Seattle’s Paine Field (KPAE) has worn several names over its nearly nine-decade existence including its latest, Seattle Paine Field International Airport, which was adopted last year to emphasize its proximity to the city. It started out as a Depression-era works project to establish a major airport for Seattle, but as it was nearing completion, World War II broke out and it was commandeered by the military.
During the 1940s, the Port of Seattle decided not to wait for it to be returned and built the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which remains the city’s primary aviation gateway to this day. In the 1960s, when Boeing was looking for a location to establish a production facility for its new super airliner—the 747—it chose Paine Field, which had recently ceased operations as Paine Air Force Base. While the final 747 was delivered a year ago, the building—still used by the airframer for aircraft production—remains the largest in the world.
KPAE operated as a manufacturing hub and general aviation airport until 2019, when Propeller Airports opened a commercial airline terminal that it built and operates on behalf of Snohomish County. Two years later, the company decided to purchase the lone FBO on the field.
“I figured I could run a commercial passenger terminal with a million people a year going through it, so how hard could it be to run an FBO?” said Propeller CEO Brett Smith, who quickly learned there are differences between the two. “Running a commercial airline terminal is a lot more regimented and predictable than an FBO. One minute we are fueling an Antonov, and the next we are making sure a VIP’s aircraft is properly catered.”
The former Castle & Cooke Aviation facility was immediately rebranded as Propeller Aero Services, and the company spent $1 million on a renovation of the 90s-era, two-story terminal, which was completed in November.
The 16,000-sq-ft facility offers a full kitchen stocked with complimentary snacks, beverages, and ice cream; a pair of A/V-equipped conference rooms seating 20 and eight respectively; pilot lounge; shower facilities; business center; three crew cars; onsite car rental; concierge; laundry and dishwashing; and shuttle service. A theater room and a pair of snooze rooms will come online in the second quarter, and while customs service is not available on the field, the company hopes to bring it to the FBO over the next year.
Smith enjoys finding unique items to decorate it, including a working set of vintage runway end lights from Paris Le Bourget Airport from the '50s, and a 12-foot-long model of the Concorde. Vehicle ramp access and valet parking are available, as are aircraft interior and exterior cleaning.
Yet Smith still considers this a temporary terminal. Early on, the company announced plans to tear it down and build a $25 million modern glass-sheathed structure on the site, during that time relocating the FBO operations to its under-renovation corporate headquarters adjacent to the site. But word that another complex on the field—offering several existing hangars—might soon become available has stayed Smith’s hand. He expects to decide on the FBO’s future home within the year.
The Avfuel-branded location—which has a staff of 30 and is open 24/7—also handles all the fueling at the airport and pumps 9 million gallons a year. It owns the fuel farm, which has a capacity of 360,000 gallons of jet-A and 20,000 gallons of avgas. It is served by four jet fuel trucks—one 10,000-gallon, two 7,000-gallon, one 5,000-gallon tanker, and a pair of 1,000-gallon avgas refuelers.
The FBO also has a self-serve avgas pump. Last year, the FBO logged more than 7,000 general aviation operations, and its total fueling operations topped 16,000. In addition to general aviation and commercial traffic, KPAE also sees a sizable amount of cargo flights (largely due to Boeing), and its 9,010-foot main runway handles anything up to the Antonov 124.
The FBO has just 22,000 sq ft of heated hangar space, a shortage Smith describes as “the bane of my existence.” The facility is home to seven turbine-powered aircraft ranging from a Bombardier Global 6000 to a Pilatus PC-12, and given that KPAE has more than 500 based aircraft, Smith is eager to add more space. “Boeing Field is pretty much out of capacity, and this is really the only other place to go,” he told AIN.
Regarding the recent airport rebranding, Smith noted that without traffic, you can reach downtown Seattle from KPAE in less than 20 minutes. “I can tell you as a pilot myself, if I didn’t know the area, I would just look at it and see Boeing Field in Seattle and just pick that,” explained Smith, “but in reality, we are easier to get in and out of and our turns are certainly quicker.”
As a hands-on CEO, Smith is always available to customers and will help out unloading bags from aircraft if needed. One of his self-appointed tasks each week is supplying fresh flowers not just for the FBO, but for the award-winning commercial terminal as well. “I do it myself, and it shows the employees how much I care, but it gives a really nice environment to the passenger,” he said. “It’s two hours out of my week, but I think it’s worth it.”
