The Florida Mooney Lunch group under new "management"

[mike_elliott]

Mike Weir has stepped up to take care of organizing the Florida Mooney Lunch group meetings each month. Here is an email he recently sent. His contact info is mwier79@gmail.com

Mooney Lunch
June 14th 11:30 @ X14 LaBelle Municipal 

 

Get your Mooney running, fly out to LaBelle for lunch and semi-accurate conversation from like minded individuals.

 

I’m hoping for clear sky and fair winds, but it’s Florida in the summer.  If you don’t like the weather, wait and it will change.

 

Please email me back with a guest count.  If think you will show up let me know so I can pass it along to the restaurant.

 

Life is fun - Enjoy it

 

Mike

LaBelle has a 5,200 foot runway 14 - 32 ,  ramp space, restaurant  and reasonably priced fuel ($4.65 at my last use).

Hamilton Disston  recorded the largest purchase of land by a single person in the history of the world!  That happened in 1881 here in Florida when he purchased 4 million acres.  He planned to drain the swamp.  A settlement formed on the shore of the Caloosahatchee River in that swamp and was named for the daughters of F.A. Hendry cattle baron and later FL politician who bought marshland along the river for grazing.  E.E. Goodno bought some of this land from Hendry borrowing the money from Henry Ford.  Ford later took Goodno’s land (7,000 acres) to settle the debt.

 

The airport was activated in January 1956.  I haven’t found much about the history of the airport, but its most recent renovation was completed in 2019.  The total project which includes the terminal building, aircraft parking apron expansion and aircraft parking apron rehabilitation was funded by the FDOT at $3,065,200.00, the FAA at $2,534,500.00 and Hendry County at $21,300.

 

Short Cakes Restaurant 

yelp.com

 

Airport Information 

X14 - La Belle Municipal Airport airnav.com

 

 

Some history of LaBelle

The History of LaBelle citylabelle.com

 

The Hendry county link contains some old LaBelle photos and stories (The Clock Tower) oooh..

Hendry County, Florida - FLGenWeb Site sites.rootsweb.com

[mike_elliott]

From Mike Weir

 

Last Saturday we had 11 arrive in 7 aircraft for our lunch at Short Cakes in La Belle.  Here is an early heads up on the dates and locations for the next 3 Mooney Lunches.  All start at 11:30

July            12th    KFPR    Fort Pierce             Airport Tiki
August          9th             KBOW    Bartow                  Tantrums
September       13th    KOBE    Okeechobee      Landing Strip Cafe

I hope to see you there.

Mike Weir

[mike_elliott]

FROM MIKE WEIR:

 

Hi Mooney Enthusiasts,

 

This is a heads up for our next Lunch Fly Out Scheduled for 11:30 on August 9th at Bartow FL, (KBOW) Tantrums Restaurant. I hope you can join us.

 

https://www.yelp.com/biz/tantrums-flightside-cafe-and-catering-bartow

 

https://www.airnav.com/airport/KBOW

 

The upcoming 2nd Saturday @ 11:30 schedule is;

 

September 13th  Okeechobee (KOBE)

October 11th Sebring ()KSEF)

November 8th Lakland (KLAL)

December 13th Flagler (KFIN)

 

A few pictures from our July Meeting;

 

 

Hi Mooney Enthusiasts,

 

This is a heads up for our next Lunch Fly Out Scheduled for 11:30 on August 9th at Bartow FL, (KBOW) Tantrums Restaurant. I hope you can join us.

 

https://www.yelp.com/biz/tantrums-flightside-cafe-and-catering-bartow

 

https://www.airnav.com/airport/KBOW

 

The upcoming 2nd Saturday @ 11:30 schedule is;

 

September 13th  Okeechobee (KOBE)

October 11th Sebring ()KSEF)

November 8th Lakland (KLAL)

December 13th Flagler (KFIN)

 

A few pictures from our July Meeting;

 

 

 

[mike_elliott]

Greetings,

 

This Saturday August 9th at 11:30 we"re scheduled for Lunch in Bartow, FL.  The weather is back in its usual summer pattern, so there's a chance of convective activity in the forecast.  

 

Bartow is a great destination for us.  Its got it all.  It's centrally located, has cheap fuel, plenty of ramp space, a restaurant on the field and a tower.  It's worthy of more GA activity than it gets.

 

If it looks like you can make it, reply with a head count.  Tantrums, the restaurant on the field had requested a heads up on this.  I'll pass the information along on Friday.  I'd like to support them in keeping the restaurant open in the summer.  Traffic is down, margin's are slim and food costs are up and running a business at an airport adds complicatities.  

 

Join me there if you can.

 

Mike Weir

 

AirNav: KBOW - Bartow Executive Airport

 

Tantrums Flightside Cafe & Catering | Bartow FL | Facebook

 

Weather and Radar Map for Bartow, FL - The Weather Channel | Weather.com

 

 

 

[Freddb34]

New to this group.  Trying to get my "new to me" Mooney down here by the time of the November meeting.  

[LANCECASPER]

On 10/22/2025 at 1:08 PM, Freddb34 said:

New to this group.  Trying to get my "new to me" Mooney down here by the time of the November meeting.  

Sadly for @Freddb34 and the other Florida Mooney owners Fred never made it to your November lunch.

 

[RobE]

Are there any more plans? I just purchased my m20k in March 2025, based at Sanford, and ready to meet other Mooney owners. Thx.

[Slick Nick]

@RobE did your plane used to be C-FKNH? Looks very familiar. 

[RobE]

Yes. I bought it in Canada about a year ago.

Edited January 26 by RobE
Add Pic

[Fly Boomer]

8 hours ago, RobE said:

Yes. I bought it in Canada about a year ago.

I like the map.  What generated it?

[RobE]

My business partner went with me to pick up the airplane after it was deregistered in Canada and all squawks fixed. He generated all the flights from flightaware and overlayed them in some program that I don't know about.

[chunko]

For a second I thought you flew that for just one lunch, and you lived in Alberta.