[Note: Plans for Iowa City as a fly-in site have been tabled because of the City of Iowa City's stiff requirement for group insurance, but IOW and the Alexis Park Inn are still excellent destinations.]

By HENRY KISOR

Last June 5-7, I spent a weekend at Iowa City, Iowa, scoping out the airport (IOW) and a nearby motel--the Alexis Park Inn--as a possible site for our 12th annual fly-in in 2005. Whether or not we vote to hold the fly-in there, Iowa City is still a great place to fly for a long weekend if you’re a Midwestern pilot, and an equally splendid place to stop if you’re flying from one end of the country to another.

The second story of the terminal at Iowa City Municipal contains a large meeting room with big windows overlooking the ramp.

What attracted me first was the motel right next to the airport, a quarter-mile walk from the FBO. The Alexis Park Inn, as those who hang out on the Internet newsgroups rec.aviation.owning and rec.aviation.piloting know, is owned by Jay and Mary Honeck. Jay is a regular on those newsgroups, whose participants have followed the Honecks’ purchase of the older motel a short time ago and their refurbishing of it into an aviation-themed inn. Glowing pireps from aviators who had flown in to stay a night suggested that this might make a fine headquarters motel for a DPA fly-in, and I wasn’t disappointed.

I stayed in the Red Baron Suite ($99 a night), which consists of one bedroom, a living room with big TV, a kitchen with stove, refrigerator and coffeemaker, and a bathroom with Jacuzzi whirlpool. It was extremely comfortable, and the art on the walls--of Fokker Triplanes and their British challengers--reflected the career of Baron Manfred von Richtofen in World War I.

The other suites range from one-room open suites (with one queen bed, kitchen and breakfast bar) for $59 a night through three-bedroom suites with full kitchen, dining area and living room for $124 a night. The latter would be perfect for large families or three friendly couples. There is a one-bedroom suite without whirlpool for $74.95 and several with whirlpools ($99.95). A honeymoon suite ($124.95) has the Jacuzzi in the bedroom, and two two-story townhouse suites have two bedrooms and Jacuzzi ($149.95).

Many of the suites are aviation-themed and are named for the Memphis Belle, Constellation, Charles Lindbergh, Wright Brothers and others. There is a total of 40 bedrooms in the entire complex--most likely enough for a DPA fly-in, but there are also several motels inside Iowa City a five to seven minute drive from the Alexis Park.

The Alexis Park Inn lies just 1/4 mile from the Iowa City Airport FBO.

The best part of the motel is the proprietors. The warm and friendly Honecks are both pilots and aircraft owners at IOW, and naturally they have a soft spot for fellow airmen and airwomen. You’ll often find them in the evenings hangar-flying by the outdoor pool.

While the inn is just a quarter-mile walk down a highway grass verge to the airport terminal, the Honecks keep a courtesy van, and they’re delighted to pick up and deliver incoming and departing pilots and their luggage.

They have offered DPA a 25 percent fly-in discount per room from their 2005 rates, which of course have yet to be determined. In addition, they’ll provide a free continental breakfast bar by the pool for us each morning.

The Alexis Park Inn is a short block from several malls with more restaurants than you can shake a fork at, from half a dozen fast-food joints to several more formal sit-down places. The downtown area is a little more than one mile away.

You can check it out on the Web at www.alexisparkinn.com.

Now the airport. IOW is a big place, with three runways--you’ll never have a crosswind problem--and a jet-capable, full-service FBO. Jet Air, Inc. offers not only maintenance but also six rental aircraft--four Cessna 150s ($50 an hour wet), one Warrior ($79) and one New 172 ($100). Three instructors are available for $30 an hour. At the time of my visit avgas (100LL) cost $2.23 a gallon at a credit-card do-it-yourself pump or $2.70 a gallon if you want it pumped by the FBO.

The airport terminal is modern and spiffy, with a plush pilot lounge, a flight planning room with weather computer, a vending machine room, and, best of all, a large, airy meeting room that takes up the entire second story with four tables and 22 chairs, with others available. The meeting room has large windows that overlook the ramp. I thought it ideal for DPA’s uses.

Interior of the meeting room at the Iowa City terminal.

One of the best fly-out sites in the entire Midwest is the small (2600 feet by 95 feet) grass strip at Amana (C11), just a 15- or 20-minute flight northwest from IOW, or a 40-minute car ride It’s well marked with large bright orange runway cones and is easy to see from the air, a good thing because C11 lies just two miles outside the 5-mile circle and is well under the 2100-foot floor of the Cedar Rapids Class C. Be careful to hold your altitude as you fly there (a GPS helps a great deal if you’ve never been there before) and watch out for the 1,800-foot radio tower on the left.

And be careful of deer on the runway.

The grass airstrip at Amana (C11) is just a two-block walk from the shops and restaurants in the historic 19th century village.

The C11 strip is at the largest of the seven quaint villages that make up the Amana Colonies, a historic group of 19th century German towns full of artisans, specialty shops, motels, museums, restaurants, hiking and biking trails, and a championship golf course. Amana itself is worth an afternoon’s exploration, especially the old Amana Woolen Mill two blocks from the airstrip, where wool is woven in the traditional way. Two excellent restaurants are in the immediate neighborhood of the airport (I sampled the fine $8.95 wiener schnitzel luncheon plate at the Brick Haus), and there are furniture factories, dress shops, gourmet kitchen shops, candy stores galore.

Those who come by car can spend all day visiting the seven villages, spread out over about four miles of Iowa countryside.

Amana has possibilities for a spot landing contest, especially in the middle of the week when traffic is light, and a picnic supper afterward. It also has possibilities as a place to visit in rainy weather.

There is another airport with a hard-surfaced runway--the private Green Castle Airport--just three miles east of Amana, with an aerobatics school. It might also make a good place for a spot landing contest and a picnic, but I didn’t have time to see it on my visit to Iowa City. I’ll make a longer report at the general meeting in Dayton on July 17.