The Reno-Stead Airport celebrated its 75th anniversary in a special way on Tuesday.
You may know the Reno-Stead Airport for the home base of the STIHL National Championship Air Races, but for some it is so much more."It was home for four years," says Air Force Veteran, Bruce Smith. In October 1942, Reno Army Air Base began operations at what was later the 192nd Fighter Squadron, Nevada Air National Guard, and finally named Stead Air Force Base. The base was home to the Strategic Air Command's Survival School, Flying Training Wing and Reno Air Defense Sector.
In 1966, Reno-Stead Airport began operating as a general aviation airport under the direction of the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority and is now a major drone testing site. "Big name companies that are doing testing for drones, doing package delivering for drones for the future, all kinds of different uses for drones and how that will change our world. That testing is done here," says Marily Mora, CEO of Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority.
On Tuesday morning they finished a $21 million project with the grand re-opening of Runway 8/26, but the airport says this is just a small step to the continue growth of the airport. "In the future we will see development of businesses," explains Mora, "5,000 acres that is a lot of land out here and that development is going to bring in jobs."
