Best "little" airports?

[Badger]

Try Wright Bros (NC) in Outer Banks.

Beautiful crossing over the Albermarle sound, the waterways and on into the outer banks areas (North Carolina).

Walk 100 yards to the Wright Brothers monument, good view of lots of large sand dunes/ & ocean. Walk 500 yards, go to lunch, walk 2000 yards and hit the beach for the rest of the day. It's off the beaten path.

Make sure your publish your flight plan when you get it done and provide a follow-up on what needs to get deleted for the rest of us.

 

[bobbysamd]

Airports

I second McGehee's Catfish Restaurant in Marietta, Oklahoma. They raise their own fish in a pond. Perfectly prepared and melts in your mouth. Wonderful. Get the all-you-can-eat deal with the hushpuppies.

I second Sedona, Arizona. Picturesque is an understatement. It indeed looks like paradise. Interesting airport; it is atop a mesa and makes me think of landing on an aircraft carrier. Be very careful of traffic because landings and departures are in opposite directions.

You can then fly over or around the mountain and stop in Prescott. If you fly over the mountain (I believe it is Mingus Mountain) you'll fly over Jerome, Arizona. You can have a meal at Nancy's Restaurant. That was the name eleven years ago; I dunno if the name changed. At any rate, good food, reasonably priced. Watch out for the Riddle stealth planes.

Ada, Oklahoma. The airport is nondescript but within walking distance is Bob's BBQ. What wonderful food. Wonderful ribs, and I was told it was even better before I tried it. Very easy flatland flight from OKC or OUN, for you Airmen guys/gals.

Getting honorable mention is Farmington, New Mexico. Not my favorite city in the world, but some of the scenery, such as Shiprock, is nice. I've heard that Cortez is nice, but I don't recall making it there. The airport is another sort of aircraft carrier. It has a non-federal tower, and I remember the controller in '93 was kind of surly. The Mexican restaurant is not bad. You may have to contend with MAPD airplanes, but not like the way Prescott attracts Riddle airplanes like bees to honey. Go north, and you can stop in Durango, which is an alright airport.

Pueblo, Colorado. It has a huge east-west runway, maybe 10,000 ft-plus. Going there just to watch traffic used to be fun. You'd see a mix of military traffic from Ft. Carson. I recall seeing either a United or old Frontier 737 doing touch-and-goes. It had an outdoor military aircraft museum. I don't remember all the aircraft on display. It may have had a B-47. It had a Fairchild C-119 that was nearly intact.

Finally, I'll toss in a plug for Vero and its environs. Flying along the beach is great, but as you approach Melbourne check your sectional closely and be aware of the KSC restricted area. You can actually see the Shuttle launch pad. I never did this, but I've heard of people who timed a flight for a shuttle launch and were in the air at the time. Of course, they shut down the airspace massively during that time, so I don't know how much benefit you get by trying to watch a Shuttle launch while airborne. Vero has a nice restaurant, C.J. Cannon's. It used to have nice specials on Sundays.

Happy flying!

 

[wildbill]

Coming through Georgia. Try Thomaston, Ga. (OPN) There are six rocking chairs located on the porch for your comfort, with three ceiling fans blowing over your head to keep the heat off. Several free courtesy cars for your use. there are several good catfish places to eat at. If you choose steak. 16oz.sirloin for 10.95 with the trimmings. 2 Golf courses located within 5 miles of the airport. One actually built on the side of a mountain with a view of 25 or more miles. Macon, Atlanta, & Columbus located within a 1 hour drive should you miss the pressure of city life. Fuel is about 1.85 a gallon. Should you want a thrill, there is a skydiving school located on the field. If you want solitude, try a canoe trip down the Flint River or Kayak down potato creek.(class5).
Come by for southern hospitality at its best...

 

[HAL]

Some of my favorites in western Washington:

Tacoma Narrows (TIW): Beautiful views of Puget Sound on approach, especially landing to the north.

Hoquiam (HQM): One of the best airport restaurants, Lana's Hanger Inn. Also just a few minutes flight from the coastline, which leads to;

Copalis Beach State Airport (S16): ON the beach - land on the sand and enjoy clam digging, or just sunning on the beach.

