Fairwinds Aviation, a North Carolina-based company, is now offering flying lessons at the Coeur d’Alene Airport given by North Idaho natives and father-and-son duo Mike and Nolan Meehan. 

Instruction ranges from private pilot certification and instrument ratings to commercial and advanced instructor ratings. Fairwinds also offers flight reviews and instrument proficiency checks for established pilots. 

“The owner of the flight school is a friend of mine who lives in North Carolina," Mike said. “About three years ago, an airport near where she lived was closing, so she bought it and started her own flight school. In September, I left the flight school job that I had and started talking with her about opening an affiliate branch of her flight school here." 

Meehan said she was interested in that and graciously allowed him to bring one of her three Diamond DA-40 planes back to Coeur d’Alene. 

“I flew that plane in flight school, so I was very familiar with it,” Meehan said.  

He’s been a pilot since the fall of 2021. 

“I’ve always wanted to fly — I had an Air Force ROTC scholarship out of high school, but when I went in for my DOD medical, they said I didn’t have 20-20 vision and couldn’t be a military pilot,” Meehan said. “So, it was a no-go at the time.” 

But he never gave up his dream of becoming a pilot. 

“In 2021, Nolan graduated from high school and wanted to find a career path, but he didn’t want to do construction work or keep waiting on tables,” Meehan said. “So, I steered him toward a pilot path because at the time there was a pilot shortage.” 

The two ended up getting their private pilot's licenses after living and studying together for seven months in an apartment in North Carolina. Both ended up back in North Idaho and are now giving flying lessons. 

Meehan said a father-son duo in the industry is unique. 

“There aren’t many anywhere in the country,” he said.  

Meehan said the thrill of being a pilot is unlike any job that he’s had. 

“The sensation of being up in the air and seeing the earth from a completely different perspective is amazing,” he said. “It’s the most fun I have ever had — it’s the ultimate office with a view.” 

Meehan said planes are like flying machines. 

“I can make it from here to Seattle in less than two hours — it’s like a five-hour drive in a car,” he said. “If you come back with a tailwind, it’s easily only an hour and a half trip.” 

He also thoroughly enjoys the instruction aspect of the industry. 

“I love it because you get to make important relationships with people,” Meehan said. “My students and I will be forever bonded.” 

There is a detailed review process that prospective students must complete to qualify for the Fairwinds Aviation Flight School. 

“We sit down with everyone and get to know each other and find out what their aviation goals are, whether it's to fly personally as a hobby, become a private pilot or make a career out of it,” Meehan said. “We’ll go through our syllabus so you can see we are not some fly-by-night operation and discuss our curriculum, which has been very successful — it has an extremely high first-time pass rate.” 

Meehan said the time to complete the course varies. 

“It all depends on how often you’re able to do it. If you can only fly once or twice a week, it can take six to 12 months,” Meehan said. “If you can fly three or four times a week, we can get it down to two a couple of months,” 

Visit www.fairwindsavation.com, call 208-818-2862, or email Mike at [email protected] for more information. 

“We want students to walk away with more than the bare minimum requirements to become pilots,” Mehan said. “We want them to be smart and safe pilots after leaving our school.” 

    Mike Meehan is in the cockpit of a Diamond DA-40 aircraft.
  

Now the TidBits

New and Upcoming 

• Bare Root Skin Essential & Esthetics opened its new location at 14777 Highway 53 in Rathdrum.

• River & Rye will be opening in May at 424 E. Sherman Ave., Coeur d'Alene. The menu will include "various flavors from Spain, France and Italy, along with some PNW flair," as well as craft cocktails. 

• Mor Furniture for Less, one of the West Coast’s largest furniture retailers, is opening a showroom this summer at the Prairie Shopping Center in Hayden.

• The Habit Burger & Grill is taking the place of the former Pizza Hut at 212 W. Appleway Ave. The chain, known for its "Charburgers," is eyeing an opening sometime in late spring or early summer. This location will be the first for North Idaho. 

• A new $5 million, 32,000-square-foot Crunch Fitness facility is coming to Coeur d’Alene this fall. 

