Cirriusly, My Cirrus and Other Flying Adventures: Fantastic Airport!

Every pilot has a favorite airport. Some like the scenery, some like challenging conditions or approaches, and some like the amenities. This past weekend I found what has become one of my favorite airports of all times. Dekalb-Peachtree(KPDK) in northern Atlanta. KPDK is a large, busy feeder airport that supports northern Atlanta in Georgia. What has made me fall in love with this airport is its charm, in that it’s a pilot’s airport. First off, we stopped and parked at Epps Aviation on the West side. The service was fantastic to say the least. They are located right off the runway (very close to the runway, which I will discuss shortly) and they had our rental car waiting for us before we even got to our parking spot. The ground crews were super friendly and helped us to unload the plane, so that we could quickly depart. The facilities were clean, updated and homey. All of the staff was fantastic. After arriving we decided to get a bite to eat for lunch. We were directed to go eat at the “Downwind Café” at the other end of the building. Little did we realize that it was right next to the runway, overlooking the approach end of RW34. The food was really good and the view was awesome. To be able to sit that close to the runway, watch jets and small planes land while eating a burger, is paradise for a pilot! Right next to the restaurant, the airport has a viewing stand that overlooks both runways and also has a really nice playground for the children. This is a fantastic stop for those cross country trips since everything is right on the field. There are also plenty of instrument approaches as well.