Thinking About ... El Pollo Rico

Justin M

Line Up and Wait
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JM
Hi.

I'm thinking about flying Saturday down to Freeway Airport (W00 in Bowie, Maryland). I'll rent a car to drive to El Pollo Rico in Arlington VA.

I'd love to fly into Potomac Airfield (KVKX - Fort Washington, Maryland ), but I don't have the requisite Maryland-3 PIN.

Google Maps implies it's almost as short and easy to drive from Bowie to Arlington as it is from Fort Washington to Arlington. There's an Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Bowie.

My plan is to fly via Bay Bridge (w29) and then follow 50 to Freeway.

It's always a little tricky to fly to a new small airport. W00's proximity to the FRZ makes it a little more unnerving and risky. It looks like you really , really, really don't want to fly too far west.

It looks like there will be a direct crosswind (Winds forecast 280 @ 8 knots, w00 runway(s) is (are) 18/36).

El Pollo Rico has the best chicken I've ever had and my Darling says I should bring home 2 chickens for us to eat the rest of the week.

Because it is a lengthy trip, I'm trying to decide if I should invite one or two friends to come along with me. It's not the usual up and down the Hudson River site seeing for 90 minutes that most of my first time passengers get.

--J
 
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Try Su Pollo on Route 1 south of Alexandria near Mount Vernon. If you’re into Peruvian Chicken it’s the best.

Alternatively, there’s a Pollo Rico up near Wheaton Metro station, not hard to get to from KGAI.
 
Turning inbound at 3W3 and going direct W00 will keep you south of Annapolis in case there's a stadium TFR, minimize the bay crossing, and keep you in the higher bravo shelf for longer.

Admire the VLF antennas as you pass them.

If landing to the north, turning northwest to intercept and follow 50 after you pass KANP will eventually put you on a perfect 45 for 36. Turn final before the baseball field; west of that will put you in the FRZ. There's usually a hole in the air as you cross the trees, so expect some sink on short final.

If landing to the south, overflying the water tower to the SE of the field will put you on a 45 for 18. Turn final at the pond. There's a dogleg due to the power lines; don't go over or west of them. Look for trucks as you cross 50 on short final, as they leave wake turbulence.

Either way, there's a radome on the NW end of the field that will help you find it from the air.

Have fun!
 
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Is this El Pollo Rico the east coast equivalent to west coast's El Pollo Loco? (or maybe it's just a SoCal thing?)
 
Hmmm, it seems I have an eatery to try sometime when in Maryland, if it's worth flying a long distance to somebody.

No stadium TFR's this time of year, go under whichever shelf you like as direct as you like. 1400' will keep you clear of all towers in that area.

Get a PIN for your next trip, looks to me that landing at College Park and then a Metro ride would be your quickest ticket to tasty golden pollo.
 
Rich chicken vs. Crazy Chicken. Someone needs to do a side by side comparison. El Pollo Loco isn't half bad.
 
So, did you make the trip?
 
Hi.

Sorry for the delay, I keep hoping to upload pictures, but the devices are not cooperating.

I decided to fly to KGAI (Gaithersburg, MD) since getting to El Pollo Rico would be easier. Plus I felt more comfortable flying to an airport not so close to the FRZ.

When I left, I had planned for 6,500 to check out true airspeed of the 182 at that altitude. However, that's about where the broken layer was so I climbed up to 8,500. It was smooth there. As I got closer to Westminster VOR (EMI), I descended through the broken layer to about 3,500. At that altitude, it was pretty choppy.

I listened to Potomac for a while as others made their calls in and out of KGAI and Freeway (W00) while I approached Westminster.

Potomac Radio was great. Once I was at Westminster, I had to fly around the VOR while I waited for them to change controllers. Someone departing KGAI was very anxious when the controller didn't respond and made 3 calls before they were told to standby. I waited until their exchange was completed before I made my call.

Once I called Potomac, entered my code, transponder was recognized and cleared into the SFRA, remain clear of the Bravo. I turned towards KGAI.

I struggle to find new and unknown airports, but I know that is a weakness of mine. I slow down once I'm near my destination to give me time to find the airport. This time I was focused too far west and once I looked more toward 10:00, I was able to see the field, fly to it and cross the midfield to enter the downwind.

The restaurant at KGAI was hopping, with lots of people waiting for tables. I paid for my fuel, called an Uber and headed to Wheaton MD.

The driver could not find the restaurant, so I got out in a random parking lot and started looking for the restaurant. The best way to find El Pollo Rico is to follow your nose, it always knows. Sure enough the scent of roasted chicken lead me to ambrosia.

I'd never been to this El Pollo Rico, but it was just like the one I knew. A line to the counter, 3 choices for entrees (1/4, 1/2, or whole chicken), fries. Tables and chairs scattered around.

I told the server that I only wanted a few fries, so she gave me extra chicken. That was sweet of her.

After eating when I returned to the counter to order my takeout order, I tried to tell the cashier that I'd traveled from NYC to get the chicken. Perhaps a language barrier separated us. She didn't seem to care. Or maybe it's a common occurrence.

After returning to KGAI, the parking spot wasn't level, so I pushed my airplane around using the tow bar to get it in a more level spot to check the oil.

I used my Yaesu FTA-450 to call Potomac before I fired up the airplane. Take off and departure were uneventful. Called Potomac to let them know I was departing KGAI and then was told I could squawk VFR once I was clear of the SFRA.

The ride home was smoother.

Here's my quarter dark meat for lunch.

upload_2020-2-28_21-41-41.png


Here's the chickens I brought home.

upload_2020-2-28_21-41-34.png


We ate chicken for a week. I can't wait to go again, hopefully with some company.

J
 
My Four year old and I had Peruvian charcoal chicken for dinner the other night, lol. We have these Pollo spots all over the place, so I guess we take it for granted. That said, we fly to NYC to eat pizza by the slice, go figure!

Glad you had a good visit...
 
Now that's commitment.

We had one of those places locally, but it burned down. If you grill enough chickens, eventually the ducts from your vent Hood need to be cleaned...
 
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