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Northwest Flight Service relocating to new hangar at Felts Field

Northwest Flight Service is consolidating its operations into a new, 15,000-square-foot hangar at Felts Field. The hangar, shown in this rendering, is anticipated to be completed bu June. (Courtesy photo)
By Amy Edelen amye@spokesman.com(509) 459-5581

Northwest Flight Service, an aviation company providing flight training, aircraft maintenance, management and rentals, has entered into an agreement with a development group to become the sole tenant in a new hangar at Felts Field.

Northwest Flight Service currently operates its maintenance, aircraft storage and administrative offices in three separate buildings at Felts Field. Under the agreement, Northwest Flight Service will consolidate operations into a more than $1.7 million, 15,000-square-foot hangar on a site formerly occupied by the FAA Flight Standards District Office, whose building was demolished in 2019, according to a company statement.

“We’re really excited to get our operation all under one roof,” Bill Ifft, owner of Northwest Flight Service, said in a statement. “We’ll be able to better serve our clientele in one location as opposed to running all over the airport when we need something.”

Spokane-based Cristall Holdings LLC is building the hangar at 6311 E. Rutter Ave. and will lease it to Northwest Flight Service.

“We appreciate Cristall Holdings’ commitment to invest in the construction of a new hangar at Felts Field,” Spokane Airport Board Chairman Ezra Eckhardt said in a statement. “This new 15,000 square foot facility, which will house Northwest Flight Service, a state-of-the-art, professionally operated flight school and aircraft maintenance business, is critical to the ongoing success of Felts Field and the aviation industry as we need to keep training pilots for careers in civil and military aviation as well as producing general aviation pilots. .”

Northwest Flight Service, founded in 2011 as Aircraft Solutions, is the region’s only Cirrus Authorized Service Center. It serves more than 50 regular aircraft maintenance customers and has 14 aviation instructors.

The aviation company’s fleet consists of a Cirrus SR20, three Cirrus SR22Ts, two Cessna 172s and an Icon A5 amphibious light sport aircraft. The aircraft fly more than 2,400 hours annually.

Northwest Flight Service instructors Dan Arch and Tim Lewis have achieved Platinum Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot status, making them two of 90 PCSIPs nationwide. Northwest Flight Service is one of 28 Platinum Cirrus Training Centers in the U.S.

Planning and permitting are underway for the hangar, which is slated for completion by June .