Gliders flying in formation near Lake Tahoe – Photo: Soaring NV

If you’ve ever flown into Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) when the winds are howling out of the west, you know that the approach and landing can be’¦sporty.  In fact, it sometimes gets so turbulent that the mainline jets head for Sacramento International Airport (SMF), leaving RNO to Alaska Airlines’ Bombardier Q400 turboprops, which can use RNO’s short crosswind runway.  I’ll happily fly into RNO from SEA on the AS Q400s on those bouncy days.

The bumps can mean that conditions are great for soaring.  Yes – I’m a glider pilot, and the region around Reno is world-famous for those who love to fly without an engine.  It’s an amazing sensation, soaring in our ocean of air.  Some flights are like a dream – I just have to think about moving the control stick, and off I go, hunting for lift, as if the glider’s wings are attached to my shoulders.

When you think of gliding, you might have an image of a pilot running towards the edge of a cliff, ready to leap into the air while hanging from a fabric-covered wing.  Yes, there are those out there who enjoy hang-gliding, in aircraft that are at the light and slow end of the soaring spectrum. Other than a lack of an engine, they don’t have much in common with a modern high-performance glider.