Spokane, Washington
Fairchild AFB Crashpad — TDY lodging that feels like home
Looking for a Fairchild AFB crashpad? Fairchild sits on the West Plains 12 miles southwest of Spokane, and between the Air Force's biggest KC-135 fleet and the SERE school that cycles roughly 6,000 students a year, TDY orders here never stop. A furnished crashpad priced inside the government rate beats a Spokane hotel on space, parking, and a real kitchen.
Mission
92nd Air Refueling Wing — the Air Force's largest KC-135 Stratotanker base, plus the USAF Survival School
Host units
92nd Air Refueling Wing (AMC, host) · 141st Air Refueling Wing (Washington Air National Guard, KC-135 associate) · 336th Training Group (USAF SERE School) · 36th Rescue Squadron (UH-1N) and the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency
Commute
From Airway Heights or Medical Lake it is a 10-minute run to the Main Gate on US Highway 2 or Craig Road; from downtown Spokane figure 20 to 25 minutes west on I-90 to US-2.
Homes near the gate
Crashpads serving Fairchild AFB
2 fully furnished properties positioned for the Fairchild AFB commute.
Why stay in a crashpad near Fairchild AFB?
Fairchild Air Force Base is home to the 92nd Air Refueling Wing, the largest KC-135 Stratotanker operating location in the Air Force, and the 336th Training Group, which runs the U.S. Air Force Survival School. Tanker aircrew, maintainers, and Guard members from the co-located 141st Air Refueling Wing keep the flight line busy year-round, while the SERE schoolhouse pushes classes of aircrew through combat survival training in the mountains north of base every few weeks. That steady churn of short-course students and longer instructor-pipeline trainees is exactly what fills the Fairchild Inn and the SERE Inn, and non-availability is common during peak class cycles. Off base, hotels cluster in Airway Heights and along I-90 in Spokane, where nightly rates plus taxes routinely push past the $126 Spokane per diem in summer. A crashpad gives you a bedroom, a kitchen, laundry, and a driveway a few minutes from the Main Gate, with receipts written to fit your DTS voucher.
Who we host at Fairchild AFB
- SERE students — aircrew and special-duty members on the S-V80-A Combat Survival course and other 336th TRG courses
- Future SERE specialists in the five-and-a-half-month instructor pipeline
- KC-135 aircrew, maintainers, and instructors on temporary duty with the 92nd and 141st ARWs
- Washington Air National Guard members on annual training and orders with the 141st
- AMC staff, inspection teams, JPRA personnel-recovery course attendees, and contractors supporting the tanker fleet
Per diem, DTS, and your wallet
Every Fairchild AFB stay is priced at or below the Spokane government lodging rate. You'll receive itemized, DTS-ready receipts for your travel voucher — for a typical TDY that means zero out-of-pocket lodging cost. Read the full breakdown in our TDY per diem guide, or run your own numbers: the per diem calculator and the on-base lodging calculator use the same rates DTS does. PCSing here instead? Check BAH for Fairchild AFB.
Local intel
Fairchild AFB crashpad FAQs
Can I stay in a Fairchild AFB crashpad on TDY orders?
Yes. Call the Fairchild Inn first (509-247-5519); if on-base lodging is full you receive a non-availability number and can lodge commercially at the FY2026 Spokane County rate of $126 lodging plus $86 M&IE. A crashpad receipt at or under $126 a night is reimbursed like any hotel.
Where do most TDY travelers to Fairchild stay off base?
Airway Heights, the town that sits right outside the Main Gate on US-2, and the West Plains neighborhoods between the base and Spokane International Airport. Both put you within 10 minutes of the gate and 15 minutes of the airport.
Does Base Crashpads have a property at Fairchild AFB right now?
We are expanding to Fairchild and building our West Plains inventory now. Send us your dates and we will match you with a furnished room or house priced inside the Spokane per diem, or point you to the best option if we are not yet open for your window.
Calculators
Plan your Fairchild AFB TDY budget
Mission-ready lodging
TDY to Fairchild AFB? Lock in your lodging.
Send your dates and reason for stay — we'll match you with a furnished crashpad near Fairchild Air Force Base at the government rate.