Saturday mornings at Airways Cafe
Yesterday was one of those days that make it hard to believe that we are almost at the end of December. It was 50 degrees. The sky was crystal clear, and there was no wind at all. It was a perfect day for flying. Even though I did not have time to get up in the air myself, I decided to stop by the Airways Cafe to have breakfast and watch the planes coming and going.
The Airways Cafe is something that has made our town very well known in the aviation community. We are one of the few communities our size that still has an airport restaurant. Most of the remaining airport cafes are in larger towns that boast commercial airline traffic. Because of our restaurant (and a reputation for slightly lower priced fuel), many pilots passing through the region make a point at stopping in Dexter to relieve their bladders, gas up, and get a bite to eat. Pilots are the only people I meet in the St. Louis area who actually know where Dexter, Missouri is located.
Besides having good breakfasts and the town’s best Reuben sandwich, the Airways Cafe is a great location for plane spotting. On any given Saturday morning with decent weather in addition to the Cessnas that our club flies, I see a variety of homebuilts, restored 1940’s taildraggers, modern Cirrus SR-20’s, life flight helicopters, and business twins. Gyroplanes come and go. We are even regularly visited by a veteran artillery spotter from WWII. Some planes arrive in formation, and the mass departure around 10:00-10:30 is well worth hanging around for.
As much fun as the planes are, for me the best part of the Saturday morning Airways experience is getting to spend time with a bunch of like-minded aviation junkies. It has been my privilege to have breakfast with former fighter pilots, current airline pilots, flight instructors, mechanics, crop dusters, and flying doctors. Some of the people I have met actually built their own airplanes in their garage. Every person there has a story, and even when I am not able to fly myself, it is fun to hang out there and continue my flying education by listening to what they have to say.
Of course, like every special interest group, there is a bit of inside humor. Sometimes it takes work to separate the “fish stories” from things that actually happened. Because of the jargon and the technical nature of what we do, the aviation community can be a bit hard to break into. Sadly, it often requires plenty of introductions and a long time for newcomers to feel truly welcome.
What I most appreciate about breakfast at Airways is that it gives flyers and non-flyers a chance to interact on an informal basis. Parents take their toddlers to the edge of the ramp to watch aircraft. Although it does not happen often, once or twice I have even seen very enthusiastic kids offered rides (with parent’s permission) with a pilot that they just met.
For my aviation-inclined friends in the Bootheel of Missouri, whether one arrives by air or by ground, Airways Cafe on Saturday mornings is well worth the trip. When the weather is as beautiful as it was yesterday, it is even better. Especially in December, it is hard to beat a full ramp, good conversation, and a bottomless cup of coffee.
Google tells me that the websites “Fun places to fly” and “Trip Advisor” both agree that Airways is well worth the visit. Apparently the secret is out.
