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 established a new operation at King County International Airport-Boeing Field (KBFI) with 12 aircraft and plans for a hangar and office space.
This move follows RFS's departure from Renton Municipal Airport (KRNT) due to unsustainable operating costs after the city stopped covering building maintenance.
The decision to prioritize RFS for space at KBFI, filling a void left by the recent closure of Galvin Flying Service, was made by King County as the "best and highest use" of airport property for commercial activity, despite protests from a long waitlist of private aircraft owners.

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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.