The Joy of Aviation

On August 7, 2011, Duchess County Airport (POU) had it’s first fly-in in many many years. As part of this event the Poughkeepsie Pilots Association held a discussion on fun places to fly to in the Northeast United States. A few themes came through. 1) On airport (or very near by) food, 2) Cheap (relatively speaking of course – lol) fuel, 3) Something to see or do (museum, tourism, etc)

This is the list of airports everyone came up with. (no particular order)

Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, NY: NY94
Old Rhinebeck sent a plane for the event and a couple of the ground crew/pilots/spokes people spoke about the Aerodrome and why it’s a great destination with its museum and airshows. Yes! You can fly in – with advanced permission. It’s a grass (bit of a roller coaster) field that they say is 1800′ (NE A/FD says 2200′). You have to be in by Noon and stay till 5:00 when the show is over. Saturday’s show emphasizes the pioneer era and the oldest* flying airplane in the world. Sunday’s show is the melodrama that Ol’ Rhinebeck is famous for.

*Well, maybe not the oldest. Apparently this 100+ year old plane the Aerodrome flys every weekend is 14 days younger than one in a museum somewhere that gets flown just once a year. So, you tell me, which is “older”.

Kimball’s / Jaffrey Airport, NH: AFN
Ok, you may have heard the owner, Harvey, is a little (cough) unconventional with the way he operates the airport. But ol’ Harv seems to have mellowed the last few years. Whenever I’ve visited, he and his wife have been very pleasant, helpful and courteous. Trust me when I tell you it’s worth it to walk to Kimball Farm for homemade dairy fresh ice cream and wonderful food. It’s a very short walk, practically on-airport.

Sky Acres Airport, NY: 44N
Still a family owned/run airport, this is one of the quintessential GA airports. Built from a farm on the side of a hill, this airport is known for “the one where you have to taxi up that hill”. “The Barn” houses the FBO and the popular Perfect Landing Cafe. Next to the barn is an ice cream stand.

Country Creemery / Turners Falls, MA: 0B5
This location was suggested for the awesome food and ice cream just across the street at Country Creemee. Suggested parking is the southernmost tiedown spot.

Central Jersey Regional, NJ: 47N
Pizza and the Hudson Corridor. Whata combo. This is a favorite of PPA founder/president and his wife. Fly down the Hudson Corridor, hang a right after the Verrazano Narrows bridge, follow the NJ shore line (while staying below or being cleared through EWR airspace) and about 15nm inland you’re at 47N. Focaccia Pizza ‘n’ Pasta is at the approach end of 25. Enjoy a wonderful pizza dinner and the beautiful NYC evening skyline on the way home!

Aero Diner near Windham Airport, CT: IJD
The airport is not terribly remarkable, but the Aero Diner is what makes the trip. The diner is “just over the hill” from the FBO, Freedom Jets, who are happy to point you in the right direction. It’s a classic stainless steel diner car restaurant with good food and (perhaps) period waitress uniforms. This fun spot makes for an excellent weekday jaunt because on every third -Tuesday April through October, they host a cruise in from 5pm to dark. It’s not unusual to see 30+ hot rods and antique cars show up to be ooogled over.

Adirondack (Saranac Lake) Regional Airport, NY: SLK
On field cafe. Nice sightseeing area in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. Friendly FBO.

Provincetown Muni, MA: PVC
It was mentioned that although the airport is a bit wanting, accommodation-wise, (no FBO) and you need to cab into town, it’s worth the effort for tourism activities.

The Red Mill / Basin Harbor Airport, VT: B06
At the north end of the 3000′ grass strip on the east shore of Lake Champlain lies a the “casual dining experience” of this five-star resort. “The Red Mill offers a bistro menu, with lighter fare including salads, seafood, burgers, and vegetarian dishes. It is open for both lunch and dinner.” The food is wonderful and you literally park your plane at the restaurant’s front door. There’s a large play area too with modern jungle gym for the kids to burn off some energy that was pent up from the flight.

Barnes (Springfield) Muni, MA: BAF
On-airport upscale(ish) restaurant and some of the cheapest avgas in the Northeast makes this a perennial favorite. I’ve found The Runway Restaurant to be very good for breakfast and lunch.

Cherry Ridge, PA: N30
2400′ runway in the middle of farm country makes for a quaint location. The Airport Cafe is on-field next to the transient parking area. Service is with a smile and prices are reasonable. Their schedule is seasonal so it’s best to call ahead 570-253-5517. Outdoor deck seating allows you to score landings and takeoffs. They have competitive fuel prices too!

Katama / Martha’s Vineyard, MA: 1B2
(ka-TAME-ah) A grass field with three runways and a parking area within (what seems like) 50′ from the beach – South Beach. Oh! And there’s an awesome on-field restaurant too – The Right Fork Diner. One of my favorite things to do is take the kids to the beach for the afternoon, have dinner at the restaurant, fly home during dusk. Priceless. Landing fee varies based on full or ½ day and whether you patronize the diner. Typically $10-$25. Well worth it to support this wonderful and REALLY CONVENIENT airport. You can pick up the island’s loop bus there too for $1 each way or $7 all day. MVY tower is very accommodating and friendly with transient traffic.

Montauk Airport, NY: MTP
Right next to the beach. The FBO will van you to the beach (I believe the beach is at the opposite end of the airport). The FBO has an outside shower to rid yourself of all that sticky sand before you board you plane, or go out for dinner. Several good restaurants in the area.

Block Island, MA: BID
Probably one of the more obvious fun locations in the Northeast, but it’s always good to have a reminder (the warm season is so short, it’s easy to forget about this SOMETHING location.) Walk into town (down hill from the airport) and taxi back (aprox. $10-15) is the most common mode of transportation. Once you are in town, there’s everything you’d want. Shopping, beaches, bike, scooter, boat, kyack, just about anything rentals. BID has a new terminal too that hosts Bethany’s Diner – a good place for breakfast or lunch if you don’t want to venture into town. Note: There’s no fuel at BID

Honorable Mentions:
These qualify as mentions because either we didn’t get a chance to get full details from the contributor or the location is not in the Northeast.

Flying W Airport Resort, NJ: N14
Where else are you going to find a airplane-shaped swimming pool!? There is a motel, restaurant, ans snack shack, all on-airport. Car cruise ins, concerts are other great reasons to check out this unique destination.

Ocean City, NJ: 26N
This was mentioned for it’s close proximity to the ocean and beaches. It also has an on-field Diner.

Tangier Island, VI: TGI
Tourism and shopping were reasons for mentioning this location. I have never been, and don’t have first hand experience to share. There where a lot of “Yes that’s a good one” from the group, but since it was not in the Northeast, we didn’t explore it.

Penns Cave, PA: N74
I don’t recall why this was mentioned as a fun place. Let me know why you think someone suggested this airport.

White Birch, NY: NK68
I don’t have complete information on this. Something like: On Sundays, some organization(s) hosts a food-related fly-in for a fund raiser for that organization. If you know more about this, please leave a comment. It sounds very interesting.

Do you have a fun / unusual place you like to fly to in the Northeast? Please leave your favorite spot in the comments, below.

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

• Ice Cream at Sky Acres [44N] PIREP
• Doug Stewart (DSFI) vs. P.I.C.
• Fly-in at Dutchess County Airport (KPOU) 8/6/11