Ely Airport

ELY A I RPORT land, including Cave Mountain to the southeast and Huesser Mountain to the northwest. And Great Basin National Park is just over an hour’s drive to the southeast. Ely Airport itself sits at an elevation of 6,259 feet. This elevation and general location create the conditions for ideal thermal currents that attract glider pilots from around the world during the summer months. Hot air ballooning and Ely Air Races have also taken place there. Aviation dates back to the early 1910s in Ely, Nevada. There was debate about whether pilot Frank H. Burnside would be able to take off because of the high elevation, according to the July 6, 1913 edition of the White Pines News. Burnside was not only able to take off, but he also landed on 11th Street and D Avenue in the town of Ely. Records of the airport’s early history in the 1920s and 30s is spotty, at best. However, it appears a man named Carl Ooley piloted several flights in 1926. He faced the simplest of regulations, such as “never leave the ground with a motor leaking,” and “pilots will not wear spurs when flying.” Seagull Lines started operating an air charter service out of Ely Airport in the mid-1930s. The