Kenmore Air
 

From KING5 Evening Magazine:

You see the planes, including Evening Magazine's own "Maggie," flying all over the region – aircraft freed from the constraint of runways, able to land on tiny, jewel-like lakes or even glaciers.

The new Evening Magazine Maggie II is a Kenmore Air deHavilland Otter. The old Maggie (not shown) is a deHavilland Beaver.
The world of floatplanes is synonymous with Kenmore Air, the lartest seaplane company in the country.

Sixty years ago, a young Bob Munro saw an opportunity. He and two high-school buddies bought an old military seaplane and started rebuilding it in their garage.

Soon they talked about starting a small flight-training operation. They found a property on the north end of Lake Washington and with one airplane, they started a flight training school.

Their first hangar was a swamp, their first office a shack.

Within the first year, Bob became the sole owner. He and his wife Ruth borrowed money from their parents to keep things afloat, even while starting a family.

Son Gregg remembers lean years. But Bob Munro kept buying more planes and more land. He became an accomplished pilot – one of the few people in the world to ever land on snow.

Gregg, by then a young pilot himself, was riding shotgun and shooting video when his dad dropped in on a remote glacier in the Olympic Mountains.

There were thrills, too, from expanding the business. From the 1960s onward, Kenmore Air gained a worldwide reputation for restoring deHavilland Beavers used by the military.

It's still a huge part of their business – gutting old floatplanes and installing new, state-of-the-art floats, interiors, and avionics.

A 1950s Beaver that originally sold for $50,000 now fetches up to $600,000.

Kenmore Air is known as the company that will take you anywhere in Washington and British Columbia, not just to scheduled destinations.

One thing has not changed in 60 years. Kenmore Air remains "all in the family." Gregg is CEO and chief pilot, his sister Leslie runs the front desk, and her son is general manager of operations.

Gregg has come full circle, moving back to the family home where he grew up – the one with seaplanes in the front yard.

Although Bob and Ruth Munro have passed on, they made sure the Kenmore Air that Bob built and loved with all his heart will continue to fly high.

Thanks. Cool to hear about the history of such a company. I love seeing those Beavers cruising around when I'm at home....:)

-Ben

For my birthday (which is coming up soon! ;)), I'm going to take one of these to Victoria or Friday Harbor. Should be a heck of a lot of fun.

Always been a big fan of Kenmore. Grew up about a mile from their Lake Washington base.

I don't know if there are any Kenmore pilots on the forums, but does anyone know how low they get when crossing Bothell Way if landing towards the south?