by Blake Herzog
Photos courtesy of John Loepsinger
If you’re a fan of planes, hearty breakfasts or both, you need to check out the monthly fly-ins at Casa Grande Municipal Airport.
Fly-ins are informal gatherings held at airports and other locations where private pilots can land their small planes to show them off, socialize with other pilots and the public and often grab a meal. Casa Grande holds their monthly fly-ins on the final Saturday of the month, along with the Cactus Fly-In classic plane and car show held every March.
This year the airport has a new restaurant, the Runway 5 Café, opened in October by aviation and cooking enthusiast John Loepsinger. He emphasizes that you don’t need an aircraft of your own to participate.
“To this day, I have people asking me, ‘Oh, is that open to the public?’ Even on our fly-in days, everyone is welcome there, no matter if you have a plane or car, if you walk there or whatever.”
Anyone who’s able to get there from 7 to 11 a.m. can pick up breakfast from a freshly made buffet starting at $12.99 a platter. Then they can grab a seat in the cafe or on a patio overlooking the runway and watch planes of all vintages, and even talk to the pilots.
“Everybody’s talking,” Loepsinger says.
The cafe normally serves a full menu. Patrons also can peruse the Casa Grande Art Association’s Art @ the Airport displays throughout the terminal’s lobby.
“I think it’s a huge benefit to bring in people to the airport, they always have beautiful pieces of art on display there,” Loepsinger says.
He says the turnout for the fly-ins has grown from 50 to around 100 since he came on board: “We’re really pleased and happy with the growth, and we’re not even six months in.”
The Runway 5 Café is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Casa Grande Municipal Airport, 3225 N. Lear Ave. More info: www.runway5cafe.com.
Coolidge Fly-in
Once the weather cools down there will be another fly-in to enjoy. Coolidge Municipal Airport, 6300 N. Coolidge Airport Rd., hosts the Coolidge Airport Fly-in the first Saturday of the month from November through April, from 7 to 10 a.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Food is served by the Coolidge Lions Club as a fundraiser in front of the main hangar.