Friday Harbor (FHR): Largest town in the San Juan Islands. Short walk into town from the airport. Can be crowded on summer weekend, but worth the trip. Rent a moped and cruise the island.

And for the really adverturesome, Ranger Creek State Airport (21W): WAY down in a deep valley, at the base of Mt. Rainier. Open summers only, but amazing, incredible views into and out of this mountain airport. Be sure your mountain flying skills are up to date. Campground available at airport.

HAL

 

[ifly14u]

the most beautiful places to fly any time of the year would have to be west yellowstone montana, and jacksonhole wyoming. just my two cents worth.

 

[kilomike]

New England Destinations Flyin'&Eatin'

New England has many great destinations....

BID--Block Island. Great day trip destination, fantastic seafood at different restaurants I recommend the lobsta rolls, scallop rolls or fish sandwich at Finn's.

MVY and ACK--The Vineyard and Nantucket are fun places to go.

HYA--Chinese place near airport is fantastic. I also highly recommend Mitchell's Steak House--the best clam chowda I ever had.

My favorite fly in restaurant is at 22B (Mountain Meadow). It's the Landing Zone. It has incredible gourmet food there and even serves Cajun dishes like crawfish.

If you have the ability to rent a car it's fun to land at GON, get a car and go to "Mohegan Sun" or "Foxwoods" for lunch and a little gambling if you enjoy betting. I went to Mohegan Sun and can vouch for their dee-lish buffet!

Enjoy!! Looking forward to someday checking out the likes of Catalina Island, Friday Harbor and Sedona!

Fly safe,

kilomike

 

[Bluestreak]

I'm fresh off of a 4 day in the 172 to St. Simons Island and can add mega-dittos to Barbra Jeans-sweet jalapeno cornbread-mmmm.We ate there twice,cuz the first time we didn't have room for desert,so we went back for some of the fabled "choccolate stuff" (That's all you hafta ask for-they call it that on the menu).I suggest an overnight stay-that way you can sit on a bench by the light house and partake of the ocean breeze.You can actually climb the 129 steps and tour the light house for a $4 donation.The FBO,Golden Aisles Aviation will offer a car,but we rented one and Hertz and Avis are in the lobby.There is a guy on Ocean Blvd. and 14th street that rents bicycles and it's a nice way to get around.I also recommend the 4th Of May Cafe (Bread pudding with bourbon sauce),Brogens at the marina and the Red Barn.Brunswick and Jekyll also have airports,but only Brunswick has a full-time FBO-Jekyll is usually deserted. Somebody mentioned the 27A cafe-I'm sure they meant the 57 Alpha cafe in Rutherfordton,NC-I get my mail at 27A-Elberton,GA ! The Runway Fish House at AJR-Habersham GA is nice,but only open on Fri. and Sat. nights,5-9:30 PM.Put-In-Bay is nice,but be advised,no night ops.You can rent a golf cart at the FBO to get around with.I remember the AFD saying something like "Expect moderate or greater turbulence when winds exceed 10 knots" and you can believe that ! I'd have liked to stayed at the hotel (Your room door opens to the ramp !) but it was overpriced at +$100/night IMHO.If yer up that way,e-mail webmaster Mark.He gave us a tour of his airport and he has a nice taildragger hizzown bad self.Over in PA,we like to fly to Franklin-Chess Lamberton Field and go to Primo Barones in the terminal building.Butler,PA also has a nice airport restaurant.Why not just go on down to Sun N' Fun while yer at it ? Be sure to stop at Waycross,GA-AYS for the free BBQ sandwiches-Sun N' Fun just wouldn't be the same without a stop there.As for Cedar Key-if you want to stay,make reservations early ! The taxi lady,Judy,listens to unicom and charges $5 for a ride into town.Be advised the runway is 2355' long and there is no gas,no nothing.I also favor the airport at Williamsburg-Jamestown,Va.Nice restaurant in the terminal with a patio,homemade bread,soups,etc.

 

[flywest]

On the short list . .

