Breakfast
Club
An Affiliate of the
The Knife & Fork
Breakfast Club Visits Payson, Crosswinds
Restaurant
12 Jun 2004
by Warren McIlvoy
The June Breakfast
Club event saw the BC squad head for a
place that has never been a primary event destination. Payson, a mere
50-60 nautical miles depending on which valley airport that you depart from,
has been an alternate destination when the weather has gone south at our primary
target. Another nice thing about a "close-in" breakfast target is
that it allows for a leisurely morning routine as it is a short hop and, on the
way home, you’re not getting beat-up by afternoon turbulence. The one
snag in the morning plans was getting out of
We arrived at the
The ride to Payson was routine and smooth as is typical at this time of
the morning. It was at Payson that things got a little more interesting
as this was our first venture at Payson with the new traffic pattern on
the north side of the runway. There was enough traffic to keep it interesting
but not to cause any irregular flows as there was enough chatter to verify
where everyone was in the pattern. Parking was at a premium as the east ramp
was closed due to the Forest Service setting-up facilities
to accommodate fire-fighting aircraft (little did they know at the time). The
small ramp in front of the restaurant was also posted as being
"reserved" but for what I had no clue. We ended-up on the east side
of the camp grounds that separated that ramp from the far west ramp area.
Adding to the congestion was an EAA, Young Eagles event that
blocked the taxiway on the north side of the hangars. And if that was not
enough, besides the Breakfast Club gang, there was also another group of
"tail-dragger" enthusiasts to mix into the fold. If you thought ramp
parking was at a premium, seating in the restaurant was also scarce. The Breakfast Club gang
was seated in the "patio" portion of the restaurant along with the
"tail-dragger" folks. Payson has long been a favorite of the
"$100 hamburger" gang for many years. I can remember
the days when the restaurant consisted of two, small single trailers, joined
together at right angles. Seating was about a quarter of what it is now and the
cook was also the radio operator. In those days, calling-in for
"advisories" was a bit of a hit or miss operation depending on how
busy the cook was. Parking was limited to the front and east sides of the
restaurant and the weather reporting station was a rock suspended from the
juncture of three sticks joined at the top. If the rock was swinging, it was
windy. If the top of the rock was white, it was snowing. And if the rock was
gone, there were tornados in the area. Payson is also considered by many
to be the quintessential GA airport. A small town airport inhabited by a wide
variety of aircraft ranging from the "near" antique; many of the more
contemporary models; to some of the newest "plastic" wonders with the
latest in flight deck bells and whistles. It is not uncommon to see folks
sitting on the elevated walkways on the north side of the restaurant and
watching the aircraft activity on the runway and ramps. A little bit of modern
day
As the Payson portion of the weekend's activities drew to a close, we boarded
our aircraft again only this time, our Grand-Daughter, Nicole Dreos
got the co-pilot's seat as it was her turn to fly the aircraft. This was not
her first trip with us as she and her dad enjoyed a trip to Sedona when Nicole
was 6 years old. Nicole also attended a Breakfast Club event
to the
The winds at Show Low were under 10 knots and favored the shorter runway
21. An uneventful landing and taxi to the transient parking and it was time to
enjoy some cooler weather for the rest of the weekend. Nicole's younger
brother Conner was staying with their other Grand- Parents who had a
summer home in Pinetop and as a reward for bringing Nicole up
there, we were asked if we were interested in staying for the weekend. Now let
me think about this for a moment; cooler weather, Pinetop, dinning on the deck
overlooking the Pinetop Lakes Country Club, cooler weather, an
early Sunday evening flight home, ahhhh.................................
It took all of maybe 3 to 4...........seconds to determine that this would be a
great way to spend the weekend.
On Sunday morning, I awoke at about 0600 and, as is my normal morning routine,
I prepared to take my usual two mile morning hike. I donned my shorts, tee
shirt, and walking shoes and exited the door to the wood deck at the rear of
the house overlooking the golf course. Burrrrrrrrrrrrrr, big mistake. I got
about ten feet out there and quickly came to the conclusion that I was not
properly clad for hiking in weather that was in the low 40's. Quickly retracing
my steps back into the house, it was on with the long pants, a shirt over the
tee shirt, and a borrowed jacket from my wife, and then it was back outside to
challenge the brisk morning chill. I followed the cart path for about a mile or
so which afford me the time to admire the beauty of the golf course and the
homes nestled in the trees that line the perimeter of the fairways. I could
easily get used to a life style such as this, could not afford it, but yet, I
could get used to this.
We departed Show Low at about 1830 for the one hour flight back to reality and
the hot valley weather. The ride was much smoother than the flight from Payson
even with a slight head wind. All in all, a great weekend, aviating, fellowship
with flying buddies, a weekend in the
The Payson Gang
What's On Tap?
July will see the Breakfast Club make another short trip to Marana Northwest Regional
(aka
Click on the Payson link to view photos of this fly-in event.