The Flying Machine, a mom-and-pop diner overlooking the runway at Gwinnett County’s Briscoe Field, has been told its time on the tarmac is almost up. After more than two decades as a go-to spot for pilots, families and plane-watchers, the longtime hangout has been ordered to vacate its current location by October 1, 2026, leaving owners scrambling for a new home in a tight commercial market.
Regulars say losing their perch by the runway would mean more than just finding a new place for pancakes. For many in the airport community, the Flying Machine has become a neighborhood institution they are not eager to see taxi off into the sunset.
Lease shakeup at Briscoe Field
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, the trouble started when the restaurant’s landlord was outbid in a Gwinnett County lease process. The winning proposal calls for repurposing the indoor dining space, which set the October 1 deadline for the Flying Machine to clear out. FOX 5 reported that the switch stems from a competitive county leasing effort and that the incoming tenant plans to use the building for its own operations.
Public procurement records from Gwinnett County show multiple requests for proposals tied to sites at Briscoe Field last year, with deadlines in late September and early October and notes spelling out that new leases would not begin before Jan. 1, 2026. The formal RP023-25 RFP for a 2.046-acre site on the field outlines the county’s leasing timeline and requirements, offering a look at how control of on-field buildings can change hands. Gwinnett County details the process.
Owners and locals push back, gently
Owners Hokey Sloan and Joy Hoge, who opened the Flying Machine in 1998, told FOX 5 Atlanta they received notice of the lease change and are now racing to secure a new spot. “Bottom line is we’re going to have to move,” Sloan said…