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Yes Sir, Falcons Landing Offers a Comfy Nest
Yes Sir, Falcons Landing Offers a Comfy Nest
By Joe Motheral
Photos by Joe Motheral
The gate at Falcons Landing in Sterling opens to a large, well-groomed campus, with apartment buildings, cottages, duplexes, and countless support facilities. It’s also home for retired military and government personnel and, according to one resident, “No one here is rank conscious.”
The process of selecting the location began in 1982 when 12 sites were evaluated before selecting the current location, according to its former CEO, retired Air Force Major General Barbara Brannon.
“We’re around the corner from a fire and rescue unit and 10 minutes from either INOVA in Lansdowne or the hospital in Reston,” she said.
According to its website, Falcons Landing is “a not-for-profit senior living community” and “reinvests all funds into the continuous improvement of the community, directly benefiting our residents and enhancing their quality of life. It’s governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of experienced and accomplished senior leaders.”
Resident Tom Flynn, 89, is a retired admiral with a naval career that included serving as the Navy’s Judge Advocate General. He has a law degree from Fordham and moved to Falcons Landing ten years ago along along with his late wife Mary, who died three years ago.
“Everyone here has some sort of military connection as a similar part of our lives,” he said. “The staff is very knowledgeable. They know what retired military people are eligible for. They can explain what you need to do to be eligible for medical care.”
Admiral Flynn has been living in a duplex and soon will be moving into an apartment that will facilitate his access to the main building. Two new apartment buildings recently have been competed and they include covered foot bridges connected, like the other apartment complexes, to the main building.
His two bedroom duplex includes a fully equipped kitchen, dining area, living room, garage, and patio and his new apartment has all of the same amenities.
The main building, a comfortable gathering place for all residents, includes a spacious dining room, indoor swimming pool, and meeting and assembly rooms. A separate building houses the medical facility.
Residents can also take part in a long list of activities. There are tennis courts and a very busy fitness center, with an arts and crafts studio, woodworking shop, library, and ballroom that hosts parties, meetings, musical performances and movies. Also on campus—a library and a chapel.
There are other advantages, according to one woman who has lived at Falcon’s Landing for 25 years. “Please spread the word to your friends that we have a lot of single women here,” she said with a smile.
The Landing also provides assisted living along with memory care. A small bus also is available for residents to go off campus to local grocery stores and shopping centers.
“For me this was a big item,” Admiral Flynn said, “since I had to quit driving six months ago.”
And what does he do for entertainment?
“I attend shows, dining, and concerts with dancing,” he said, adding that everything he needs is available in a community he clearly adores.
