Kenmore Air Harbor: Seaplane Heaven in the Pacific Northwest
Kenmore Air Harbor is a seaplane enthusiast's dream come true, located at the northern end of Lake Washington just 10 miles away from downtown Seattle. It may be the largest seaplane-only passenger facility of its kind in the United States, but it’s also steeped in rich aviation history. Kenmore Air was founded in 1946 in Kenmore, Washington by Bob Munro as a charter and aircraft maintenance service. In 1954, the company began offering charter flights and scenic tours using seaplanes. Throughout the years, the company expanded its fleet and services, offering scheduled commuter flights, air ambulance services, and seaplane maintenance. Today, Kenmore Air is one of the largest seaplane operators in the world, serving destinations throughout the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia.
As of 2021, the Kenmore Air fleet contains 26 aircraft, including a variety of iconic seaplanes, such as the radial-equipped De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, the De Havilland DHC-2T MK. III Turbo Beaver, its larger cousin, and the De Havilland DHC-3T Turbine Otter. As mentioned above, these aircraft are used for scheduled flights, charters, scenic tours, adventure escapes, and everything in between.
One of the best ways to get close to Kenmore Air’s seaplanes in action is to visit the Log Boom Park pier. From this vantage point, you can witness the seaplanes taking off and landing throughout the day. The best part? No matter the time of day, you're bound to see a variety of different colors on the planes thanks to the special paint jobs adorned by multiple Kenmore Air seaplanes. The schemes reflect the unique culture, businesses, and history of the Pacific Northwest.
For example, Turbine Otter, N50KA, is painted in the King5 News Evening promotional livery, while the Turbine Beaver, N32GW, is adorned in Fisherman's Landing BC colors. The Turbine Otter, N707KA, is painted in the Seattle Kraken promotional livery, and the another Turbine Otter, N90422, is decked in tribal patterns in collaboration with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians to promote new Tacoma service. My personal favorite has to be Turbine Otter N606KA "Spirit of the San Juans" which is painted up to represent an orca. The livery supports "Wild Orca" a non-profit founded by Kenmore pilots, in support of the region's orca population.
The below shots were taken earlier this month on a rather busy Saturday. The smoky skies from Canadian wildfires provided extra challenging lighting condition but I tried to make the best of it!
