July 12, 2022 Fueled by Coffee

The Liberty Gazette

July 12, 2022

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: A good cuppa joe is so popular among aviators that entrepreneurs have formed small businesses based on such a pair. I’ve ordered samples from the following companies, and we’ll update with our evaluations soon. Meanwhile, here’s a peek at who’s competing for our caffeine fix (most have decaf, too). 

First up, Aviation Coffee, from Havana, Illinois. Joe Coppick is an aerial firefighter, and his lovely bride, Juliana Turchetti, is a crop duster and ferry pilot. She is Brazilian-Italian and has access to great coffee sources. Between flights, the couple roasts coffee and recently opened Aviatori Coffee House in Springfield, Illinois. They will celebrate their first year in business next month. I was happy to see several light roast options in whole bean and pre-ground. You can even put your own brand on the bags. Great idea. I ordered “Brazil Cerrado Light Roast Whole Beans.” Check out their cute love story at aviation-coffee.com. 

Next, JetFuel Coffee. Their slogan is “Coffee made with aerospace perfection.” They offer three kinds of “delicious whole bean coffee roasted fresh to order” and have a good start on catchy product names. Their medium roast is “Blend 747, Jumbo Jet,” and the dark roast is “Blend 16, Fighting Falcon.” I ordered a bag of light roast, “Blend 172, First Flight.” They ship from Orlando, Florida, and you can find them at jetfuelcoffee.co.

Threshold Coffee comes from Vancouver, British Columbia, and also opened in 2021. When they began, they declared, “V1 has been called, and there’s no turning back.” (Explanation: V1 is “decision speed,” the maximum speed at which a take-off can be rejected and the minimum speed at which a pilot can continue take-off following an engine failure. The co-pilot calls out “V1,” giving the captain critical information if there’s a problem.)

Their coffee is “sourced from routes of old,” meaning early aviation airline routes. Intriguing! They have classic medium and dark roasts, but their light roast is flavored – French Caramel – so that’s a no-go for us. I ordered the medium roast (no fancy name). Shipping was almost as much as one pound of whole beans. If we find a randomly-placed “Golden Flight Ticket” in our order, we’ll get to claim an aviation-themed prize. More important, they donate to aviation charities for children, disabled, and vets, as well as air ambulance services. Find them at thresholdcoffee.co. 

Finally, Lost Aviator Coffee Company, in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, founded in 2020 by two airline pilots. They also have a vintage aviation-themed coffee bar in Guelph, about 26 nautical miles west-southwest of Toronto. With a DC-3 on the homepage, theirs is my favorite website of the four, and they have the best coffee names. This is where I ordered the most. All whole beans. I can’t wait for delivery of their light roast, “Aurora,” their medium roast, “Constellation,” “Destinations,” a Kenya single-origin medium roast, and “Prohibition Roast,” a small batch, Brazilian dark roast aged in a Canadian whisky barrel. For this kind of excitement, go to lostaviatorcoffee.com. 

Have a brew-tiful day!

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

July 5, 2022 Meeting Your Room at the Airport

The Liberty Gazette

July 5, 2022

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Imagine flying yourself on a lovely journey from here to Alaska. You check the weather, file a flight plan, pre-flight the airplane, hop in, and take off. Of course, you have your passport, radio license (necessary for international flight), and the little sticker on your airplane with a “22” for the current year, which you received when you submitted the application and payment for flying outside the U.S. And, you will have already made all of your overnight accommodations along the way, because if you’re not airlining, it will probably take you more than a day to get there from here. You’ve already checked ahead for the best places to stop for fuel and submitted your border crossing papers because you will want to fly over Canadian airspace (since we’re imagining, let’s imagine a better person than Trudeau is leading Canada, and that you will actually enjoy this part). The other option, over 500 miles over icy water along the coast of British Columbia, is a gamble because the weather closes in quickly, and it happens fairly often. So, for a less stressful flight, you plan on entering Canada. 

And now, here you are, launching into the wild blue yonder, looking forward to the flight and the destination. Denali State Park, perhaps a nautical excursion such as whale-watching or glacier-viewing. Puffins. Don’t forget to see Puffins. If you eat salmon, be sure to book one of the boat rides that serves a fresh catch. 

But have you considered how you will get around once you’ve landed? If you’re not going to hop around by air and just catching a ride to your room for the night, you could choose a rental car or an RV. And that’s where this group comes in, fly2rv.com. Jim Schivley, a pilot from Florida, got to thinking about this business idea when a trip he planned all went well, except for the pick-up and return of the RV he rented. That part didn’t go well at all. Find a need. Fill it. 

Thanks to Jim, you can fly to Alaska (or somewhere else) and have an RV waiting for you on the ramp, someone to help you unload your airplane and load it all in the RV and send you happily on your way. You could drive off into the midnight sun in a Voyager 32-foot “Bunkhouse,” which sleeps eight, for only $235 a night. With that, you could mosey on up to North Pole, Nome, or Fairbanks, where there’s a great ice museum. 

Lest you think this is only for those with personal wings, we should add that this service is also available to anyone flying commercially. They serve over 40 locations now, and the list is growing. Maybe you want to visit beautiful Idaho Falls. You’d have plenty of RVs to choose from, some for under $200 a night. When your commercial flight lands, you go straight to your waiting RV. And who knows, you might run into long-time, avid RV’ers, Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife. 

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com