• Atlas Aligned Chiropractic, 958 S. Lochsa St., Post Falls, is open for business. Hours of operation are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

• Alpine Web Design LLC, a new, locally owned home-based custom web design company in the Cd'A area, is open for business. It specializes in fully customized, hand-coded websites with a focus on clean design and performance. 

• Grain & Gather Mercantile, a new boutique at 6288 N. Government Way, Dalton Gardens, offers furniture, home decor, apparel, apothecary and more. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p,m.

• Remedy Massage at Midtown, a boutique, calming space designed for deep therapeutic relief and total relaxation, has opened in Coeur d’Alene at 1022 N. Fourth St., Suite 104.  

• NextGym, a new fitness studio at 2120 Northwest Blvd., Suite C in Coeur d’Alene, is now open. The gym offers one-on-one personal training along with advanced recovery and performance technologies, including ARX adaptive resistance, Vasper, Hugo Pro PEMF, Power Plate, red light therapy and complimentary Seca BodyScan assessments for members.  

• A second Jersey Mike’s is listed as “under development” at 201 W. Neider Ave. in Coeur d’Alene, while a Chipotle is in the planning stage for 167 W. Neider Ave. Both will join the new Raising Cane’s as Lake City Marketplace continues to grow.

Ongoing Projects  

• The Spill the Tea and Benzo Box is nearing completion at the southwest corner of Greensferry Road and Seltice Way in Post Falls. 

• Jefe's Tacos and Tequila has filed for its business license. The opening date is undetermined at this time.  

• The Ross Point Gas Station is under construction at 310 N. Ross Point Road in Post Falls. 

• The parking lot for the new NomNom gas station and convenience store at 5231 W. Riverbend Ave., Post Falls, has been paved. The opening date is undetermined at this time. 

• Coeur Dance Arts is a new dance studio under development at 4131 Early Dawn Ave. Suite 105B, Post Falls. Classes should begin in May; check coeurdancearts.com.  

• A state-of-the-art pickleball facility called The Flying Pickle is coming to The Pointe at Post Falls at 140 N. Beck Road. Opening is anticipated by mid-2026.  

• American Universal Storage is planned for Spirit Lake along Highway 41, across from the Jiffi Stop.  

• A new commercial building is planned for the Riverstone development at 1570 W. Tilford Lane and will bring at least one new dining option to the area. The 7,500-square-foot mixed-use building's targeted finish date is this summer.  

• Super 1 Foods will anchor Prairie Crossing, a major shopping and mixed-use center under development at Highway 41 and Prairie Avenue.  

• A new location for Syringa Dental and Implants is under construction at 7533 W. Prairie Ave. Their current location at 1850 E. Seltice Way, Post Falls, remains fully operational.   

• A five-story, 173-room Hilton Dual Brand Hotel is planned for a 2.71-acre parcel of land off Lee Court and Appleway Avenue in Coeur d'Alene. The project's start and completion dates haven't been determined.  

• A new facility for One Place Church is under construction at Prairie Avenue and Huetter Road.   

• A new location for The Man Shop, a regional chain of family-owned barber shops, is under construction at Highway 41 and Prairie Avenue.  

• An Idaho Central Credit Union (ICCU) branch location is scheduled to open later this year across from Super 1 Foods along Highway 53 in Rathdrum.  

• Construction is also underway on Rooted Social House at 310 N. Spokane St. The project is described as "an elevated space offering food, coffee, tea and entertainment in a social house setting." A completion date for Rooted has not been announced.  

• The 33-unit, mixed-use "Nonna" building across from Post Falls City Hall on Spokane Street is anticipated to be completed by October of 2026.   

• An AutoZone auto parts shop is under construction at U.S. 95 and Dakota Avenue in Hayden, next to Dirty Birdy Car Wash.  

• Spokane-based Golden Rule Brake is under construction at 3627 N. Government Way, Coeur d'Alene.  

• • • 

Have a tip on happenings in the local business world? Contact Bob at [email protected].