Mine is Ryan Field (RYN) outside Tucson. The people there are all friendly, and the highlight of my week was going there on Saturday to the Cafe’ to have pancakes and look at all the planes lined up outside the window. The food there was always the best!
I can’t leave out the Roadrunner! He would trot over to the cafe’ door, peck on the glass and the waitress would bring him raw hamburger. He had a fondness for low wing aircraft and you would always see him standing on the wings of a Cherokee or Bonanza!
Pilots would go out and look at each other’s planes and chat, it was fun place to be on the weekend! During the week I would be there early in the AM doing my preflight before my lesson, and nothing beats the pink and purple sunrise over the Santa Catalinas and the Rincons.
I miss RYN, and hope it hasn’t changed too much! Merry Christmas All!
I found a link to the restaurant at RYN!! Now I am STARVING!!! I’m glad to see that wooden prop is still on the wall!!!
Ok, I have one more to add. Sedona! Or rather the USS Sedona! It’s entertaining to watch people land from the restaurant vantage point. I embarassed myself more than once screaming, “Add Power!!!” when I would see 'em on short final. Here’s a good YouTube link showing what its like to land on the USS Sedona! This will make you sick, but he does a GREAT job!!
I’ve enjoyed Livermore Airport (LVK) in California. There’s a wide variety of business jets and props. Resident on the field in somewhat poor shape is an AN-2. I have also seen a DC-3T and Twin Otter there. Many years ago the Lawrence Livermore Lab had a F27 operating a flight between LVK and the Nevada Test Range.
The largest aircraft I’ve seen there was a DC-9-87 (MD-87) that was owned by a real estate company. Unfortunately, it’s no longer there.
A long time ago, I went on a hop with some friends down to Charlottesville VA…sorry I should know the 3 letter any way we stopped off along the way at a small gravel strip called Hartwood, and watched some sky divers come down who were up practicing for a jump they were going to do before a baseball game, the first jumper had to come down and grab an American flag from a guy on the ground…it was pretty cool to watch. Then the takeoff from the gravel strip was a trip.
Haven’t been there in a while, but it was always fun to go and see Strega, Huntress III, Miss TNT, Warlock, and the others sitting out there, plus the rides in the dusting choppers was fun. There was a small diner a long time ago, but I’m not sure it is still there.
Apparently, I was there when the Gossamer Condor made its first flight. Granted, I was only 8 months old, but my dad showed me pictures of him holding me with the guys in the background working on it.
While it’s not GA, 3O8 (Harris Ranch), just for the food.
A third vote for the food at Harris Ranch…I’m sure glad they have truck parking! Decent clam chowder, too…
GA airport in general? OK I might be a little biased here, but it would be my soon-to-be former home airport, KSEE Gillespie Field. Full range of everything GA can be seen there. Just the other day, I was sitting there watching, and there was an ultralight and a G4, separated by about 10 minutes. And everything in between. Largest jet I’ve seen there was an Allegiant DC-9-20, back when they were a new company. And I’ve also seen a civilian C-130 in there. Then, most every weekend, you’ll see the taildraggers heading out in the morning to the hundred dollar hamburger of their choice. Big Bear seems to be a popular destination for them. I especially get a kick out of watching the guy in the Super Courier, clearing the invisible 50-foot obstacle well before reaching the 706’ displaced threshold. T-28’s & 34’s…kits…bi-wings…they got em, as well as plenty of rotor action, due to the sheriff’s base there, and one TV news chopper.
OK!!! THAT IS WAY COOL, CX! BTW, a great place to see the heavies land on top of you is the Inn-N-Out Burger at LAX! You can see the rivets on the wings
Lakeway,Texas-3R9 and Flying M ranch in Reklaw,Tx.-7TA7. Lakeway is up on a bluff that overlooks Lake Travis,just NW of Austin.Call the Lakeway resort and they will send a van to fetch ya.Great food and a Sunday brunch like no other.The view down to the lake is wonderful…Reklaw on the other hand is the greatest fly-in south of Oshkosh.Held every 4th weekend in Oct.Great grass strip 4000’X 100’ and more taildraggers than you can count.They even had a Merlin in 2008.Check out the various videos on Youtube about Reklaw…Herman.
KVGT. Why? The park adjacent to it on Cheyenne and Decatur. That is in the pocket between the thresholds on the approach end of 12L/R and 7. Plus, like KLAS, they broadcast Tower communications over FM radio there, so you can park, tune your scanner to approach, tune your car stereo to 101.1FM, and off you go; both Approach and tower.
KMLE. First non-commercial airport I have ever been to.
KMHR. Capital City Airshow, adjacent to N90 TRACON. Park with a observation area just north of final for 22L/R… not as good as VGT/LAS, but works. MHR was to get the A380 in every other day, but due to UPS both UPS and FedEx cancelling, it won’t.
tossup: KPRX, KJLN, KHHW. Airports I’ve visited along the way that I liked before I got into aviation, and wished that I could have done more at. Bonus for KHHW, because oen day I hope to fly into there and drive the 4 miles east to Hugo to visit my grandmother!
I also want to say that KHND does this too. I hadn’t been down to that field, but seeing that 2 of the 3 in the Vegas Valley do, odds are that they would too. If you go to Google Maps and search for VGT, you’ll see the park I’m talking about between N. Rancho, Cheyenne, and Decatur. They have signs there saying what to tune your radio to monitor ATC.
Same thing goes for LAS, except their parking area is on Sunset Road, adjacent to 25L/R. Unfortunately for LAS, you won’t see much, since 25L/7R is closed for repavement and traffic is landing and departing the 1s. However, in May, that will be the place to park, planespot, and listen to ATC.
any way we stopped off along the way at a small gravel strip called Hartwood, and watched some sky divers come down who were up practicing for a jump they were going to do before a baseball game, the first jumper had to come down and grab an American flag from a guy on the ground…it was pretty cool to watch. Then the takeoff from the gravel strip was a trip.
