Airport Open House draws crowd

Temperatures were sizzling and the parking lot was full for the Carson City Airport's annual open house Saturday. People from 2 to 82 came despite the heat milling easily among the planes, vintage cars and military equipment.

A petite 3-year-old dressed in lime green shorts and oversized sunglasses, Teylor Baskarhoon was a toddler of few words, but there was no mistaking her passion. When the plane engines roared, she pointed excitedly at one, then another, urging her grandmother on.

"Teylor loves planes. Always has," said Linda Cusick, Teylor's great-grandma. "And we like this show. It's very interesting, so we thought we'd bring her."

"This is a beautiful show," Carson City resident John Green said. "I love the old airplanes and I'm amazed at the accessibility here."

Once a Navy aviation mechanic, Green was admiring a restoration in process, a vintage plane with pistons exposed and shining.

Small home-built planes and ultra-lights stood among bigger planes, like the vintage Grumman Albatross. A vintage Stearman biplane made lazy circles over the airport.

Airport manager Yvon Weaver said she loves this event, in part because local people get a taste of what goes on here, including free hotdogs and drinks.

"People don't understand how passionate pilots are about their sport," she said. "Aviation gets all kinds of negative press whenever there's a crash, but this brings positive attention to our airport."

Usually slated for early June, the event was postponed this year due to scheduling conflicts.

"It won't happen again," Weaver said, nervously eying the storm clouds gathering to the south. "From now on, we'll be having open house the first weekend in June."

The Carson City Airport is owned by the city and managed by the Airport Authority, a seven-member board appointed by the Carson City Board of Supervisors.