Climb Aboard A 1953 Airplane To Dine At This Colorado Springs Restaurant

A real 1953 Boeing KC-97 tanker plane now serves burgers instead of refueling jets.

I don’t need an excuse to find that interesting. Some facts are just enjoyable to know.

This Stratofreighter once flew air-to-air refueling missions around the globe. It last took off in 1973.

Later, eight semi-trailers hauled it in pieces to Colorado, where crews put it back together. I’m perfectly happy being impressed by that kind of effort.

Today, 42 lucky diners can eat inside the actual fuselage. Kids can climb into the pilot’s seat and touch the original gauges.

A wing even pokes into the main dining room. So, who wants a window seat?

A Former Air Force Tanker Now Takes Lunch Orders

Most restaurants start with a building. The Airplane Restaurant started with a 1953 Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter.

That’s not a replica or a clever paint job. It’s an actual tanker aircraft that once refueled other planes high above the ground.

The KC-97 was among the largest piston-powered aircraft Boeing ever built. Its enormous fuselage, four engines, and distinctive shape made it an impressive piece of aviation engineering.

Before becoming a restaurant, this aircraft served with the United States Air Force and later the Texas Air National Guard.

Its primary assignment involved transferring fuel to other aircraft during flight, allowing them to travel farther without landing.

The plane’s career included international missions, including trips across the Atlantic. By the time it retired from flying, it had spent decades performing specialized aviation work.

Today, the aircraft sits beside the restaurant’s main building, its wings and propellers immediately revealing that this is no ordinary dining destination.

The exterior retains the recognizable character of a KC-97, while the interior has been adapted for restaurant seating.

Eight Semi-Trailers And One Big Dream Got It Here

Turning a former tanker into a restaurant sounds complicated enough. Getting the enormous aircraft to Colorado Springs was another challenge altogether.

The idea came from a pilot with a background in the restaurant business. He spent roughly ten years developing the concept before finding the aircraft that could make it possible.

In September 2001, he purchased the KC-97 from the former Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, Texas. There was just one considerable problem. The plane couldn’t simply fly to its new home.

Instead, crews dismantled the aircraft into sections and transported the pieces using eight semi-trailers. Once everything arrived, workers reassembled the enormous tanker beside the restaurant building.

The project required structural modifications to accommodate dining tables while preserving the plane’s recognizable exterior, cockpit, and other historic features. In May 2002, The Airplane Restaurant officially opened its doors.

The result combined two interests that might seem unrelated: aviation history and casual American dining.

More than two decades later, the family-operated business continues welcoming diners beneath the wings of the aircraft.

Forty-Two People Can Actually Dine Inside The Plane

Forty-two seats. That’s the dining capacity inside the actual airplane, making these tables particularly appealing for anyone eager to experience the aircraft from within.

The entire restaurant accommodates approximately 275 diners, with most seating available in the adjoining building.

Inside the fuselage, the arrangement resembles a long, narrow dining car. Booths line the sides of a central aisle, offering diners a close look at the aircraft’s curved interior and distinctive windows.

Old aviation maps and charts decorate the tabletops beneath protective coverings, adding another historical detail to the experience.

The setting feels quite different from an ordinary dining room. You’re surrounded by the structure of an aircraft that once traveled across the world.

Reaching the fuselage involves climbing a staircase, so the main dining area provides an alternative for anyone who prefers to remain at ground level.

Reservations are recommended when eating inside the plane is an important part of your plans. The adjoining dining rooms offer their own surprises, including airplane memorabilia and an enormous wing extending overhead.

Go Ahead And Grab The Pilot’s Seat

Here’s a rule most airlines would never allow. At this restaurant, you can actually sit in the captain’s chair.

The cockpit remains largely intact, preserving the controls, instrument panels, and arrangements used when the aircraft was in service.

Visitors can look around the flight deck and imagine what operating such an enormous airplane required.

The collection of gauges, switches, and controls makes the cockpit particularly interesting for anyone curious about aviation.

Children can explore the pilot’s seating area, while adults often spend extra time examining the instruments. But the cockpit isn’t the only section worth discovering.

Toward the rear of the fuselage, the aircraft’s refueling equipment provides another connection to its original purpose.

A mannequin dressed in a period aircrew uniform represents the boom operator, who controlled the equipment used to transfer fuel between aircraft.

The display sits behind a protective transparent barrier, allowing visitors to examine the arrangement. Together, the cockpit and rear section help explain how the tanker functioned before its restaurant conversion.

