Warbird Information Exchange

Folks,

I know this is a bit off topic, but I figured this part of the forum gets the most traffic and would at least get the most responses... so here goes.

Summer is upon us and a lot of us from WIX are meeting up at various shows and events all over the place. But both in summer and winter months we need places for smaller gatherings or the watering hole to chew the old warbird "fat" for a bit. Therefore I'd like to open to the membership and guests here to post your picks for some great warbird or aviation themed feeding and watering spots.

I will eventually put this in a directory form online for folks to use in their travels and planning for meet-ups.

I propose the following categories:

A) Warbird Theme Fine Dining - Any restaurant with sit down service that has a theme on warbirds both in the historic form or in the modern form. (eg: any of the Tallichet restaurants or the like)

B) Aviation Theme Fine Dining - Same as above but can have a spin on anything outside warbirds that has wings!

C) Warbird or Aviation Theme Watering Hole - Bars, taverns, pubs or more casual places that have a distinct theme in warbirds or aviation.

D) Watering Holes Close to Major Warbird Event - What are the haunts for pilots and crews at some of the more attended events... like CAF Airsho, Oshkosh, Sun n Fun, Geneseo, Olympia, or the like. Doesn't have to have a theme related to warbirds or aviation though.

E) Watering Holes for Major Warbird Meccas - Where do the local pilots hang out at Chino, Midland, Kissimmee, Wright Pat, Pensacola, etc. Again, doesn't have to have a theme related to warbirds or aviation though, but probably does anyhow based on the clientele!

Here are some of my favorites to begin and to show what kind of format we should put them in if possible:

Warbird Theme Fine Dining - Anzio Landing - Mesa, AZ - Great Italian place at Falcon Field. Has a full-wall mural of the Collings Foundation's B-24 on one side. Has airplane ramp for parking. 2613 N Thunderbird Cir., Mesa, AZ 85215 - (480) 832-1188

Warbird or Aviation Theme Watering Hole - Ammirato's Airshow Bar & Grill - Bremerton, WA - Bill Ammirato was a crew chief on P-51 Miss America for a while and has a huge collection of photos and bric-a-brac on warbirds all over his wall! Including... an F-117 gear door? 2901 Perry Ave, Bremerton, WA 98310 - (360) 377-0837

Watering Holes Close to Major Warbird Event - Club 41 - Geneseo, NY - This sleepy college town has this neat little haunt that opens its doors to the airshow crowd during the Geneseo Airshow. You can usually find a few pilots sharing a drink or two and a story or eight! 41 Main St, Geneseo, NY 14454 - (585) 243-4828

C'mon folks, share your favorites and let us know of some of the more hard to find or hidden jewels out there! Anyone know the place that has the B-17 waist section in it in Colorado?

Ryan Keough

However, on the


Most of the places I have seen with aviation stuff and a restaurant at the same time are more hot-dog & fries schaks than fine dining

Well that is around my turf anyway

Auburn CA. Hands down.

They have a couple ten warbird pictures on the wall. But the service staff have other very special attributes..........It's probably the best airport resturaunt in the world.

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Go right ahead and post those too! Make up your own classifications too!

Ryan Keough

What about the dinner we all ate at near the New England Air Museum? I can't remember the name of it.

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Avoid Flo's Airport Cafe at Chino Airport if you want anything more than crummy diner food. Some people swear by it, but I'm not impressed by anyplace whose claim to fame is dead flies on the window sills and farmers in muddy rubber boots (remember, this is dairy cow country- no telling what is on those boots!).

Anyone familiar with OSH will know of Friar Tuck's, located on the west end of 9-27. Watering hole, yes; but Friar's fame really lies with their entrees--even the kid-size burger is made with a third pound of beef. I'm rather partial to the prime rib sandwich myself (chased on its way by a couple of cold Leinenkugels).

Let me know when you'll be at Airventure--The Dennis boys and I will save you a seat!

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If you attend AirSho in Midland, then Michael's Charcoal Grill is the destination. They have to two locations, the old locations has several dozen warbird models hanging from the ceiling and wall to wall pics. The newer location is dedicated more to airlines, but has several large scale models, some nice photos, and gate numbers for picking up your food. The food is also very good. It is a most meal for the aviation minded if you come to Midland.

