Antique Attic
Aviation Spokane Here
Only people watching closely the events unfolding in the Antique Airplane world would equate Felts Field, in Spokane, Washington, with a restoration hotbed. However, far from the traditional centers, the little community at Felts rolled out some remarkable airplanes and premium quality restorations.
Felts Field is the third oldest airport in the country, after College Park, Maryland, and Pierson Park, in Portland, Oregon, being designated as a municipal airfield (under the name of Parkwater Field) by the city of Spokane in 1919. From the 20's to the 50's, it served as a major hub for the Northwest, before being superseded by what is now the Spokane International Airport. Since, it has continually operated as a general aviation facility for the greater Spokane region.
Felts Field is home to 163 aircrafts, and activity is pretty sustained, as, statically, there is an average of 206 operations a day. It also is one of the very few airports listed on the historic registry. Many of the buildings still standing at the field date back from the late 1910s, early 1920's, and are still in use today.
The 1932 airline terminal, originally housing the United Airlines offices, tickets and waiting areas, as well as a weather bureau, reflects the streamlined motifs of the Art Deco period. The modern clock was built in 1939 as a memorial for Lt. Mamer and the nine others killed in a commercial airplane crash the previous year.
Addison Pemberton takes us on the grand tour of the airfield:
Felts Fields has a lot of character, with always a few restoration projects in the works. Currently there is - a Travel 4000 being built for my son Ryan, two Waco projects that I am aware of (including a Waco EQC-6 Custom Cabin for myself), a Staggerwing and a number of homebuilts under the guidance of the local EAA chapter.
On any given weekday, you can find hangar doors opened and barbecues fired. Felts Field is a very tight social network, very friendly, shared resources kind of environment.
Even though the list of restorations in the pipeline is impressive, the list of completed works is even more so, as Addison summarizes:
For the last five years we have seen the restoration of a Travel Air 4000, a Boeing 40, 2 Stearmans PT-17, a Laird LC-1B, and two Stearman C3Bs.
The driving force behind the success of Felts Field is the community, a group of people who enjoy sharing their time together and like to contribute their technical knowledge to the completion of each other’s projects.
Most of you should be familiar with Addison Pembertons Boeing 40, the most unique airplane out of the Felts Field shops. Its February 2008 first flight was the culmination of a major 20 years effort and the last of a long line of top notch restorations undertaken by Addison with the help of his friends, Wendy, his wife and Jay and Ryan, his sons, who grew working on and flying those antique airplanes.
Ryan is now the unofficial welder at the field, and as such had a hand into all the recent projects.
Another pillar of the Felts Field community, Larry Tobin shows a very pronounced preference for the Stearman brand of airplanes. Flying the PT-17 he restored, he is the leader of the Stearman formation flight that practices every Tuesday, weather and airplane availability permitting. He also is the restorer/owner of the oldest Stearman known to exist, Stearman C3B #4, which had been owned by local aviation legend Skeeter Carlson for over 40 years.
After its landing gear collapse during the 2011 Northwest fly-in, the airplane has been repaired and brought back to flying status after only three months in the shop, an incredible turnaround time!
Another remarkable recent restoration is Larry Howard’s Laird LC-1B, probably one of the most striking to roll out of any shops within the last 10 years. The airframe is also very historical, as it is one of the very few surviving examples of an airplane that participated in the National Air Tour. It was the official means of transportation of Tour Manager Ray Collins and the official timing airplane in the 1931 edition.
All those airplanes have been observed on cross-country trips leading them as far as the Midwest and the East Coast. However, a striking restoration stays pretty much indigenous to Spokane and the Pacific Northwest: Jim Millers Travel Air 4000.
In the little community at Felts, Jim is the paint job specialist, as he owns paint stores in the Spokane area. Jim always adds the final touch to all the wonderful restorations taking place there, giving them their unmistakable look.
He chose for his own airplane a striking scheme of red and cream that give the Travel Air an unmatched authentic 1930 look. The very period speed ring adds to the overall picture to make Jim’s airplane a sight to behold.
Those examples are only the tip of the iceberg. Solely a thorough visit of Felts Field will give a good idea of what was accomplished there over the last 15 years.
Thanks to its tight knit community, Felts Field rivals some of the best-known centers for aviation restoration. There, however, you will get a much better overall experience, as you will feel welcome, and all the hangars will be opened for your inspection.
By Gilles Auliard
