<The Breakfast Club


The Knife & Fork

Breakfast Club Visits Show Low, EAA Event





10 June 2006
by Warren McIlvoy

To a pilot, a blend of food, airplanes, and a plethora of other pilots, will make a fly-in pancake breakfast a sure bet and will attract his or her attention like a pack or starving dogs to a meat truck. The Show Low EAA Chapter was hosting just such an event and, well, it made perfect sense to switch our August and June event schedule so that we could enjoy this opportunity. I did not yet have my airplane back from the shop where it was getting a World Class GPS by Garmin, so my wife and I had the distinct pleasure of joining Paul Fortune (BC-201) in his nicely appointed turbo Arrow.

The 0600 weather at Show Low indicated clear conditions with a light and variable wind. Paul was going to use runway 6 as it is the preferred, no wind runway. For the most part, the first half of the ride as pretty nice and smooth but as we got within 30 miles or so of Show Low, conditions changed to scrambled. We were finally able to pick-up the AWOS and it informed us that the winds were now out of the southwest at 15 gusting to 22. That little tidbit of information quickly scrubbed any plans for runway 6. As we came closer to the airport, aircraft were getting in line for the left downwind for runway 3. That is to say that most of us were with the exception of a Baron that was going to use right downwind for runway 24. Following Paul's usual(?) greased landing, we taxied to the far west end of the south ramp.

The last large hangar on the south ramp was the host cite of the pancake breakfast and the multiple rows of tables were mostly filled but we found a few chairs where we could claim our spot. I saw a number of Breakfast Club folks scattered about the hangar but only a few at our location. The chow line was not too long and the EAA folks were a beehive of activity cooking sausages and, most importantly, pancakes and scrambled eggs. Orange juice and coffee complimented the morning's menu.

Following our pancake breakfast, I strolled around the hangar to meet with other Breakfast Club folks and had them fill-out my attendance sheet. Out on the ramp, there was an abundance of people milling about but I only noted 2 or 3 planes that could be classified as "experimental" but on the other hand, I have no clue as to the nitch that the Show Low Chapter is affiliated with. The wind had become just a tad more enthusiastic and walking up and down the ramp gave it plenty of opportunity to dislodge my hat. Following our "inspection" of the many aircraft that lined the rows and winding-up our greetings with many of the other BreakfastClub members, it now time to bid adieux to Show Low.

The wind was now pretty steady at about 20 knots and favoring runway 21 and without further formalities, we taxied out for out departure. The snarly air stayed with us most of the way back but smoothed-out somewhat by the time that we reached the Tonto Basin. As we descended through about 4500', the warm air reminded us that we truly were back in the Valley of the Sun.

The Show Low Gang


What's Next?

The July event for the Breakfast Club will see us traveling north to Valle, AZ and the Planes of Fame Museum. Our August event will take us East to Whiteriver, AZ. That's all for now but remember, fly safe.

Follow the link below to view some photos of our Show Low event.

                                                                Show Low Photos