Galvin Flying, one of last Seattle-area flight schools, closes abruptly

Galvin Flying, one of the last Seattle-area flight schools, shuttered with little notice on Sunday, leaving dozens of instructors and students in the lurch.

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the closure of Galvin Flying after an extraordinary 94 years of serving the aviation community,” the Boeing Field-based company said in a statement on its website.

In a letter to employees, Galvin Flying cited difficulties staying competitive as a factor in the closing. The company did not respond to requests for comment.

Employees told the Seattle Times that they got about three days’ notice and were told that the company struggled financially. The company didn’t offer them severance or payout for any accrued vacation or sick time. The company lists more than 40 staff members on its website.

Still, some were taken aback by the abruptness of the closure.

“I was stunned,” said Jim Lilje, a check instructor who had been at the company since 2007. “There was no foretelling that this was going to happen.”

Lilje said the company had just launched mentorship initiatives for newer flight instructors.

Boeing Field, formally known as King County International Airport, issued a statement regarding the closure, saying it was Galvin’s “business decision.”

“We are surprised and saddened to hear this news, as Galvin has operated out of our airport for decades,” the statement reads.

The airport said that the flight school holds a flight training business permit that is in good standing through February 2025.

Pilot and Coast Guard veteran James B. Galvin founded Galvin Flying at Boeing Field in 1930. The company offered flying services including charter flights, aerial photography training, flight instruction and even work for the U.S. Forest Service spotting fires and deliveries supplies. It later expanded its services to include fuel, service and storage to private planes; in the aughts, it underwent a series of sales to national aviation firms.

The company says on its website it served Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton during their visits to the Seattle.

Many prospective pilots begin their training at schools like Galvin Flying. Oftentimes, they’ll go on to become flight instructors themselves, a role that allows them to accumulate the flight hours they need to eventually qualify for jobs flying commercial planes.

Shuttering flight schools like Galvin Flying cuts off a critical pipeline for local talent.

“It’s a little heartbreaking,” said Pete Aldassy, a pilot and former employee. Aldassy learned how to fly at Galvin Flying beginning in 1999 and worked various roles, including flight instruction, on and off at the company through 2010. “A lot of us started our early aviation careers in that place, and it’s launched many, many pilots.”

In 2015, Seattle area-based pilot Skip Moshner purchased the flight training arm of the company, bringing it back under local ownership, according to the company website.

The costs associated with operating a flight school are relatively high, from aircraft to fuel, from insurance to leased space in an airport. That’s particularly true in the Pacific Northwest, where subpar weather during the winter months means that there’s significantly less time under ideal conditions to train students.

Galvin Flying isn’t the only flight school shuttering in the area. Flight school Rainier Flight Service is closing its Renton location on Jan. 31, confirmed owner Brad Donaldson.

The closures reduce options for people who want to learn how to fly in Seattle, putting pressure on them to either enroll in programs farther outside the city, or to give up on flying altogether.

“There’s really no flight school in Seattle anymore that I know of,” said Lilje. People might still be able to take private lessons, he said. But flight schools – dedicated institutions that bring together instructors, curriculum, a fleet of planes – are getting pushed out to neighboring areas. There remain schools that offer simulation-based training in Seattle.

It also means that there will be many flight instructors struggling to find work in the coming months.

“It’s really kind of an end of an era,” Aldassy said.