From Parkwater to Felts Field
Spokane’s first airport
In 1913, local aviators began using a stretch of city-owned land along the south bank of the Spokane River for flying. Early pilots simply called it “the field out by Parkwater,” and the name stuck—Parkwater Aviation Field. By 1920, it had become one of the most popular airfields in the region, drawing commercial, recreational, and military pilots.
Flying was largely unregulated at the time, and recognizing the need for safety, the City of Spokane designated Parkwater as the city’s official landing field. In 1926, the Department of Commerce officially designated it an “airport”—one of the first in the nation. A year later, it was renamed Felts Field to honor Lieutenant James Buell Felts, a Washington Air National Guard pilot who died in an aviation accident.
The airport quickly became a landmark. On September 12, 1927, Charles Lindbergh landed his Spirit of St. Louis at Felts Field. In 1933, Northwest Airlines launched service to Spokane from the field with a single-engine Hamilton plane that held just six passengers. And two local pilots, Nick Mamer and Art Walker, brought international acclaim to the airport when they became the first to demonstrate aerial refueling, flying coast-to-coast and back without refueling. The Mamer Clock Tower at the airport honors that achievement today
By the late 1940s, airlines were flying larger, faster aircraft that outgrew Felts Field’s runways. Carriers like Northwest Airlines moved their operations to what is now Spokane International Airport. But as commercial traffic shifted, general aviation took off. By the 1970s, Felts Field had become one of the busiest general aviation airports in the Northwest, prompting the construction of a new parallel runway, additional hangars, and an instrument landing system.
Today, Felts Field remains one of the most active general aviation airports in the region. It’s home to flight schools, charter operators, air medical services, aircraft maintenance shops, and a beloved on-field restaurant. The airport features two paved runways, a turf landing strip, and can even accommodate water landings on the Spokane River. More than a century after those first pilots took off from a patch of land along the river, Felts Field is still where Spokane’s aviation community comes together.