This story is tragic. And its setting’s circumstances are bizarre.
All around the country there are numerous private communities that are built around a central airplane runway. One of the largest of these is Jumbolair. Jumbolair is located in an unincorporated area northeast of Ocala, Florida.
The airport around which the community is built is known as Greystone. Its main runway is 7,200 feet in length — long enough to accommodate a Boeing 747. The community claims at least one famous resident: John Travolta owns one of the properties adjacent to the runway.
Two years ago a group of teens snuck onto the property at night. One of them had driven his father’s BMW M5 sedan onto the runway to see how fast he could reach, using the runway as a closed track. He lost control near the end of the runway and crashed the car, killing himself and all four of his passengers in the process.
The 18-year-old behind the wheel of a BMW that crashed this weekend, killing five Florida teens, was reportedly online hours earlier seeking advice on how to handle the $80,000 car at speeds of 140 mph and above.
Kyle Hayes