Residents who live near the Carson City Airport will have an opportunity to question local aviation professionals about safety issues and improvement plans during a special meeting 6 p.m. Monday.
"We want to answer their questions, we want to tell them what we're doing," said Neil Weaver, chairman of the airport authority.
Weaver and others involved with the airport consider safety a relevant topic after a small plane crashed June 5, when a pilot lost power and landed in the intersection of Apollo Drive and Hiko Court.
No one was injured and the cause of the crash is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board. Findings should be reported within the next year, Weaver said.
Another small-plane crash happened in the same neighborhood in 2001, seriously injuring a man who was watering grass in his backyard.
The two incidents have been "a little disconcerting to people living on Apollo," said Supervisor Shelly Aldean, one of the people behind the idea for a meeting with residents.
"It's important to show that the airport is not concealing anything about this latest mishap," she said.
A $25 million overhaul of the airport is planned over the next four years. Work will include realigning the main runway so the flight path is directed north, 100 yards farther away from homes on Apollo Drive. This also will require removing a hill that would impede pilots if it were to be left standing, according to Weaver.
Apollo-area residents should expect decreases in the number of flyovers and amount of noise as a result of the improvements, he said.
Complaints from people living near the facility about aircraft flying in and out of the airport increase once the weather turns warm each year.
One reason is technical: Warm weather thins the air, and it takes planes longer to ascend and leave the area. This causes the plane engine noise to fade out more slowly.
The other reason? "People start opening their windows more because it's warm outside and can hear the noise," Weaver said.
Money to pay for the work comes from a federal grant funded by a tax paid by people when they take trips on commercial flights.
"People who live around the airport made a conscious choice to live near the airport," Aldean said. "And the airport has tried to be a good neighbor."
Other improvements planned for the airport include slightly lengthening the runway and adding another taxiway.
• Contact reporter Terri Harber at tharber @nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111, ext. 215.
If you go
What: Special meeting of the Carson City Airport Authority
When: 6 p.m. Monday
Where: Terminal Building, Carson City Airport, 2600 College Parkway
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