Monday, December 23rd was a perfect day for flying: calm, clear and most importantly, a vacation day for me. It was a day that Allen and I just had to fly somewhere. Our thoughts initially went to one of our staples, Cumberland (CBE) with the Hummingbird Cafe right on the field. Checking their website in advance, we saw that they are closed on Mondays. Though initially disappointed, this led us to try a new place we hadn’t been to before: Martinsburg. This would be our first visit to the airport because we (and I’m guessing many of you do this too) avoided it due to the control tower. Spoiler alert: Don’t! The guy in the tower was patient and friendly.
We departed Warrenton (HWY) in the early afternoon and headed north in the glassy air. Even flying over the ridges there was hardly a bump. With the GPS showing a flight time of under 30 minutes, we diverted to the west to lengthen the incredibly delightful flight. Still, all too soon, we were checking weather and calling the tower at Martinsburg.
The Martinsburg airport is shared use, with a large West Virginia Air National Guard presence on the ramp. That means there are some really cool, really big airplanes (C-17 Globemasters) to see there. That also means that they have a really big runway – 8,815 by 150 feet! Almost wide enough to use the width of the runway instead of the length in a strong crosswind!
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| The Martinsburg tower and National Guard C-17s |
Now to what I’m sure has caused most of us to avoid this airport: the control tower. Yes, the airport has a tower. No, they are not difficult to talk to. The most important thing to remember is that the controllers are just humans too. Not rigid, unrelenting machines. We called them up and told them we were headed for the restaurant. After touchdown, they directed us to the brick terminal building in which the restaurant is housed. Hint: turn away from all the National Guard planes. The restaurant is on the other side of the runway.
The terminal building is very nice, and set up like a museum with display cases and informational plaques spread throughout. It is definitely worth a look! If you happen to catch the airport manager there, he is friendly and enjoys chatting with visiting pilots! Look for his office on the first floor.
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Terminal interior: passenger waiting area and displays
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Terminal interior: hallway displays
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| View across the runway from the restaurant |
The restaurant, called the Crosswinds Cafe, is located on the second floor and has a great view of the runway and ramp area. The service was excellent, as was the food. Bring a designated (airplane) driver and enjoy the full bar! The menu featured a number of interesting appetizers, as well as salads, sandwiches and deserts. The owner has a restaurant located in town as well, but is looking to consolidate into the airport location, and so will be expanding the menu as this is done.
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| Frank Noe, Kurt Mohr, Lucy Ooi and Allen Whatley in the Crosswinds Cafe |
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| Our dining companions' rides as seen from the restaurant |
We also had great company for our meal. In the chance meeting of the decade (or at least the past couple of weeks) when we were entering downwind, the tower warned us about a gyro in the pattern. This warning was very welcome as I couldn't see it, so the tower made sure to keep us well separated. The voice of the traffic in front of us sounded familiar. When we landed and pulled up to the restaurant, sure enough, it was THE Frank Noe (as seen in AOPA Pilot magazine) and a fellow Flying Club 1 member. He was meeting Kurt Mohr there. Aviation sure is a small, but friendly world!
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| Kurt Mohr, Allen Whatley, Lucy Ooi and Frank Noe |
