... awarded Brenham Municipal its annual Airport of the Year Award, and much of the reason for the honor is the Southern Flyer fixed base operation and its famous ‘50s-style Diner. Having been at the TxDOT presentation, I’ve long wanted to visit Southern Flyer, located about midway between Austin and Houston. Last week I got my chance.
The Southern Flyer Diner and FBO are owned by Jack and Janet Hess. The place is about fun, says Jack, and offering incoming pilots and their guests more than a vending machine, from hamburgers to chicken fried steaks to catfish. And, of course since this is Brenham, it features lots of the renowned Blue Bell ice cream, which is made here. “A great place to land with great eats†is how they advertise it. The “poodle girls†(waitresses) and retro atmosphere just add to the fun.
For four years running the Diner has been voted “Best of the Best†on the 100 Dollar Hamburger survey (www.100dollarhamburger.com). Of course, the $100 is not the cost of a burger. It’s more about the cost of an afternoon out -- it represents the practice of weekend flyers enjoying the day aloft and landing at an airport that has a diner. I recall on my first cross-country flight years ago my flight instructor insisting that we fly to a particular airport for the $100 hamburger experience.
Unfortunately, diners are a dying breed at FBOs and small airports across the country. At Brenham, Texas, it remains not only a part of the industry’s history but a viable enterprise today. (For a taste of the fun, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvmZkk1R4bA for a video of the Diner’s owners receiving the ‘$100’ award.)
Oh, and I opted for the chili cheese dog … one of the best.
Thanks for reading. jfi