Flying to Bessie’s Diner in Janesville

Meeting at Bessie’s

Sean needed a code at the ramp-side door. Before you fly, ask the diner how visiting pilots get in and confirm transient parking with the FBO. Friends coming by road can meet you inside at 1716 West Airport Road. Sean noted a good waiting area and clean restrooms. His other bit of local knowledge was about timing. Weekend traffic picked up after about 9 a.m., so leave a little slack between the time you expect to land and the time you promise to be at the table.

The pilot behind the name

Inside, the floor-to-ceiling windows face the runway. The vinyl stools and chrome tables belong to the era of the great American diner, but the name goes back further. Bessica Raiche was born in nearby Beloit. In their living room in Mineola, New York, she and her husband François built the airplane she flew solo in September 1910. The National Air and Space Museum credits her with the first accredited solo flight by a woman in the United States. When a passenger asks who Bessie was, there’s a good place to begin.

Two orders worth coming in for

Bessie’s serves breakfast daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you come early, the cinnamon-sugar donuts have a cream-cheese glaze, and the sweet potato hash comes with chorizo, jalapeños and eggs. At 11 a.m. the lunch menu comes out. One person can still order buttermilk pancakes while the other orders the $100 Hamburger. The bacon-and-onion-ring burger was listed at $16.50 on our menu check. The rest of that old pilot joke is between you and the fuel pump. Call the diner at 608-743-9830 for the day’s hours and entry details.

Brief the departure before breakfast

Janesville’s Runways 32 and 36 begin close together. The FAA flags the risk of lining up on the wrong one. Mark those thresholds on the airport diagram before you taxi and check your assigned runway against the heading as you line up. ATIS is 128.25, tower or CTAF is 118.8 and ground is 121.65. Check the current diagram, tower hours and NOTAMs for your flight.

• For each end, the FAA lists the same figure for takeoff run available (TORA), takeoff distance available (TODA), accelerate-stop distance available (ASDA) and landing distance available (LDA). All four match the full pavement length at Janesville. They are 6,701 ft for 04 and 22, 7,302 ft for 14 and 32, and 5,004 ft for 18 and 36.