1. Definately second (or third) Sedona, AZ. Was really kicking myself that I didn't have a camera with me.

2. Electirc City, WA airport at Grand Coulee Dam. Great people, a pimpin family roadster crew wagon, and a great approach over the Columbia River. The strip is right on the Columbia and they even have a "for pilots only" campground right there at the strip. Pack a tent, some fishing poles, and enjoy the solitude.

3. Harris Ranch, CA. Just stopped there for the first time yesterday and had an outstanding steak at the resturant. Great little strip to fly into (emphasis on little).

 

[Slim]

As far as museums go, AZO has the Kalamazoo Air Zoo. I know of it by reputation only. The Canadian National Air Museum is a good stop, too. I have been to that one.

Where is the Commemorative (no longer the politically incorrect Confederate!) Air Force Museum. I want to say Midland, TX but am not positive. I saw it in Harlingen years ago (before it moved) and want to see it again.

 

[aero99]

Mexican food in ID? Come on, Avbug, I live in Texas where the only good Mexican food is TEX MEX!

I have yet to find any good Mexican north of the Red River....but I will try out your place in Idaho

Thanks for the list guys....

 

[rudderdog]

Owensboro-Baviess County, Kentucky (OWB). Here's the deal. Just your average midwest cornfield airport. Once you land and taxi to the FBO with the cheapest fuel, call Moonlight BBQ (270-684-8143). They'll pick your hungry ass up and take you to the greatest BBQ buffet east of the Mississippi. After lunch, pick up some frozen BBQ pulled pork to go. Then they'll take you back to the airport and if you're not over gross, take off and go home.

 

[Dreamof207]

ID Mountain Strips!

Hey easy on the Idaho bashing. We have some of the most chalenging strips in some of the most beatiful land in the country. Problem is most of you Nancy Boys can't hack it in the back country.

Heh,Heh IDpilot!

You hit the nail on the head. I'd luv to see the sphincters on some of these lads as they dump into a few of those strips!

Many in excess of 4500 MSL Less than 2500 feet , some including doglegs! Oh yeah...Lots of them go arounds are not possible...
Can you say committed!!!

A couple memorable ones of note might be Thomas Creek in Stanley (2U8), and the favorite Cabin Creek in the Middlefork Salmon Drainage....(l08)

We got some nice flying here in WA but I think ID has the most challenging flying in the mainland....

Don't know if this thred is still live, but I had to back up IDpilot on his turf!
You gotta love the ability to jump from one mecca to the next in ID.

 

[jaybird]

You certainly brought this thread out of hibernation.

 

[414Flyer]

Re: live to fly and fly to eat!

In Albuquerque fly into Coronado and get a crew car and drive down to Sadies on 4th. St. NW for some killer carne adovado

Good luck with that, Coronado has been closed for about a year and a half at least.


About McGehees, I would not quite call it an airport. More like a Catfish joint with a grass strip in the front. But defintely good food. Not the kind of place to take a twin or underpowered single into, especially in summer.

Hondo Tx has a nice little restaruant (flightline cafe)..Unfortunately the 2001 tornado tore off the roof right over the WW2 Memorabilia and ruined some of it.

Santa Fe NM has nice scenery around. and a good place to eat there. Just be sure you can handle 10,000 ft density altitude in summer. The Sangre de Cristos to the east are beautiful and you can see much much from the air that you can not see from the ground.
Plus you can see Mig-15 and L39s fly around too.

 

[hydroflyer]

I definately have to recommend Friday Harbor (FHR) in NW Washington. Great scenery as you fly over the San Juan Islands and the walk into town is nice. Been there a few times and ate at the Downriggers restaurant next to the ferry pier. Easy to find.
I've also heard that Burlington/Mt Vernon (BVS), about 50-60 miles north of Seattle, has a great restaurant on field. It has two big runways and if you fly in during mid april, you can see all of the tulip fields in full bloom, a nice sight from the air.
Silverwood, ID (S62) is one I haven't made it to yet, but it is a non-towered airport that lies adjacent to a small theme park. Apparently there is also antique aircraft and skydiving around there. Check your directory, but I don't think it is open until May 1st.
I saw Ranger Creek, WA (21W) mentioned earlier. Be careful with this one as it is tricky and leads into a more or less boxed canyon with slopes 4,000 to 5,000 feet high on either side of the strip. Would only recommend going in there when the winds are calm, and maybe find a local instructor who has been in there before to go along on the first time. Definately need to have some mountain flying experience for it.