This isn’t simply an airplane-shaped dining room with a few decorative controls. It’s a preserved piece of aviation engineering that visitors can explore between courses.

Every Wall Doubles As An Aviation Museum

Model planes hang overhead like they’re circling for a landing. Framed prints, crew photographs, and aviation memorabilia cover the surrounding walls.

The Airplane Restaurant works almost like an informal museum. Hundreds of photographs, documents, and historical objects fill the main building, making the space interesting even before the food arrives.

The collection includes civilian and military aviation artifacts, with material celebrating aircraft, pilots, and the development of flight.

Some displays focus on early aviation, while others highlight the achievements of astronauts and the history of space exploration.

One section is dedicated to spaceflight memorabilia, extending the aviation theme beyond traditional airplanes.

Then there’s the wing. Part of the KC-97’s enormous wing extends directly into the adjoining dining room, bringing the aircraft’s scale into sharp focus. An engine and propeller add to the remarkable setting.

The walls and ceiling contain so many objects that it’s worth taking additional time to examine the displays. Even the tables contribute, with vintage navigation maps incorporated into their surfaces.

For Colorado aviation enthusiasts, the combination of a genuine aircraft and historical memorabilia makes this particularly rewarding.

Burgers Get Mission Names Here

A burger called the Afterburner sets a certain expectation. The menu commits to the aviation theme with real enthusiasm.

Classic American comfort food leads the way, with burgers, sandwiches, salads, pasta, and hearty main courses available.

The Afterburner Burger combines beef or chicken with guacamole, roasted green chiles, and pepper jack cheese.

The BBQ Bomber Burger takes another approach, adding barbecue sauce, bacon, cheddar, and ranch dressing.

For something sweeter, the Teriyaki Burger comes with Swiss cheese and a grilled pineapple ring. The menu also includes a bison burger and an All American Cheeseburger. Sandwiches have their own aviation-inspired names.

The Philly Flyer combines beef or chicken with sautéed onions, bell peppers, and Swiss cheese on toasted French bread. The Piper Club brings together smoked turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and basil mayonnaise.

Sides include fries, sweet potato fries, coleslaw, onion rings, and baked potatoes. Beyond sandwiches, diners can order steak, grilled salmon, baked spaghetti, or fried catfish with hushpuppies.

Desserts continue the casual American theme, with cheesecake, warm apple crisp, and brownies served with ice cream. There’s certainly plenty to choose from.

The Crew Dresses For Takeoff

Your server might welcome you aboard as though you’re preparing for a flight.

The staff wear aviation-inspired uniforms, keeping the restaurant’s theme going from the entrance to the dining room.

Some of the uniforms resemble those worn by flight attendants, giving the restaurant an atmosphere that blends casual dining with a playful airline experience.

The tables decorated with navigation charts reinforce that feeling.

Even the menu uses aviation language, with sections and dishes named after aircraft, flight operations, and familiar flying expressions. Families have another reason to enjoy the setting.

Children can explore the cockpit, examine the collection of model airplanes, and discover historical objects throughout the restaurant. The aircraft’s unusual interior makes it especially appealing to younger visitors interested in machines and engineering.

In 2024, the restaurant received recognition in a local family dining category, reflecting its distinctive combination of food and interactive attractions.

The business also hosts groups and private gatherings, with separate dining areas available for larger parties.

For Colorado families, the experience combines a familiar American menu with a chance to explore an actual historic aircraft.

Plan Your Landing Near The Colorado Springs Airport

Location matters for a restaurant with wings. This one sits near the Colorado Springs Airport, which feels perfectly fitting.

You’ll find The Airplane Restaurant at 1665 North Newport Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80916.

The enormous tanker parked outside makes the building easy to recognize. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner daily, opening at 11 AM.

Sunday through Thursday, service continues until 8 PM. Friday and Saturday hours extend until 9 PM. Holiday schedules may differ, so checking before making a special trip is sensible.

If dining inside the aircraft is your main goal, arranging a reservation in advance is a smart choice. Only 42 seats are available in the fuselage.

The main dining room provides additional seating, with aviation memorabilia and parts of the aircraft incorporated into the surroundings. Allow time before or after your meal to explore the cockpit and historical displays.

Aviation enthusiasts can also make the surrounding airport area part of a broader outing, with additional aircraft exhibits available nearby.

Not many restaurant visits end with the realization that you just ate lunch inside a genuine 1953 Stratofreighter. That’s a pretty good story to bring home.