Colorado Peeps - $100 Hamburger idea?

SkyHog

SkyHog

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Feb 23, 2005
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Castle Rock, CO
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Everything Offends Me
my 5 year old son is scared to death of going flying. I can’t accept that as many of our upcoming family trips will be by air.

So I need to ease him in. I suspect once we get to cruise I can get him to the front seat and with a grab of the yoke, he will be fine. But where do we go to make this interesting?

Based out of KFLY, I’m looking for someplace within about 50nm, preferably some place with a decent burger on field that we can sit and watch planes at. I know KAPA has that godawful restaurant that is overpriced and fancy so that’s my fallback if no one has any other advice.

Please help me sell aviation to my little guy. As you can see below, he generally loves sharing my hobbies.
 

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SkyHog said:
my 5 year old son is scared to death of going flying. I can’t accept that as many of our upcoming family trips will be by air.

So I need to ease him in. I suspect once we get to cruise I can get him to the front seat and with a grab of the yoke, he will be fine. But where do we go to make this interesting?

Based out of KFLY, I’m looking for someplace within about 50nm, preferably some place with a decent burger on field that we can sit and watch planes at. I know KAPA has that godawful restaurant that is overpriced and fancy so that’s my fallback if no one has any other advice.

Please help me sell aviation to my little guy. As you can see below, he generally loves sharing my hobbies.
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I think the restaurant at PUB has reopened. Definitely has a good view of the field with lots of activity during the week.
 
A bit further is Greeley with a good view of the field. Can have a fair bit of traffic on weekends.

I think it’s late in the season for the food truck at Longmont.

The bbq place in the terminal at jeffco, errrr, metro, well BJC isn’t too bad but a little speedy for what ya git.

Front range has a place in the terminal open for lunch except on Sunday.
 
KFLY? That’s the coolest identifier.

I’d say hooker’s and blow at Clark’s house if it were up to me. How far would that be?
 
Ryanb said:
KFLY? That’s the coolest identifier.

I’d say hooker’s and blow at Clark’s house if it were up to me. How far would that be?
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It’s not cold enough to grill burgers at Clark’s hangar yet...
 
Ryanb said:
KFLY? That’s the coolest identifier.

I’d say hooker’s and blow at Clark’s house if it were up to me. How far would that be?
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I know, right? How in the world did KFFA not grab it first?
 
I vote for PUB, and walk over to the museum after.
 
Yes, the KPUB cafe is good. Plus, the museum is there to see airplanes, too.Nice FBO with cookies and ice cream and a piano.

Greeley or even KBJC might be too far?
 
G-Man said:
Yes, the KPUB cafe is good. Plus, the museum is there to see airplanes, too.Nice FBO with cookies and ice cream and a piano.

Greeley or even KBJC might be too far?
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Probably for the first flight, it’s too far.

Murphy or G-Man - tell me about this museum. First I’ve heard of it.
 
PUB on Saturday, not during the week. Both the Academy and IPT (new officers that didn't go thru an academy to get flight training) based at PUB are non-stop during the week. It's why it still has a tower. And the short runway got moved north of the long EW runway - better traffic management. The IPT pilots are a bit better, but the USAFA kids are heads-down most of the time, assuming the fancy-schmancy electronics will tell them when someone is in their way. I've had 2 close encounters - I saw the kids before Denver called them as traffic to me.
 
murphey said:
PUB on Saturday, not during the week. Both the Academy and IPT (new officers that didn't go thru an academy to get flight training) based at PUB are non-stop during the week. It's why it still has a tower. And the short runway got moved north of the long EW runway - better traffic management. The IPT pilots are a bit better, but the USAFA kids are heads-down most of the time, assuming the fancy-schmancy electronics will tell them when someone is in their way. I've had 2 close encounters - I saw the kids before Denver called them as traffic to me.
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Oh it usually works out on weekdays in one way or another...
 
