Short Final: Bet On It

Monday, April 12, 2021 at 05:26 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A pilot flying into Reno, Nevada, for the first time faced a challenging visual approach due to being released too high and close to the airport on a gusty day, further complicated by the "bowl-like" terrain and a lack of speed brakes on their Comanche aircraft.
Despite the initial difficulty, air traffic control provided a series of vectors to help the pilot safely descend and manage the approach.

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While flying cross country from South Carolina to California we planned a stop in Reno, Nevada.

I complained to the controller when he released me for the visual approach 7000 feet above and just five miles from the airport.

Flying into Reno is like flying into a bowl, this was my first time in (on a gusty day) and the Comanche does not have speed brakes.

Well, he gave me a series of vectors to bleed off the first 2000 feet before beginning the approach. See the image above left.

I should have run into the first casino and bet “8” on the roulette wheel.

James “Gary” Gray

Simpsonville, SC