BRAD HORN/Nevada Appeal Donald Manly, 15, of the Civil Air Patrol, guides a plane at the Carson Airport on Saturday during the first experimental aircraft fly-in. At right, Liam Hill, 6, of Spanish Springs, loses a piece of pancake at the Carson Airport during breakfast. Elk Grove pilots Orval Sprock, right, and Fayne Whitney relax in the shade.
im Anderson of Carson City flew in the clear Plexiglas nose of a B-25 bomber several years ago. Saturday he saw the plane again at the first fly-in organized by Sierra Chapter 403 of the Experimental Aircraft Association.
"Nothing like flying across Nevada on a beautiful day up in the nose," he said, gazing at the big blue war bird owned by businessman Ted Melsheimer.
Anderson brought his grandson, Stephen, to the Carson City airport to see the wide range of aircraft and other vehicles on display.
Retired airline pilot DeWitt Ross held onto his hat while maneuvering a replica 1910 Deperdussin around the tarmac. The skin of the antique plane is fabric stretched over a frame. He and Ron Kitchen built it.
"It's a wing-warper which means it has no ailerons or flaps," said Kitchen. "The Wright brothers did the same thing."
Kitchen also displayed his latest project, a two-seat attack biplane from World War I called a Halberstadt.
"I built it from original German drawings from 1917," he said.
The highlight of the free show was the large collection of RV experimental aircraft. They are made from kits sold by Richard Van Grunsven's company, Vans Aircraft.
"It's a hell of an airplane," said Ron Sutton. A member of the Sierra Chapter and former RV owner, he acted as the tech inspector, judging all the RVs that flew in. He judged the planes for aesthetics, workmanship and clean "fit and finish."
Judges like Sutton look for added features such as spoilers or trim tabs on the ailerons.
"The amount of work that goes into these things is really amazing," he said. "They really are nice planes. We used to cruise ours at about 185 mph."
About 60 aircraft flew in for the gathering, but there were more than just planes. Antique cars and trucks lined the tarmac, along with military-style Jeeps from World War II and restored Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
"This is a good old dog and pony show," said Sutton.
The day started with a pancake breakfast.
Bill Williamson, known for training dogs to drive a Model T truck, is also a member of the EAA. He served pancakes to more than 200 people Saturday morning at the airport.
"I put on my chef uniform with a big, tall hat and everything," he said.
He's working on a single-seat kit airplane called a KR-1.
"I don't know if I'll ever finish it - I'm losing my vision."
He and the other members of Sierra Chapter 403 of the Experimental Aircraft Association plan to hold another RV-appreciation fly-in next year as well.
"We're really happy with the turnout this year," said Sutton. "We're going to make this an annual thing."
Contact Karl Horeis at khoreis@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.
