Lake Mary. I really didn't feel like being too far away when I start DCA. I already commute 35 miles to my curent job. Lake Mary is realy nice, close to the airport. It's about a 5-10 minute drive from the airport. There are lots of stores and food places in Lake Mary.
 
I don't know about a lot of the other areas around here, but I bought a townhome in Lake Mary and the town is quite nice actually. I am only 5-10 mins. from the airport. It is very nice living that close to SFB if for no other reason than those mornings when you get 6:30 am flights. Needing to be to the airport by 5:30 or so, the short drive really helps. Just my two cents.
 
mcooper-
My instructor wanted me there at least an hour before a flight, which is just like my airlines rules. I don't fly for a regional, I'm flying a Boeing 727 freighter, sitting sideways(Flight Engineer). The money is a lot better, but the advancements are slower. While I was at the academy my instructor would call me up with only an hour or 2's notice rarely. Only if something cool came up, and I was never obligated, nothing like that. The schedual comes out the day before, and that's the REAL THING, don't be late, and if you can't make it for some reason, CALL FIRST. Treat it as if it were your job.

The reason I moved back to Florida is because it's a blast living here. My wife loves it, I love it, the kids love it. Plus Titusville is close enough to everything.
 
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I live in Deltona. Also about 20-30 min away, from what I've heard the schools around me are good too. Housing prices are great right now and there is about a 19% appreciation rate currently.

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I teach 4th grade in Deltona and the schools are pretty good! (At least if you're in my class
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Just keep in mind that traffic anywhere is bad... and typically, in the o-town area, the closer you live to work, the better.. but it also depends on who goes to work more often, you or your wife...and whose got the "worse drive"...doug and I lived in the altamonte springs area (timberlake apts) for a few years and worked pretty much 5 minutes away (crane's roost ofc park) (i could have biked if needed) but by car, it still took me 15 minutes to get to work and it would take me 10 minutes each way to go home for lunch.. but man - was it nice to be home for lunch (I miss that!)!!!

Lake mary is a nice area - there's a bar called cheers there that's a blast with karaoke on friday night - if there's a big group in there called "the happy hour gang" tell them i said hi (haha)... Heathrow is nice, but expensive.. altamonte is ok (safe for living, crappy for driving), i never did like sanford except for the antiquing and used book store downtown... oviedo is nice, but it'll be a drive!! don't go to bithlo - like it sounds, it is in BFE and it is "car on bricks" area... oh - the maitland area is also nice.. but any driving on 436 will kill you!! Deltona is really nice too.. and i think orange city is the next up and coming area isn't it?!

I haven't lived there in almost 3 years now, but i did live in the area for 10 while i was attending school (UCF) and building work time.. so i still know it quite well...

hope this helps!
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Mrs. Jetcareers is right on what she wrote. Kristie, you would not believe all the growth that has taken place in the last three years, around Oviedo, Lk Mary, Heathrow, and Altamonte Spgs. locations. There are numerous apartment complexes within a 10-minute drive of the Orlando-Sanford airport where DCA is located. I suggest that you stay in one of the hotels that have weekly/monthly rates, for a week or longer, until you and the wife decide on what is best for the family. There are two long-term hotels near the Sanford Mall, east of the I-4/ Hwy 46 intersection. The monthly rates for an apartment varies, so look around before you sign the lease. South of the Sanford area, along the 417-toll road, are numerous apartments. The commute would be easy, however the $1.50/each way, bridge toll, is a wallet killer. I use the 417-toll rd. during my commute. The Lk Jessup, Lk. Monroe bridges reminds me of the Fl. Keys, water included. It’s not unusual to go across the Lk. Jessup Bridge, in the morning, and see wild gators lurking around the shoreline. I would ask the DCA peoples for a list of friendly apartment complexes that give discounts to their students.
 
hmmm.. i would have thought they would have already cut the cost of the toll cuz by now - they should have paid off the cost for building the road....

so there's a mall in Sanford now? wow... that's uber kewl! more malls=more traffic.... i still can't believe FDOT hasn't started building a loop around the city to alleviate the I-4 traffic...how bad is it down in the disney area now? just as bad as always or worse (rush hour from 1pm-9pm?)...
 
My wife and I are vacating a $975. a month 3bdrm/2bath/1 car garage house at the end of January. It's in historic Longwood, home to the worlds largest cypress tree "The Senator", yep it's a biggun' yeeehaaa!!!! It's only a 15-20 minute drive to DCA even during rush hour, straight shot on CR427 to Airport Blvd.
Call Jeff Anderson at HD Reality if interested.
 
The traffic south of Orlando, on I-4 is as bad as it ever was. The 417 toll starts on I-4, south of the St. John river bridge, heads east and then south, skirting the east side of MCO, to just south of the Lk. Buena Vista exit off I-4. The beltway is now complete on the east side of Orlando. Another beltway is partially finished on the west side and goes between Apopka and Winter Garden, starting on HWY 441, west of Apopka and then heads south to HWY 27. Getting to look like Hotlanta, but with tolls. The toll road thing is all politics and the “good ole boys” club still in charge. There has been talk of selling the toll road, but, again, just talk. The 408 toll is alive and well and now starts near Bithlow and ends at the FL Turnpike near Good Homes Rd.
 
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