Twin Peaks Film Location – Private Portland Airport

For this article, I’ve made arrangements for you to meet me at the private Portland Airport in Twin Peaks – Fire Walk With Me. This scene takes place early in David Lynch’s 1992 masterpiece and introduces both Special Agents Chet Desmond and Sam Stanley and the mysterious Blue Rose. In reality, this location was shot at the private Fall City Airport in Fall City, Washington.

LOCATION OF THE AIRPORT

With the FAA designation 1WA6, the Fall City Airport is located at 4607 354th Ave SE in Fall City, Washington. Approximate coordinates are 47°33’33.2″N 121°51’58.1″W.

The circled area is where the scenes take place. It was most likely shot sometime between September 10-15, 1991 based on Charlotte Fraisse’s shooting diary from the film.

It’s important to note that the Fall City Airport is considered private property, so please do not trespass.

When I wrote this article in August 2018 , I had not visited the location. Both Google Maps and Bing Maps were key resources for identifying key scenes filmed at this spot. In January 2020, I traveled to Fall City to take what photos I could using a telephoto lens.

The Fall City Airport is owned by the Fall City Airport Association. It’s located about 2 Nautical Miles East of Fall City, Washington. You can see Mount Si in the distance as you approach the airport facility.

Here is where the majority of the scenes take place in the film.  But let’s take a closer look.

CHET DESMOND LANDS

After a short transition scene of the airplane approaching the private airport, it lands on a runway surrounded by trees.

You can see the area by zooming in on Bing Maps street view.

Here is an overview of where the plane lands and where Chet Desmond disembarks to meet Gordon Cole and Sam Stanley.

One of my favorite things to watch on YouTube is videos of pilots landing at Fall City Airport. The video is from bigbad1969 on YouTube.

Granted this landing is in the opposite direction from how the plane lands in the film, but it’s still neat to watch.

I took a photo of the opposite side of the runway. I really need to charter a plane to land at Fall City to get better photos.

CHET DEPLANES

Regional Bureau Chief Gordon Cole waits with bowtie-clad Agent Sam Stanley as Chet pulls up in the plane. The plane behind Stanley and Cole is a Cessna 150.

You can see part of the building in this zoomed in image from Bing Maps.

We see Chet disembark from the plane. The plane’s pilot is John Hoobler and the tail registration number is N78038 N7803B.

The building behind it still exists at the airport!

As seen in this image from Bing Maps, the different colored panels are still found on the building’s side. The roof, however, may have been replaced or has rusted since late 1991.

Here are shots of the shed from a distance on January 25, 2020.

GIVE SAM THE GLAD HAND

In the script dated August 8, 1991, this action is supposed to take place inside the airport’s security lounge.

INT.  SECURITY LOUNGE OF THE AIRPORT – SAME
Desmond enters.  Cole and another man, SAM STANLEY, walk towards him.

COLE
  (motioning to the man standing there)
CHET, GIVE SAM STANLEY THE GLAD HAND. HE’S COME OVER FROM SPOKANE.

Desmond and Stanley shake.

LIL, CHET’S SURPRISE

Gordon directs attention to Chet’s “surprise” waiting in one of the airplane hangers. Since the scripted action takes place inside, his “surprise” Lil walks from another room.

LIL walks to them from another room.  She goes into a contorted dance.

One of the coolest surprises I found when researching this story is a webcam from the Fall City Airport website.

You can see this view of Mount Si, which is periodically updated. How I wish they had footage from 1991, but webcams weren’t a thing back then.

LIL THE DANCER

Lil the Dancer is waiting in the wings by a black-striped, yellow airplane – it’s a Piper PA-18 Super Cub.

From what I’m guessing, Lil and the yellow plane could have been found in the one of these hangers, most likely the one furthest to the right.

An alternate view of the hanger facility confirms some kind of outcropping next to the parked airplane. It looks similar to the film.

A Twin Peaks fan created flight simulator footage of the Fall City Airport and included that black and yellow plane!

See more about this this Flight Simulator X add-on on this website.

Back to the scene…

Lil approaches the trio and reveals Gordon’s secret message through a clue-filled dance only Chet Desmond understands. The script pretty much describes Lil’s dance exactly as it appears on screen:

LIL’S DANCE
Things we notice.

—  She makes a sour face.
— She walks in place.
—  She puts one hand in her pocket and makes a fist with the other.
—  While she is doing this, she blinks with both eyes.
—  She is wearing a red wig.

I love these reaction shots of the three FBI Agents. Notice the blue gas pumps are now gone from the location.

The tip of Chet Desmond’s vehicle can also be seen in the shot with Gordon Cole. This is the same vehicle that Chet and Sam will use to drive to Deer Meadow, Washington.

COLE’S CLUE

During Lil’s dance, Gordon jumps on the clue bandwagon.

At one point during this Cole adds a sentence.

  COLE
SHE’S MY MOTHER’S SISTER’S GIRL.

Cole holds four fingers in front of his eyes.

The trio shot was seen during their initial meeting at the airport, whereas the closer shot of Cole’s hand was a flashback during the drive to Deer Meadow. These appear to be similar shots, but at slightly different angles.

Lynch prefers working with two cameras on set, so my gut tells me that both images were shot at the same time. Charlotte Fraisse’s shooting diary (and any of the Behind the Curtain footage from Season 3) confirm this:

“He often uses two cameras and prints a lot of takes that give him a wide range of possibilities for editing.”

What I’d give to see those alternate takes!

YOU STICK WITH CHET

Gordon advises Sam to stick with Chet as he has his “OWN M.O. – MODUS OPERANDI!” We get another look at those blue gas pumps which are long gone.

THE BLUE ROSE

I close this article with a detailed look at Lil’s dance. Still one of the more captivating moments that left me scratching my head after my first viewing. I didn’t realize just how important her Blue Rose would be in the years to come.