If there’s one thing that can send a horde of plane nerds flocking to LAX, it’s apparently the promise of watching jets while demolishing an In-N-Out burger.
That was the scene Saturday at Cranky Dorkfest, the annual freewheeling gathering that draws aviation enthusiasts, photographers and industry insiders to the edge of Los Angeles International Airport for a day of planes, people-watching and fast food.
The informal meetup has come a long way since 2011, when it began as a small gathering for aviation photographers and bloggers.
Now, the event attracts a much larger crowd of self-described aviation obsessives who apparently consider watching commercial jets roar overhead while chowing down on Double-Doubles a perfectly good way to spend a Saturday.
And these days, there are apparently enough airplane fanatics showing up to make even the organizers a little nervous.
“Even with a 50% no-show rate, we’ll be on track for a record year, which is only slightly terrifying to imagine,” the Cranky Flier said.
The main event ran from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the park across the street to the south of the In-N-Out at 9149 S Sepulveda Blvd, giving attendees an enviable setup for an afternoon of watching jets, talking airplanes and grabbing food from the burger chain sitting conveniently nearby.
The gathering is held every September in Los Angeles on the second or third weekend of the month and coincides with NYC Aviation’s SpotLAX, giving avgeeks an excuse to turn the occasion into one long weekend of aviation-related fun.
For some attendees, the airplane-and-In-N-Out combination is hardly a new discovery.
“When I was flying for Delta, I’d occasionally stop on my way home for Double Double Animal Style and to watch the jets,” Buzz Patterson wrote on X.
That pretty much sums up the Dorkfest lifestyle, with aircraft overhead, burgers in hand and plenty of fellow enthusiasts around to appreciate the spectacle.
Even people who had never heard of the event seemed entertained by its spectacularly unapologetic name.
“I don’t know what a “Cranky Dorkfest” is, but it’s one the best terms I’ve encountered in a long while!”
