A Visit To Battle Creek Turns Up Some Surprises

The Aero-News advance crew is now in Oshkosh... and thanking the good Lord that two Oshkosh winters did no discernible damage to our headquarters building located next to the the EAA Press Building.

The trip was a tough one... a fairly over-loaded van, and LOTS of rain enroute made for tough slogging and oft-repeated wishes for an airplane with real cargo capacity.

Still... we made it... but it was one of the last stops on the journey that made the whole trip quite an adventure.

ANN had received an invite from Waco Aircraft to visit their new HQ in Battle Creek, MI, where they have made serious upgrades and improvements to what had always been a cool little airplane company.

New facilities, upgraded capabilities and a very slick new FBO (with enough ramp space for a few Boeings) are but the tip of the iceberg as we toured the production facilities for the Waco YMF-5 classic radial engined biplane and the more conventionally powered Great Lakes 2T-1A-2  -- personally one of our favorite aerobatic trainers. The company has taken a very aggressive approach to building a facility that can keep up with the future--which allegedly include plans for much more than the two very popular biplanes they build already.

One major addition to the mix is an intriguing project, called the Waco Kitchen... a very upscale airport restaurant, overlooking the aforementioned humongous ramp and with visual access to much of the production facility. This is one of the most impressive efforts, of its kind, that we've seen to date. My wife, Masako, and I joined Waco's Alex Skiba and Megan Markel for lunch and sampled a number of their better dishes...

The Waco Tacos received my wife's approval, while a short rib taco certainly got mine... for as long as they lasted... A Charcuterie Board across the table looked really appetizing, to boot. Service was excellent, the ambience was friendly, as well as very pro-aviation, and we had a really great time. If you're cruising anywhere near the SouthWest side of Michigan... this HAS to be your next stop. I'm already looking for trips that will give me an excuse to stop by once again.

We had an extensive tour of every aspect of the biplane works, as well as a chance to enjoy the ambience of the FBO and came away from Battle Creek firmly believing that this company... so dedicated to building the best of the past, has its aims set firmly on the future. More info to follow.

FMI: www.wacoaircraft.com