Breakfast Club
An Affiliate of
the
The Knife & Fork
Breakfast Club Returns to Sedona, Airport
Restaurant
14 Apr 2006
by Warren McIlvoy
Our April fly-in to Sedona and the Airport
Restaurant was planned to be a gathering to experience the atmosphere and
scenic beauty of this special place. You see, the restaurant was scheduled to
close some time in April because the airport terminal was supposed to be
expanded to include a new restaurant on the second floor. But suddenly, the
plans that were posted on the terminal walls were taken down and with the
closing of the restaurant, rumors were hot and heavy about the city
closing-down the airport. I fired-off a note to Stacy Howard, AOPA's regional representative, to see if she had
any information about the status of the airport. Stacy said that the
City was having to resubmit the terminal project to the bidding process because
they had some issues with the contractor. Stacy also said that the City
of
Our long time neighbor Mike Bauer was celebrating his 50th
birthday so I thought that we might make the day a bit more special by taking
him with us to Sedona. After leveling-off at 8500', I checked-in on our
air-to-air frequency to let the rest of the Breakfast Club group that
we were on our way. The air was silky smooth which was deeply appreciated by
all. Since Sedona is only about 30 minutes by air, I decided to do a
little bit of sight-seeing by passing west of the airport and making a turn
around
After making my "usual" greaser landing, we taxied to the transient
parking where part of the Breakfast Club had already gathered. As more and more of the Breakfast Club group
arrived, I was able to get some photos of the arriving aircraft and eventually
I took a group photo before making the short trek to the restaurant. I had
called the restaurant earlier in the week to give them a "heads-up"
and that maybe the patio would better accommodate our group of 30 or more
persons. The temperature was maybe in the mid 50's and a light southwest wind
of about 5-6 mph caused a little bit of a chill. A couple of our folks choose
the relative warmth of the inside tables but the brisk outside conditions made
the "rocket fuel" (coffee for the unknowing) just that much more
appealing. It also provided a better environment for taking pictures, and no Breakfast Club event
would be complete without plenty of pictures.
Sedona and the Airport Restaurant (known as "Stretches"
in the early days) is usually the first place that a newly minted pilot goes to
test his wings. It's not that the scenery has anything to do with it although
it is described by many as being one of the most beautiful places in the entire
country. And the restaurant fare has always been a cut above the ordinary
airport restaurant grub. Even though the airport and the restaurant are located
in what could be described and one of the most upscale locations in the entire
southwest, it has been able to retain its "airport restaurant"
atmosphere. The runway with its noticeable uphill tilt to the northeast can be
a bit tricky in the summer due to the "built-in sinkhole" on short
final to runway three. As you approach the airport from about 5-miles or so
out, it has a very striking appearance to an aircraft carrier and thus the
nick-name "USS Sedona".
After a tasty breakfast and swapping tales and lies, we strode back to the ramp
and visited the terminal building. Following the mandatory "pit stop"
to off-load ballast, we headed back out to the ramp and boarded air aircraft
for the return trip to the valley. Rather than just coming straight back over
the same route on our inbound leg, I opted to veer a bit further to the west
and I-17 to give Mike a little different view of the scenery and since Deer
Valley would be using runway 7, it seemed to make perfect sense.
The Sedona Gang
What's Next?
Our May Breakfast Club event
will be to Winslow and the LaPosada Hotel. This will be a
combination of breakfast fly-in combined with an overnight stay at this
historic hotel. We will also feature a guided tour of the hotel by members of
the Harvey Girls Society. If you enjoy being immersed in history,
this event is a "don't miss". In June, we will make a swap with our
June and August destinations. June will be a fly-in to Show Low and a
visit with the EAA folks up there who will be hosting a pancake breakfast at
the airport. That's all for now but remember, fly safe.
Click on the Sedona
link to view photos of this fly-in event. I have also included some photos that Rob Mooers took while
patrolling the ramp.