The virtual airport and its pilot's lounge came into being when I started writing this column almost exactly 20 years ago. (There's a partial index of the columns hereand here.) The airport, the lounge and the characters who brought their wisdom to the discussions reported in the columns were, and are, an amalgam of airports where I've spent time and people I've been fortunate enough to know over the years. The airport is modeled on the one in Jefferson, Iowa, because it always felt to me to be the right size for a general aviation airport populated by people who like to fly little airplanes and it has one grass runway—something I consider of great value for fun flying.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/flight-safety/fbo/the-pilots-lounge-138-a-welcoming-airport