Centerville, IA PIREP

Why in the world would anyone want to fly to Centerville, IA (KTVK)?

We have lived in Iowa for nine years, and had never found any reason to
fly there, even though it was less than an hour away by air. Sitting
down near the Missouri border, we had never heard *anything* about the
place, good or bad. It was just there -- and we weren't.

All that changed last week, when a good friend (a life-long Iowa
resident) told us that he had driven to Centerville and was very
impressed with the town as being a "time capsule" of Iowa in the 1950s.
(We have had many discussions with him about how Iowa City -- our home
-- is completely "un-Iowan", politically, economically, and socially --
so he's been looking for a "real Iowa town" for us to visit.)

The kicker was when he drove out to the FBO, and found a warm, inviting
place run by a lovely young lady named Kathy who absolutely delighted
in going the extra mile to attract business to her small-town airport.

So, yesterday we were supposed to fly to Illinois to deliver our AvMap
to the lucky Ebay winner, but he got called out of town for a meeting.
Suddenly we found ourselves with a full load of gas and no mission --
the horror! Centerville immediately popped into my head, but before
flying there, I took a peek at Airnav's website, to read what others
might have experienced. To my delight, the young lady was referred to
as the "airport goddess" who always treated pilots right, and seemed to
always have fresh-baked goodies out on the counter. Centerville became
our destination!

We loaded up with hotel brochures and posters (this was virgin
territory for us, after all!), and we launched into the absolutely
crystal-clear air of a fall morning in Iowa -- it just couldn't get any
better. With the air temperature hovering around 30 degrees, we were
off in ~500 feet, hanging on the prop and absolutely loving the
performance. What a difference 50 degrees makes to the plane!

As we approached from the north, to our surprise the fall colors and
terrain were stunning, with heavily forested terrain. (We weren't
expecting to see that, and have added this area to our "leaf peeper
flight" list for future reference.) Ten miles north of Centerville we
came upon a very unusual cloud formation -- an apparent fog deck that
had come up to 2000' AGL or so. It was solid as far as the eye could
see, but the visibility below was fine, so we ducked underneath and
were soon on the ground.

The airport was immaculate, with a nice, long concrete runway and wide
taxiways. Our airport goddess was there to greet us, along with a
great big ol' lazy airport dog that had obviously been eating the
bakery for a long time. Fresh-baked brownies were out, free for the
helping, and the coffee was hot and fresh. Needless to say, this kind
of atmosphere is a tonic for all pilots, old and young, and there was a
good gathering of flyboys there, especially considering it was a
Wednesday morning.

When we told her about how our friend had recommended the place, she
puffed up as proud as a peacock, and really threw the red carpet out
for us. We told her we were looking for a good breakfast, and to see a
little of the town -- and she immediately whipped out a sheet of paper
and started drawing us a map of her city. Knowing that we owned an
aviation theme suite hotel in Iowa City (our friend had obviously told
her all about us) she recommended that we try breakfast at the
"Continental Hotel", a Civil War-era hotel right on the square across
from the county courthouse.

She then asked if we were into "antiquing", which we're not, really,
but sometimes we find cool aviation stuff for the hotel. She told us
about two neat old mansions that had been restored and converted into
antique stores, so she added them to our map. She then gave us the
keys to the courtesy car, and sent us on our way.

The city is amazing! Because it's located far from any big city, the
downtown area is thriving, with no Wal-Marts or Best Buys to destroy
the local business culture and economy. Every store front was full,
every parking spot was occupied, and it felt exactly like my boyhood
hometown in Wisconsin (West Bend), circa 1962.

And the Continental Hotel was more amazing, yet. Built in 1866, right
after the Civil War ended, it had been lovingly restored by a couple of
folks even more crazy than Mary and me. According to our waitress, ten
years ago the roof had been literally falling into the dining room
THROUGH the three floors above, so it was obvious that they had started
from literally NOTHING. Now, the woodwork was beautifully stained and
lacquered, and the lobby area/salon had beatiful draperies, artwork,
and a grand piano for all to enjoy. With 16-foot pounded tin ceilings
(which they had found in the basement), a view of the courthouse on a
thriving square, and an elegant air, the whole place just reverberated
with history.

And the food was fabulous. I had a breakfast skillet that was huge,
fresh, hot, and cheap. The coffee was excellent, and I never was
allowed to see the bottom of my cup. Best of all, the whole thing cost
just ten bucks for the two of us!

After exploring the hotel a bit (they've still got three units they
rent by the night, with the rest converted to luxury senior housing --
which included 3 meals a day), we then strolled around the square,
taking in the ambiance of a thriving small-town downtown. It's so
different from the plastic, phony atmosphere of a mall, and (as long as
the weather isn't awful) a real delight to shop. I had forgotten how
nice it could be.

The antique stores/mansions were a short drive away -- and they were
fantastic. Huge, old mansions that were in dire need of restoration
when they started, the organizers realized that they couldn't justify
the expense of making them into museums. They *could*, however, justify
making them into antique stores, renting each room out to a different
antique vendor! The results are terrific, with a wide variety of
unique antiques in each of the lovingly-restored rooms, providing us
with a museum experience while providing them with a steady (if modest)
income.

We found some pretty cool aviation knick-knacks for the hotel, and --
stuffed and happy -- we reluctantly drove back to the FBO. There, our
airport goddess was there with another tray of baked goods, and a
special treat -- a couple of aviation-themed clocks that she had been
given, but had no where appropriate to hang. Since we're ALWAYS
looking for stuff to hang on the walls, we gladly accepted her generous
gift, and were soon winging our way home, thankful that little towns
like Centerville still exist, and that some, at least, still support
general aviation.

If you're ever in the area, stop in and say "hi" to Kathy. Tell her
Jay and Mary sent you!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"