I think that was the Skyline, Tim. And to through my 2 cents in, We used to have a place called Pilots Grill here in Bangor-Town. It closed a couple of years ago due to retirement of the owner. It opened as a little diner just off the end of the runway at Dow AAFB in 1940. When SAC came in and extended the runway for the B-52Gs and KC-135As in the late 1950s the owners picked up their building and moved it a couple of miles away, in the process of which the diner was expanded into a more upscale restaurant, although jeans and a nice flannel were always accepted. They had aviation art photos and memorabilia all over the place, mostly concerning Dow AFB. There were some autographs, too, of now famous flyers who passed through Bangor or were stationed here.

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94th Aero Squadron at the Lambert Airport, St. Louis; several choices for food, good view of airplanes taxiing and taking off, and best of all, you can go to outside and be just a fence-away from the airplanes going nearby.

Similar restaurant but don't remember the name, at the Orlando City (not the international) airport; there is a Stuart Tank in front.

Pollo Campero [Fried chicken], La Aurora International Airport, Guatemala.

This brand of fried chicken is very popular in Guatemala and elsewhere, they are a large fast food chain and they have millions of customers stopping by to bring chicken to their relatives in the USA (flights from Guatemala are known as "Campero Flights" because of the smell of fried chicken . . .) The restaurant is on one of the concourses, and you can actually watch ramp activity on the main terminal, as well as transient aircraft on the Civilian Aeronautics Apron.

The Aero-Club Restaurant in Iztapa, Guatemala, with a great view of the sea, good food, fresh seafood, and a grass landing strip, that makes for interesting cross-wind landings and take-offs.

Charlie Strader has a restaurant in Guatemala City, near the military entrance to the field; all there is airplane related; great photos on the walls, P-51 prop blades, memorabilia and good beer and food.

Two greasy spoons come to mind:

One at the St. Charles Airport, St. Charles, MO and the other at the Hondo Municipal Airport, Hondo, TX.

The conversation is what these places are about; good down to earth folks, aviation and otherwise; your tipical hamburger and fries fare, nothing out of the ordinary.

Saludos,


Tulio

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I am one of them 'futbol' people.

Will the previous owner has pics of this double cabin sample

GOOD MORNING, WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Press "1" for English.
Press "2" to disconnect until you have learned to speak English.

Sooooo, how am I going to know to press 1 or 2, if I do not speak English????

What about that place at Marana Regional Airport (formerly Avra Valley)? I think it was called the "Sky Rider Coffee Shop"? I've been there a couple of times. Nothing fantastic, but good burgers and friendly service.
And of course, then there are all the based classic aircraft to look at including the A-26 T-28s, Stearmans, the stored Connie, C-54s etc. Unfortunately the MATS Connie is no longer there...

57th Fighter Group for great food and awesome theme and setting.

PDK taxiway Atlanta GA

Mock P-47 out front, French Villa building, tons of great photos and stuff inside. Bring your wallet.

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sorry Brandon, but Flo's is just something everyone going to CNO should experience at least once!

Also good are....94th Aerosquadron at VNY and Spirit of St Louise Cafe at San Luis Obispo.

Missed....the restaurant (and One Flight Up) at Nut Tree - but there's still some great airplanes there if you know where to look

The 94th Aero Squadron at Palwaukee (PWK), just northwest of Chicago. The good old days of this place were in the early '90's, when every summer, Tallichet would fly in some of his planes, and just taxi them right over to the beer garden, where they would stay for a week or so. I remember a B-17, Tigercat, HE-111, and his B-24 "Joe". The B-24 stayed quite a while, before being worked on by the Fantasy of Flight boys and flown to it's new home in Kissimmee.

Fiberglass replicas of a P-38, a P-47 and a Mustang are the current residents. I miss those evenings in the beer garden, watching the sun set
behing the real planes !

Greg

The Downwind Resturant & Bar overlooking the runways here at PDK in Atlanta is another cool place. Its located next to Epps Aviation on the second floor of the airport adminstration building which used to be the old admin building for then Navy Atlanta. There is a lot of plane pics, many of which have come from visiting CAF aircrews & locals. Its family owned & provides some very good food of great variety. There is a really good view of the airport from the deck or inside the bar & dining area. A lot of the local airport people hang out there, & some tall tales are often told.
Regards
Robbie

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