The atmosphere in Reno, Nevada this year gives you two choices – you can have smoke, or you can have wind – which drives out the smoke.
So far this week at the Reno Air Races, we have had a smoky haze which, while not limiting the racing action, has limited the ability to shoot pictures with perfectly blues skies in the background. Visibility has varied between seven and ten miles across the region most of the time. Last night, however, the breeze at sunset signaled a change.
This morning we awoke to clear blue skies with little white wisps over the mountains – those wisps are known as “Standing Lenticulars (or “Lennies” to the sailplane pilots), and significant strong upper winds which will be dropping down to the surface in a few hours. The forecast shows winds gusting into the 30’s (and higher) at Stead starting shortly after noon.
How’s will this affect the racing? But they time you read this, we’ll probably know, but for now, the lighter classes (F1 and Biplanes) are getting their heats out of the way as they usually do – in the morning calm.
