Spokane, WA
One of the oldest continuously operating airports in the United States — Felts Field traces back to 1913 as Parkwater Aerodrome and was federally designated as an airport in 1926. Charles Lindbergh landed the Spirit of St. Louis here on September 12, 1927 during his post-Paris national tour. Eleven days later, on September 23, 1927, the field was renamed Felts Field for Lt. James Buell Felts, a Washington Air National Guard aviator (and Spokane Valley Herald publisher) killed in a crash there in May 1927. In August 1929, Nick Mamer and Art Walker flew the Spokane Sun-God on a record-setting 7,200-mile, 120-hour non-stop endurance flight from here to San Francisco, New York, and back, refueling in flight. The 1932 Art Deco passenger terminal — with its Pegasus bas-relief and the 1939 Mamer Memorial Clock tower — still stands and is in active use; the Felts Field Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Spokane's primary GA airport (KGEG handles commercial since 1947), and a major flight training base. Wheat fields east, the Spokane River and downtown west.
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.
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.
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.