Larry Rackley cut the ribbon at Derby Field Airport.
On Thursday, Nov. 21, dozens of people gathered at Derby Field Airport, nine miles southwest of Lovelock for a groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting ceremony. Airport manager and outgoing county commissioner Larry Rackley cut the ribbon. The group celebrated a major addition to the airport, its first- ever taxiway.
“We have a North/South runway 2/20, which is the main runway and we have East/West runway 8/26. When this taxiway project is completed in the spring of 2025, we will have a partial taxiway,” said Rackley.
“The taxiway, which our airport has never had, makes it safer for pilots to taxi their plane to the end of the runway for takeoff. As it is now, the pilot has to taxi to the end of the runway on the runway, an unsafe procedure for planes coming in to land. This taxiway has been a long time coming.”
Rackley emphasized the economic importance of expanding the airport.
“Pilots see the expansion and will use our airport more because of it. That means more fuel sales and, in the future, we’ll have airplane hangar sites for lease,” he said.
Soledad Lopez and Charlsie Duffy-Wilcox pick up “Diamond,” a rescue chihuahua at Derby Field Airport.
The improvements are funded through FAA grants. The taxiway had been in the planning stages for five years.
“The next big project is the North taxiway, but that is 2 to 3 years out,” he said.
Other upcoming projects include pavement rehabilitation, upgraded runway lighting and improvements to the parking apron. In the meantime, there’s more activity at the airport than many people realize.
For example, “Pilot and Paws” transports rescue animals with the help of volunteer general aviation pilots. Lovelock Animal Shelter director Charlsie Duffy-Wilcox meets the planes at Derby Field to take the dogs to the shelter for adoption when she has open kennels.
“We have had several flights come to meet Charlsie and drop off dogs for the shelter. We also get flights where two pilots meet to hand off dogs,” said Rackley.
Recently, Wilcox and shelter assistant Soledad Lopez picked up “Diamond” from a pilot who had flown over 600 rescue animals in her plane. Later, a family adopted the chihuahua from the shelter.
As airport manager for the past four years, Rackley gets frequent calls from pilots asking for information or assistance. This past Veterans Day, he and his wife Barb were in Reno when an Angel Flight pilot called.
The pilot was flying from Salt Lake City to take a five-year-old cancer patient and his mother to Children’s Hospital SLC, but because of the weather could not fly into Carson City where they lived. He requested use of a car, if one was available.
For months, the boy and his mother had been traveling from Carson to Salt Lake City by car or on commercial flights, a costly but medically necessary routine. After the mother reached out, Angel Flight pilots took over their travel at no cost to the family.
“I have been associated with Angel Flight back when Barb and I did a lot of flying. The pilot donates their time, plane and covers all expenses,” Rackley said.
The Rackley’s had a twin-engine airplane for over 25 years and Larry has over 4,500 hours of flying time.
They offered to drive to Carson City, pick up the boy and his mother and take them to Lovelock Derby Field to meet the Angel Flight.
“What a cute kid. He talked to us every minute of the trip. We arrived at Derby Field to find the pilot in an eight-passenger plane waiting for us. They loaded up and left for their one hour and 10-minute flight,” Rackley said. “What an amazing and rewarding experience.”