Spokane, WA
Built in 1941 on land donated by the City of Spokane to the federal government, originally Geiger Field — named for First Lieutenant Major Harold Geiger, an early Army Air Corps balloonist killed in a 1927 crash. Used during WWII as a training base and during the Cold War as a SAC bomber dispersal field for the B-52s at Fairchild AFB six miles west. Returned to the City of Spokane in 1960 and converted to civilian use as Spokane International. Class C, two parallel runways (3/21 at 11,002ft, 7/25 at 8,199ft). Major commercial hub for the Inland Empire — eastern Washington, northern Idaho, western Montana — served by Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest, and United. The Inland Northwest Aviation Museum sits on the airfield with restored DC-3, DC-7, and Beech 18 in flying condition. Fairchild AFB still operates the 92nd Air Refueling Wing and a fleet of KC-135 tankers; the eight-engine roar coming over Felts Field on takeoff is from there.
Home of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing, flying KC-135 Stratotankers for global aerial refueling missions. One of the busiest tanker bases in the Air Force. The base has been refueling fighters since the late 1950s; the Cold War-era alert ramps are still visible from the air. Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) School is also based here — every Air Force pilot who flies high-risk missions does their SERE training at Fairchild. From civilian pilots' perspective: this is restricted airspace, do not enter, but the base is impressive to see from a distance — long parallel runways, dozens of tankers parked in distinct stripes across the ramp.
On the field at KSFF Felts Field — one of America's oldest continuously operating airports (1913). The 1932 Art Deco passenger terminal with its Pegasus bas-relief is the centerpiece of the Felts Field Historic District (National Register of Historic Places). The 1939 Mamer Memorial Clock tower at the field entrance honors Nick Mamer, the local aviator who flew the Spokane Sun-God endurance record in 1929 and was killed in a 1938 crash. Three 1930s-era hangars are still in active use, including one originally belonging to Northwest Airways (now part of Delta). The Historic Flight Foundation operates a museum on the field with a flying B-25 and other vintage warbirds. A small terminal and a big story.
The dominant peak northeast of Spokane, rising to 5,883 feet — the highest point in Spokane County. A state park covers most of the mountain, including a ski area, a stone CCC-built vista shelter at the summit, and miles of trails. On clear days, the view from the top stretches into Idaho, Montana, and Canada — six states and a country visible from one rock. The CCC summit shelter (1933) is one of the few remaining original CCC structures in Washington and is on the National Register. From the air, Mount Spokane is the green dome that anchors the eastern horizon for anyone flying around the Spokane area.
A 25-mile-long glacial lake in the Idaho panhandle, surrounded by forested mountains. The water is so clear that the bottom is visible from altitude in the shallow bays. The lake's deep blue color against the dark green forest is one of the most striking aerial views in the Pacific Northwest. The floating golf green at the Coeur d'Alene Resort (the only one in the world) is visible from the air. Tubbs Hill, a forested peninsula, juts into the lake near downtown.