Best "little" airports?

[avbug]

Greybull, WY. Lots of neat equipment you'll find nowhere else, and you'll get closer to it while it's still "alive" than anywhere else, too. Stop at Cody while you're there; good museums.

Grangeville, ID. Good Mexican place at the east end of town at the top of the hill. Little bit of a walk, but Idaho has courtesy cars at all the airports, that can be rented for the day for local use. Well worth it.

Kanab, UT, while you visit and fly over the Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion. Go east and hit Monument Valley, and land at Monument. Half paved, one-way, and very scenic.

Polk City, FL. Kermit Weeks museum is worth the visit.

Chino was already mentioned, but I second it. (Caifornia). Go there for the day. SBA is a beautiful place, but expensive.

Yipsilanti, for the Yankee Air Museum.

Liberal Kansas, for the Liberal Air Museum.

Tuweep, AZ. If you go anywhere, land at Tuweep. Take a camera, and make sure your insurance is paid up. Call the GCNP to make sure it's open, too, and for darn sure, drag the strip before you land on it, especially if you have a fabric airplane. Also, take water and food, and carry enough fuel to go somewhere else...there's none at Tuweep.

Whiteriver, AZ. Get with a local before you go there; know what you're in for, but it's a great trip, and there's a good place (several, actually) just a short walk into town. It's on the Whiteriver Apache reservation.

About a million other places. Some of the best places don't have airports...and that's what makes them great to visit from the air. When you're flying, it really doesn't matter where you go or how long it takes to get there, so long as you're happy where you are.

 

[SeaBass]

There's good Mexican in Idaho? My guess would be a twice baked potato and refried beans, eh? Also, Ypsilanti is better known for the great 25 cent drafts at the Diamondback Saloon, Yeeee Hawwww!

SeaBass!

 

[throttlejockey]

Here are a few straight out of my LogbooK:

Friday Harbor (FHR) - San Juan Is. WA.
Crest (S36) - Crest Airpark WA.
Snohomish (S43) Harvey Field WA.
Cook County (CKC) Grand Marais MN.
La Pointe (4R5) Madeline Island WI.
Washington Island (2P2) Washington Island Wi.
Mackinac Island (MCD) Mackinac Island Mi.
Beaver Island (SJX) Beaver Island Mi.
Chicago (CGX) Meigs Field IL.
Lake Placid (LKP) Lake Placid NY.
Cleveland (BKL) Burke Lakefront OH.
Toronto (CYTZ) City Centre Airport ONT.
Ottawa (CYRO) Rockcliffe Aerodrome ONT.
College Park (CGS) College Park, Maryland
Stow (6B6) Minute Man Air Field, MA.
Creve Coeur (1H0) Creve Coeur Mo.

Just a few, I can't remember them all.

BTW - Rockcliffe in Ottawa is also where the Canadian National Air Museum is - very cool stop.

throttlejockey

 

[Ameriagle]

If your travels take you thru Northern California Shelter Cove on the NoCal coast is a must. Beautiful little airport right on the ocean...great view and a nice little bed and breakfast. If you like to camp Trinity Center is also a fun stop. Enjoy.

 

[AWACoff]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Lamberts Cafe in Sikeston, MO (SIK). It's in the bootheel. Their motto is "Home of the throwed rolls". It's friggin riot. Every 10 minutes they come out with fresh hot rolls. They are about the size of a softball. The catch is that there are tons of mobiles hanging from the ceiling so in order to get one all the way across the restaurant, they have to really zip 'em. The best was watching some old lady get beaned in the head! They simply handed her one after that. It's all you can eat. A hamburger is about $7 and is the size of your dinner plate. They also come around with huge vats of fried ocra, stewed tomatos and macaroni, and white beans. These are all free with your meal. Also, when you fly in, they pick you up at the airport and take you in through the backdoor if it's busy. Then on your way out, they give you a cinnamon roll and travel mug....for FREE! The mug sells for around $5 or $10 in their gift store. It is not a place to be missed!!!!! There's also a Lamberts in the Springfield, MO area but it sucks compared to the original in Sikeston. Giddyup!

 

[avbug]

Yep, there is some great mexican food in Idaho. That's not surprising, as English is fast becoming a minority language in the western US.

Then again, I got into Sparta (TN) last year, turned on the TV, and there was a spanish station on.

Fresh, made by folks who learned to cook it in mexico, served hot, and plenty to go around. Good stuff. I was having dinner at the little resteraunt in Grangeville once, outside on the porch. I was talking to one of the cooks/owners, a young man about twenty five or so. He liked to come over and talk, as I speak Spanish. Half way through the conversation, he excused himself, jumped over the wrought iron railing, ran down the block and leveled some guy who was hasseling a girl. He ran back up to the restraunt, jumped back over the railing, and said, "now, where were we?"

Good folks, good food.

 

[IDpilot]

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.

 

[TDTURBO]

Stingray,

Here is an excellent shot of Telluride airport of a King Air departing 27.............



http://www.cessna.org/forums/attachments/9498-b200_01wallpaper800.jpg

 

[Mike Reyna]

Here are a few straight out of my LogbooK:

Friday Harbor (FHR) - San Juan Is. WA.
Crest (S36) - Crest Airpark WA.
Snohomish (S43) Harvey Field WA.


throttlejockey

Looks like you've been to a few in my neck of the woods. Snohomish is just a couple miles away from where I live.
Oh, I also want to add Boeing Field (BFI)-Seattle, WA, Wauseon, Ohio (USE), Goshen, IN (GSH), & Muncie, IN (MIE).


Mikie

 

[Boss_BlueAngels]

How small are you talking?

If you're looking for an old fashoned, home town type of airport then I have the one for you! Its a small, 1,700 foot strip, 34 foot wide airport in western Washington state called "Firstair Field" and is W16... This place is awesome... in the early morning, and late evenings, though, you have to watch out for a family of deer and cyotes that live near the field. The FBO is a small double-wide trailer thing, the schools fleet consists of two Cessna 150's, and a Mooney Mk21... Not even any fencing around the air field. Can be VERY, VERY tricky to land at, specially for the Mooney... I've seen it take some students 7 ATTEMPTS before they even got the wheels close to the ground!! We have an old 1940's fuel truck, and if you come on Saturdays we always have a bowl of soup waiting for out-of-towners.

The last out-of-towners we had here were in a Cessna 206 Amphib with turboprop, and we took the guys out to lunch, and in return they gave us a quick trip in the pattern in their plane.

Hope this helps!
God bless!

 

[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.