Tue, Jul 16, 2013
Classic Airliner Being Refurbished In New Smyrna Beach, FL
A pair of entrepreneurs is working to turn a decommissioned DC-7 airliner they acquired at Opa-Locka airport near Miami into an airport restaurant in New Smyrna Beach, FL.
The DC-7 Grille was conceived by brothers Danny and Skip Perna, who had the airplane shipped from south Florida to New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport (KEVB) in June of 2012. The move was televised as part of the A&E reality series "Shipping Wars."
But while the brothers had hoped for a New Year's Day grand opening, they ran into some issues, according to a report appearing in the Daytona Beach News Journal. Opening a restaurant is often a major undertaking that takes longer than expected, and transforming a former airliner into a 50-seat cafe brings its own unique issues. The most recent setback was a failure to resubmit a site plan to the city's Plan Review Committee in the specified 120-day timeframe. City planner Jeff Grove said that the two-year plan could be approved as soon as Monday of this week.
The brothers say they plan for seating for 49 plus a bar inside the airplane, where the cockpit will remain intact. They hope to be able to seat another 25 diners outside the fuselage.
The brothers said they are not ready to set a new opening date for the DC-7 Grille, but that once they get final approval from the city, they have four to five months of additional work before it is ready to open.
Danny Perna is no stranger to aviation. He owns Epic Flight Academy which operates from KEVB.
(Image from YouTube video shot during DC-7 shipping)
More News
From 2023 (YouTube Version): Legacy of a Titan Robert (Bob) Anderson Hoover was a fighter pilot, test pilot, flight instructor, and air show superstar. More so, Bob Hoover was an i>[...]
Get The Latest in Aviation News NOW on Instagram Are you on Instagram yet? It's been around for a few years, quietly picking up traction mostly thanks to everybody's new obsession >[...]
Aero Linx: B-52H Stratofortress The B-52H Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions. The bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic spee>[...]
Altimeter Setting The barometric pressure reading used to adjust a pressure altimeter for variations in existing atmospheric pressure or to the standard altimeter setting (29.92).>[...]
"Knowing that we play an active part in bettering people's lives is extremely rewarding. My team and I are very thankful for the opportunity to be here and to help in any way we ca>[...]