Welcome to new guest blogger Ian Cavanaugh!
Traveling with my parents is quite the adventure. We drove through Colorado Springs (visiting the Air Force Academy) and decided to follow the ‘unique’ recommendations on the web. We found The Airplane Restaurant about five minutes from our hotel to one of the highest reviewed restaurants in the area.
As we entered the parking lot we were welcomed by the view of a Boeing KC-97 tanker (a really, really big plane!). We entered and greeted our “flight attendant” for the evening. She marched us back through the building, which was bursting with aviation paraphernalia, to our seats inside the Boeing Aircraft. Tastiest airplane food I’ve ever had. The actual building had a harlequin assortment of full sized gliders, planes, remote controlled aircraft, helicopter propellers and images of famous pilots hanging from the ceiling and walls. The refueling station in the plane was blocked off with an instructional plaque to how it operated. It was the best “museum” of aviation my parents or I had seen.
My dad ordered a mushroom and Swiss burger. I opted for an appetizer, “Barrel Rolls”, due to a large and late lunch. They were absolutely delicious. (On a side note: many people get confused at the difference between a aileron roll and a barrel roll, look it up on your own to figure it out!) My mom had a minor incident with her order of a chicken salad as a result of a cook in training. One of the owners, Debbi, came out to apologize and fix her order.
Well, my mom managed to rope her into a discussion about the origins of the restaurant. Debbi shared how she and her husband had a passion for flying and cooking. This naturally came together in the formation of The Airplane Restaurant.
My family and I had spent the first half of the day exploring the Air Force Academy. This preset my brain to thinking about my own future for the rest of the day. When we dined and conversed at The Airplane Restaurant this subject resurfaced. When I’m the age of owners, will I be as happy, finding success in the things I’m passionate about? What are the things I’m passionate about?
One sure way to make sure you enjoy something is to go through the exhaustive spelunking of the topic with my mother (…Oh honey, you like whales? Let me bring back 17 books on whales…) I’ve found it has been a good way to explore a field before committing years of my life to it. Those teenagers who want a week to explore just that get the chance at the Find Your Passion Summer Camp at CWNC July 6-10! Shameless promotion aside, it is a great opportunity to explore what I want to do, before I get to college.
