Airport Steakhouse - Mattoon, IL (KMTO) - Saturday - August 5, 2023

[AVIATOR_]

Fly into Coles County Memorial and join us at the Airport Steakhouse. Home of the Elephant Ear Tenderloin. The restaurant is located on the field. Arrive by 11:00am CDT.
 
NOTAM: Runway 06, Runway 11, and Runway 18 (grass) are Right traffic.
 
 
Airport Steakhouse | Mattoon
 
Coles County Memorial Airport | Pilot Info Mattoon IL (colescountyairport.com)
 
Airport Steak House: Home of the Elephant Ear Tenderloin | Mattoon IL | Facebook

 

Last year's gathering.

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[Aaron.1138]

FYI, I was just at MTO, on my way back from Oshkosh.
Great little airport to stop, kinda empty when I was there but I got fuel fast.
The airport FBO and Restaurant is like taking a step back in time, but its a good place and they do have Steaks, pork chops, Pie for dessert.

When you Taxi into the Ramp, there's a sign pointing to FBO on your Right, and Restaurant on your Left. The restaurant is the brick building with large glass windows (older Municipal style building) it has a sign that says "Coles County airport Welcome" (not marked specifically as a restaurant, but it looks like it used to be the FBO a long time ago and then new seperate FBO was built later???).
At the time I was there, there was a Motorcycle group using the Ramp infront of the Restaurant but there's plenty of Ramp space near the FBO.

Oh.. dont' forget to see the working Phone Booth while you are there ! Its a real-deal aluminum/glass phone booth with a folding door that still works, and the payphone inside still has a dial-tone !

[img title="PhoneBooth_Julie_KMTO_IMG_8018.JPG" alt="PhoneBooth_Julie_KMTO_IMG_8018.JPG" width="818" height="1177" /]https://www.beechaeroclub.org/wp-content/sp-resources/forum-image-uploads/aaron-1138/2023/08/PhoneBooth_Julie_KMTO_IMG_8018.JPG[/img]

 

[sparkie951]

A Phone Booth... That is something you just don't see every day... I wonder how many people use it now days, but I guess in some outer area's without Cell Phone coverage, that may be good to have. I know of where a couple are in the Mountains of West Virginia that still work, and Cell Phones don't

 

[AVIATOR_]

Weather unfortunately looks questionable for tomorrow.  I will post an update in the morning if we are going to cancel the fly-in or not.  

 

[AVIATOR_]

For those flying in on the backside of the front should be able to make it by the time of the fly-in.  I am on the eastside of the approaching front and would encounter some weather.  I will drive over to meet our members that can attend.  If you were planning to attend and you are not able to make it.  Please send me a text or give me a call.  Otherwise see you there.

 

[AVIATOR_]

While on the way I received a text and an e-mail simultaneously.  One was from Curt Lindauer and the other from Warren Smith.  My friends and fellow BAC members letting me know they were not able to make it.  Curt lives in a fly-in community (7IS2) with a grass strip.  They had over an inch of rain that morning.  Runway was too wet.  Warren's home field (KBMI) weather conditions were IFR and heavy rain.  Visibility down to 1-1/4 and 500' overcast.  While Coles County Memorial (KMTO) was 1600' SCT, 3,500' BKN, 5,000' OVC and 10 miles.  I was twenty miles out at the time, so I continued on.  No aircraft out on the tarmac.  Just a group of barn swallows.  I wished I had my camera out at the time to get their picture.  I had lunch and returned home.  Hopefully we will have better weather conditions for the next fly-in.  

 

Not one plane on the ramp,

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