Jeanie and I spent the better part of the day in Deland today...
I have wanted to fly to Deland for a while. Now that Jeanie is also a CAP member, we took the opportunity to take a cross country proficiency trip to DeLand Municipal Airport-Sidney H Taylor Field.
Even though I had looked up the airport on AirNav, I didn't know where to park and didn't want to waste a bunch of time taxiing around the airport. I tried to call Unicom to get some directions, but got not answer. So, I just ended up guessing about where to park. We ended up parking part way between Skydive Deland, which was a big part of the draw for this particular destination airport (and close to where we exited the runway) and the FBO, which was at the far end of the taxi way. I had a feeling that we had not parked in a public spot, so we started walking over towards the FBO to ask. As we were walking, we noticed a flight instructor from what turned out to be Regional Airline Academy Inc, and decided to she if she could provide some information. She was very nice and explained that the FBO indeed was at the end of the field, and that they no longer monitored Unicom. She also mentioned that it would be fine to leave "our" airplane right where it was for a few hours (I got the impression that it was part of the flight school parking area).
So, after thanking her for the information, we walked back over to Skydive Deland. Being back at a DZ was bittersweet for me. I guess there is still a part of me that misses the days when I ate, slept and drank skydiving at the Franklin County Sport Parachute Center - now known as Carolina Sky Sports. Jeanie wasn't plagued by any such melancholy. The facilities at Skydive Deland were definitely a step up from what we were accustomed to (although in fairness, my guess is that so too is Carolina Sky Sports). While we were happy to cram into a Cessna 182 or as a treat, a Beach D-18, the jumpers in Deland got to jump out of a Skyvan. While most of the jumpers were kids who probably didn't have a clue, there were a few gray hairs who probably appreciated the luxury of jumping a Skyvan. Deland also sported a nice gear shop, a restaurant, large indoor packing areas, a nice spectator area and even a playground for the kids! On the other hand, when we jumped, there were acres of open fields to land in, and other than the jump plane, no other aircraft for miles. I can't imagine jumping at an airport with such a high volume of traffic - having to land next to or between active runways. After watching a few loads land, we headed off for some lunch.
We had lunch at the "Airport Restaurant and Gin Mill." Our other option was "The Perfect Spot" at Skydive Deland, but based on a few reviews on AirNav, we decided to go to the Gin Mill. The Gin Mill had been voted the “Best Cheeseburgers in Central Florida.” I wasn't that hungry, so Jeanie and I decided to share, which meant a hamburger cooked medium well (rather than a cheesburger cooked medium rare) and some onion rings. Jeanie and I were both really pleasantly surprised. The burger was hot, juicy, and delicious, as were the onion rings. The service was excellent. The server went above and beyond normal good service - she overheard Jeanie mention in conversation that after flying I typically was more thirsty than hungry, so she brought over a pitcher of diet coke so we wouldn't be left with empty glasses.
As an aside, as I was writing this entry, I stumbled across a cool new (to me) aviation oriented web site - one that has lots of reviews of airport restaurants - http://www.flyingflorida.com/index.html. Their review of the Gin Mill is not consistent with our experience today, but their two reviews of the Fly-By Cafe in St. Augustine are consistent with my two experiences there.
After lunch, we headed back over to the DZ. We had hoped to see some jumpers exit and watch some RW, but the only jumpers we could ever spot in freefall were tandem jumpers - due to being able to see the relatively large drogue chutes that they deploy to help stabilize the freefall. We sat at the door of the packing room for a while reminiscing about all the parachutes we had packed so long ago, then decided it was time to head home.
As we walked around the airport, I was once again struck at how different the feel is at 55J compared to other municipal airports in this area. Deland had a number of business on the airport property, lots of "T" hangars, and the few open hangars we walked by just felt "friendly."
The flights to and from were very nice. Visibility was quite good, and the ride was smooth. Time enroute was about an hour each way. Landings were good on both ends. Beautiful weather, flying a nice airplane, a visit to a new airport, a good lunch and time spent with my best friend - what a great day.
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Posted by David at October 13, 2007 11:28 PM