Daring air rescues, treacherous glacial landings and a colorful cast of characters are the typical stuff of fiction, but readers will find this and more in “Success on the Step: Flying with Kenmore Air” by C. Marin Faure, the recently published true account of Kenmore Air, from its humble beginnings on the shores of Lake Washington in Washington state to becoming the largest seaplane airline in the world.
Kenmore Air was started on a shoestring by two mechanics and a pilot with no business plan. Six months later, the pilot was dead and one of the mechanics had left, but company founder Bob Munro held tight to his dream. Sixty years later, Kenmore Air is still family owned and flies more than 2 million air miles and carries more than 100,000 passengers each year to remote locations along the Northwest coastline.
The airline’s passenger manifests are as varied as the landscape it covers. Movie stars, business visionaries, astronauts and musicians have discovered the thrill of floatplanes and the stunning vistas of the Pacific coast with Kenmore Air. One of these clients, actor Harrison Ford, an avid pilot, wrote the forward for the book.
Faure, the book’s author, came to Lake Washington and Kenmore Air Harbor, first as a seaplane pilot who wanted to get a Beaver rating, then as a regular customer and eventually as a friend of the Munro family. He has been with The Boeing Co. for 26 years and is a producer/director for the company’s marketing videos. He also wrote “Flying a Floatplane.”
The book is available for $25 in hardcover and $17.95 in soft cover from Earmark Publishing.
For more information: 206-441-4745 or e-mail to [email protected].