Flight School Move to Boeing Field Triggers Controversy

Rainier Flight Service was granted 12 aircraft tie-downs, angering more than 100 aircraft owners on a waitlist.

Wednesday, February 26, 2025 at 03:33 PM ET

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Aerial view of King County International Airport-Boeing Field looking south down Runway 14R toward Mount Rainier [Credit: King County]

Key Takeaways:

Rainier Flight Service (RFS), the largest flight school in the Puget Sound region, has relocated its primary operations to King County International Airport-Boeing Field (KBFI) from Renton Municipal Airport due to unsustainable lease costs.
RFS is establishing its presence at KBFI with 12 aircraft tie-downs and is pursuing hangar space for maintenance and pilot briefings, filling a gap left by the recent closure of Galvin Flying Service.
King County prioritized RFS's commercial operation for these tie-down spaces over individuals on a long waitlist, a decision supported by organizations like AOPA as the "best and highest use" of airport property to ensure continued flight training availability.

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Rainier Flight Service (RFS), the largest flight school in the Puget Sound region in Washington state, now has an operation at King County International Airport-Boeing Field (KBFI).

RFS is positioning 12 aircraft at KBFI in tie-downs located on the southwest side of the airport, and school officials report they are also in pursuit of a small hangar to conduct maintenance operations and pilot briefs.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.