Northwest Aerospace News April | May Issue No. 2 | Page 34

An Impressive
Stretch of Pavement
500 Miles of Aerospace Collaboration in the Inland Northwest
by Robin Bishop
S
pokane’s history with aerospace
began with Felt’s Field being desig-
nated a municipal airfield in 1920. A
couple of decades later, the Spokane
Army Air Depot (future Fairchild Air
Force Base) opened as a WWII supply
and repair depot, later becoming a
Strategic Air Command (SAC) sup-
plying heavy bombers in our coun-
try’s defense. About the same time, a
burgeoning Boeing Company caused a
spike for regional aluminum suppliers
in response to war-ti