Mom's Kitchen in Akron used to be good ... but it's been years since I've been there ... and it's a bit further than your requested distance.
 
Sounds like Pueblo is gonna be the game plan. Should give me plenty of time to screw around I. The air first and get him comfortable before landing and eating some lunch and watching planes.

If that doesn’t sooth him, I’m not sure anything will.
 
Another vote for PUB. The service at GXY has severely gone down hill in the past months. The blue sky bistro in the terminal at BJC is excellent but has weird hours, and there's also a grill that's decent above signature.
 
KFTG has a good cafe - just check the hours. Akron has good food and courtesy cars.

It's super short but If hop over to KCOS - they have The Airplane Restaurant" which is a restaurant with a KC-97 Tanker built into it - so you could actually eat in the tanker: http://www.theairplanerestaurant.com/

Dean
 
It just struck me as I read thru this ... I think I confused Mom's in Akron with Demi's in Wray... still outside your distance spec.
 
The vending machine in Akron stole my dollar once! So unhappy.
 
SkyHog, Come to the EAA Chapter 72 meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the MLAA Hangar at Meadow Lake this Thursday 11/16/17 and ask around. I'm sure you will get a number of current suggestions. I'll be there and if you ask for Scott, that guy with the Luscombe, somebody will head you in my direction. You might even get a chance to see me make a fool of myself. The same invitation is extended to any other POAers in the area.

In any event, I'm not sure I would fly a reluctant-flyer-child to lunch with its potential for nausea on the return trip. You could make a quick run to Limon and back with the promise of lunch at his favorite place in town.

Good luck!
Scott
 
EXCELLENT recommendation, y'all. Today was Tyler's first flight. He and my wife sat in the back seat so that she could comfort him if he panicked at all, and KPUB was perfect. Nice, short flight, and one of the friendliest FBOs I've been to in a long time. The food at the restaurant was good - I got a burger and Tyler got dinosaur shaped nuggets. The window seats were perfect for watching airplanes come and go.

We walked over to the museum and checked it out too - not super convenient to get to as there's no access from the ramp.

We then flew back to Meadowlake and I put Tyler in the front seat. He got hands on the yoke and flew for a bit, but frustrated himself because he wasn't flying "perfectly." I tried to assure him that he did fine, but he was pretty hard on himself.

As we put the plane back into the hangar, he asked me when I'm taking him to Albuquerque to see his Grandmothers. Best possible result!

Now I need to get thing 2 up and flying - he's 3, and he'll love it. He makes me a bit nervous because he like to flip switches and stuff and I don't want him to put the gear down in cruise (or pull it up on short final).

Tyler in backseat.jpg Tyler flying.jpg
 
G-Man said:
Yes, the KPUB cafe is good. Plus, the museum is there to see airplanes, too.Nice FBO with cookies and ice cream and a piano.

Greeley or even KBJC might be too far?
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Another vote for PUB. I bought my nephew the book What is a Piper Cub? at the FBO during a fuel stop on my long solo xc.
 
Lachlan said:
Another vote for PUB. I bought my nephew the book What is a Piper Cub? at the FBO during a fuel stop on my long solo xc.
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That was quite a long XC...NY to PUB
 
murphey said:
That was quite a long XC...NY to PUB
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1500nm.

(I never said I flew from NY to CO, but since you are having trouble with it...) I flew from KAPA to KLHX to KPUB to KAPA. 12/28/15. 288nm total. 3.5 hrs in my logbook.
 
Lachlan said:
1500nm.

(I never said I flew from NY to CO, but since you are having trouble with it...) I flew from KAPA to KLHX to KPUB to KAPA. 12/28/15. 288nm total. 3.5 hrs in my logbook.
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1500 nm would be more fun. I heard Nate will sign you off if you can read one of his posts from start to finish in a single sitting.
 
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I use fly2lunch.com to find places close to me. It is not as up to date as it could be but if I haven't been there before I call them first. I had some great cross country time instead of just flying in circles.
 
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