“Service is the most important thing to me,” said Smith. “It’s making sure people can get in and out of here quickly and they are in a nice environment and they get whatever fuel or products they need.”
In a recent example of that belief, a cross-country flight arrived at the FBO with passengers headed to nearby vacation destination San Juan Island. When the small airplane slated to ferry them to the island’s Friday Harbor Airport did not arrive, Smith immediately volunteered to fire up his own Cirrus and fly them there, an offer that was gratefully accepted.
Seattle’s Paine Field (KPAE) has worn several names over its nearly nine-decade existence, the latest being Seattle Paine Field International Airport, adopted just last year to emphasize its proximity to the city. It started out as a depression-era works project to establish a major airport for Seattle, but as it was nearing completion, World War II broke out and it was commandeered by the military.
In the 1960s, when Boeing was looking for a location to establish a production facility for its new super airliner—the 747—it chose KPAE, which had recently ceased operations as Paine Air Force Base. While the final 747 was delivered a year ago, the building—still used by the airframer for aircraft production—remains the largest in the world.
In 2019, Propeller Airports opened a commercial airline terminal, which it operates on behalf of Snohomish County. Two years later, the company decided to purchase the lone FBO on the field. “I figured I could run a commercial passenger terminal with a million people a year going through it, so how hard could it be to run an FBO?” said Propeller CEO Brett Smith, who quickly learned there are differences between the two. “Running a commercial airline terminal is a lot more regimented and predictable than an FBO. One minute we are fueling an Antonov and the next we are making sure a VIP’s aircraft is properly catered.”
The facility was immediately rebranded as Propeller Aero Services, with $1 million spent on a renovation of the 90s-era, two-story terminal, which was completed in November. The 16,000-sq-ft facility offers a full kitchen stocked with complimentary snacks; a pair of conference rooms seating 20 and eight respectively; pilot lounge; shower facilities; business center; three crew cars; onsite car rental; concierge; laundry and dishwashing; and shuttle service. A theater room and a pair of snooze rooms will come online in the second quarter, and while customs service is available at the commercial terminal, the company hopes to bring it to the FBO over the next year. Vehicle ramp access and valet parking are offered, as are aircraft interior and exterior cleaning.
Yet, Smith still considers this a temporary terminal. Early on, the company announced plans to tear it down and build a $25 million modern glass-sheathed structure on the site, relocating the FBO operations during that time to its under-renovation nearby corporate headquarters. But word that another complex on the field—offering several existing hangars—might soon become available has stayed Smith’s hand. He expects to decide on the FBO’s future home within the year.
The Avfuel-branded location—which has a staff of 30 and is open 24/7—also handles all the airport's fueling, pumping 9 million gallons a year. Its fuel farm has a capacity of 360,000 gallons of jet-A and 20,000 gallons of avgas and is served by six refuelers. The FBO also has a self-serve avgas pump. Last year, it logged more than 7,000 general aviation operations, and its total fueling operations topped 16,000.
In addition to general aviation and commercial traffic, KPAE also sees a sizable amount of cargo flights, and its 9,010-foot main runway accommodates anything up to the Antonov 124. The FBO has just 22,000 sq ft of heated hangar space and is home to seven turbine-powered aircraft, from a Bombardier Global 6000 to a Pilatus PC-12. Given that KPAE has more than 500 based aircraft, Smith is eager to add more space. “Boeing Field is pretty much out of capacity and this is really the only other place to go,” he told AIN.
As a hands-on CEO, Smith is always available to customers, and one of his self-appointed tasks each week is supplying fresh flowers not just for the FBO, but for the award-winning commercial terminal as well. “I do it myself and it shows the employees how much I care but it gives a really nice environment to the passenger,” he said. “It’s two hours out of my week, but I think it’s worth it.
“Service is the most important thing to me,” he added. “It’s making sure people can get in and out of here quickly and they are in a nice environment and they get whatever fuel or products they need.” In a recent example of that belief, a cross-country flight arrived at the FBO with passengers headed to nearby vacation destination San Juan Island. When the small airplane slated to ferry them to the island’s Friday Harbor Airport did not arrive, Smith immediately volunteered to fire up his own Cirrus and fly them there, an offer that was gratefully accepted.