<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by lionclaw_98004:
As an aside, has anyone experienced a Reno landing in strong wind? Such was was the most frightening landing I have experienced yet. More so than a storm over Iceland on my way back from Viet Nam in a C-141 or a last minute aborted landing in Philly. In the Reno landing, it was almost impossible for the pilot to right the craft (were talking 45 degree angle) at about 700 feet. For the first time in my flying career my hands shook involuntarily. I asked the pilot on the way out "From a scale of 1 to 10 how exciting was that?" He said something to the effect of, "Oh Reno... Reno... it's always like this." His complextion definitely looked pastey though. When I got to my hotel room and turned the TV on. the news story was... "Strongest wind storm to hit Reno in 10 years with gust up to 70mph." My business partner was doing the zen thing with his eyes closed. I do the zen thing now as best I can. </font>
Reno's winds aren't always that bad upon takeoff/landing. During the winter, on the other hand, is another story.
Actually, we've had an unusually windy autumn/winter here, which has made flying in and out an interesting experience. I had a RNO-LAX flight in November (on AA) that didn't hit the 70mph, but right during the middle of a winter storm, so it was rather nasty.
But in spite of the AS pilot's remarks, it isn't always that bad.
Mike