Super Cub Owner's Property IS NOT Within The Control Of The HOA
A seaplane owner has incurred the wrath of a local homeowner’s association which claims his attempts to safeguard public safety violate its bylaws.
The viral Reddit post recounting the dustup has been up-voted nearly ten-thousand times. The post, titled “AITA (Am I The Ass**le) for ignoring my neighbors and their HOA group?” was uploaded by @Infinite-Badger1632, a seaplane-rated private pilot who operates a Piper Super Cub on floats from the vicinity of his lakeshore cottage.
Concerned for the safety of swimmers and boaters, @Infinite-Badger1632 used lines of buoys and warning signs to delineate that area of the lake upon which he operates the Super Cub—and of which he is the lawful owner. @Infinite-Badger1632 states, “I decided to add the buoys and signs because whenever I take my seaplane out, there are sometimes boaters/ kayakers who will stop to watch me leave. Normally this is not an issue if they keep their distance, however recently, they have been getting too close for comfort.”
Shortly after deploying his buoys, @Infinite-Badger1632 received a letter from a local HOA demanding he not only remove his signs and buoys, but relocate his airplane to a local seaplane base.
Exhibiting laudable temperance, @Infinite-Badger1632 wrote a letter of his own, in which he explained the purpose of the offending signs and buoys, and politely reminded the letter’s recipients that he and his home and property neither belonging to, nor fall under the auspices of the HOA. He went on to state that the signs and buoys would remain as they are.
Some days later, @Infinite-Badger1632 was paid a visit by an HOA representative whom he instructed to immediately and alacritously remove herself from his property, lest he have her arrested for trespassing. Some colorful words were exchanged before the visitor likened @Infinite-Badger1632 to an inglorious but necessary component of the digestive tract, and departed.
BurdenedMind79 offered the following, compelling response to @Infinite-Badger1632‘s original posting:
“As someone who lives in the UK, I find this whole HOA thing both fascinating and bizarre. It always seemed contrary that in the land of the free, its possible to have your neighbours decide what is acceptable to do with your own land. If someone came on to my property and told me how long I was allowed to leave my bin on the street, I'd laugh in their face and tell them to sit on my very wide thumb and swivel till they bleed! If they tried to issue me a fine, I wouldn't wait for them to sit.”
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (05.04.24)
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