 

[Kaman]

Hello,
Let me chime in with some places that I've enjoyed visiting over the years I was stationed in California:

1. Borrego Valley: Has a great restaruant right on the field.
2. Big Bear: Great Italian place in the terminal building, and just down the street is a place called the "Blue Ox", one of those shell your peanuts and toss the shells on the floor kind of place.
3. Mojave: Not too much in the way of food, but lots to see. Things might not be the same due to security post 9/11. Also, a great surpluspilot shop in the OPS bldg.
4. Chino: Planes of Fame Museum is on the field, so worth the stop.
5. Palm Springs: Air Museum there is excellent and if you get a courtesy van into downtown there are a lot of good places to eat. If you have time, you can also ride the Gondola up to the peak of Mt. San Jacinto. A cool view from up there (literally speaking in the summer!)
6. Van Nuys: 94th Aero Sqdn on the field and a lot of stuff to see. There are a couple of good pilot shops located on or around the field too.

Other places I've enjoyed visiting:
Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Fisher's Island N.Y., Littlebrook ME and Block Island

regards,

ex-Navy Rotorhead

 

[starvingcfi]

gotta second the moonlight bbq in owensboro, ky. some of the best stuff i've had. my parents actually used to drive 2 hrs just to eat there. great stuff.

 

[Wang Chung]

HAL has the best Western Washington airports nailed! Friday Harbor (FHR) is the premier weekend warrior GA destination. But the one that takes the cake is Copalis Beach (S16). It's a chunk of beach on the Pacific Coast that is designated as a state airport. Preflight planning should probably include checking the tide tables. The damp sand is firmer than you might think. You can grab lunch at HQM which is just a short hop away.

Ranger Creek (6WA8)- great spot if you're mountain flying skills are up. Bring your camera, plus camping gear, hiking boots, mountain bikes, etc. May need to buzz the strip to warn the dirt-bikers you're coming in.

As for Firstair in Monroe, WA, you can also hop over to Sky Harbor (WA64) which is 1900' of grass boxed in with trees on one side. There's some neat planes there (Cubs, Widgeons, projects going on, etc).

In Central Ohio, Packer (5E9) is a couple well-groomed grass strips with Avgas and tons of cool planes. On a nice day you might see a Twin Beech, Stearmans, T-6's, Pitts Specials, Cubs, or who knows what.

Also south of Dayton is Stewart(401) in Waynesville - they've also got Avgas plus Cubs, Stearmans, and other neat planes.

Blue Skies!

Wang

 

[Smoking Man]

Moonlight BBQ

Luvs the Moonlight BBQ.

 

[metrodriver]

Go to Smith Island in the Chesapeake bay. These people invite you into their homes to eat blue crabs, no cars on the island and the english they speak is like 200 years old, totally different then what we speak. Only way to go there is by boat or plane (3000 ft unlighted asphalt runway)
Mexican food: terminal building of Ponca City, oklahoma. They make their own chips. delicious. I never could get anything else during the 10min turnaround, and the place is always packed.
Easton, MD for the key lime pie.
If you go to liberal KS, the museum is very nice (small aircraft oriented with a little heavy iron), otherwise there is nothing.
MAF, Midland TX for the Confederate (excuse me: Commemorative to be politically correct) Airforce Museum. MetroSheriff said something about half moon bay; I think you've got to wait for one of the 2 VFR days per year. Place has the steadiest climate in the US, 58 F average If I correctly remember.
BBQ? the drive in in Elizabeth City, NC. Get a car and drive in to town . The place is on the right side at the main intersection with the traffic lights. Get the NC style barbeque sandwich with the hot sauce and cole slaw (yes!!) and fries. I was there in '94 and the woman taking the order filled up the whole 2ftx2ft window. The sandwhich is huge, just like the basket of fries and cheap! $2.50 including drink bach then. Cheaper than McD's.