First flight of 2008 -- Madison, WI (KMSN)

Today was one of those picture-perfect winter days -- crystal clear,
blue skies, light winds, and extremely, painfully cold. Luckily,
Atlas -- our Cherokee Pahfinder -- has cylinder head and oil pan
heaters, and the passenger compartment gets warm enough to fly in
shirtsleeves no matter what the weather -- so it was time to take
advantage of our first decent flying day in weeks!

The last time I landed in Madison, WI was as a student pilot, many
moons ago. My crusty old CFI had taken me there on my first long
cross country flight, and introduced me to my first $100 hamburger.
At the time I was googly-eyed about flying anywhere for lunch -- but
in retrospect it was a pretty seedy place. In recent years I had
heard that the new on-field restaurant there was great, but we'd just
never managed to fly that way. So, today was the day -- and what a
great place to visit it was!

The flight up was outstanding. Other than having to shovel the hangar
out (again), and freezing our dingleberries off whilst pre-flighting,
it was our best flight in months. Atlas fairly leapt off the runway,
and we were at 3000 feet and climbing before we were out of the
pattern. Heading northeast over hundreds of square miles of snow-
covered cornfields, we enjoyed 80 minutes of uninterrupted
aviation... Heaven above the earth!

Landing at MSN was simplicity itself. Madison is a mildly busy Class
Charlie airport, with all the amenities but none of the usual hassles
of a big-city airport. The controller cleared Mary to land when we
were still on a ten mile base for Rwy 32, and our only traffic was a
medical helicopter -- and two ANG F-16s screaming in for an overhead
break, right over us as we touched down! It was like flying into an
airshow, and it was great fun.

The restaurant on the field, The Jet Room, is located inside the FBO,
Wisconsin Aviation. It's moved and been extensively remodeled since I
was there in the early 90s, and is quite nice, with a very well done
aviation theme.

Food-wise, they've really got the pilot crowd nailed, with breakfast
served till 2 PM daily, and some great burger selections. They have a
great selection of eggs benedict variations, the pancakes are great,
and the service is home-grown. We sat at the counter (the only seats
available) and had a great view of the griddle, which was a ballet of
precision throughout the rush. The owners -- a fine couple who own
and fly a Cherokee 180 and a Piper Colt -- really run a tight ship.
Prices are reasonable, the view of the ramp (and more F-16s) is
oustanding, and we just couldn't have picked a nicer place to visit.
And -- there is no ramp fee charged at Wisconsin Aviation.

Our flight home was just as enjoyable, with an easy departure and
stunning, 100 mile visibility. 75 minutes later I was rewarded with
one of those landings we all dream about -- a truly great way to end
spectacular flight.

Anyone looking for a great place to visit -- and eat -- can't do
better than the Jet Room in Madison. I'm kicking myself for not
visiting there sooner.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"