Cleared for takeoff: Liftoff Creamery eyes Irvington expansion

INDIANAPOLIS — Liftoff Creamery owner Ryan Lynch remembers the very first flight he ever took, a trip to Disney when he was just five years old.

“I remember hopping on the L 10-11 aircraft, and saw all the bells and whistles and said, ‘that’s what I want to do,’ and started from there.”

Lynch‘s flying career took off when he was just 14. Now a commercial airline pilot, Lynch has turned his focused to helping young people pursue their dreams. He founded a nonprofit to help kids explore the aviation industry. He also started Liftoff Creamery in 2020 with the goal of providing employment opportunities for young people in Indianapolis.

“Mentoring is just helping the next generation get started,” Lynch said. “We’ve all started somewhere in our lives [and] with our first jobs. We teach them all those skill sets to learn about what does it take to run a small business, but also getting out into the workforce as well, too.”

Liftoff Creamery typically offers 50-60 different flavors of ice cream with sugar-free, non-dairy, and vegan options. All flavors feature an aviation-themed name.

Lynch says the triple chocolate 7700, an aircraft emergency code, is the most popular flavor. Turbulent, an Oreo-flavored ice cream is also a top seller.

Liftoff Creamery will cruise into Indy’s Irvington neighborhood later this year.

“There’s a great residential community over there, and of course, a big ice cream community,” Lynch said. “We’re very excited to bring some ice cream and some desserts to the community.”

Lynch says his love of ice cream stems from its simplicity.

“it’s just a great dessert, something easy that you can have after a meal. I think people enjoy it because it’s good camaraderie for families to get together after they had a nice meal together. It’s just something fun to have and it’s just a great treat to enjoy.

You can enjoy all Liftoff Creamery has to offer by visiting its 16th Street location at 111 E 16th St. #105, Indianapolis, and later this year at 5539 E Washington St. in Irvington.