Boeing 737-700 (N7889A)

This Southwest was the first arrival to land on 16R after the tower reversed the runway usage to 16R from 34L. Although there was no wind at the airport (and none where I was at the top of Rattlesnake Mountain), a Pilatus that had been on approach to 34L only a few minutes earlier had been severely buffeted by intense swirling winds blowing over Mt Rose from the west and a couple of passengers had been tossed around. The pilot had radioed that his passengers, although uninjured, were shaken by the incident. The Pilatus landed safely with no further difficulty but the tower made the decision to reverse the runways and the reversal was quickly made. This Southwest was vectored to approach from the north and landed on 16R.
Any pilot who has ever flown in to RNO is aware that the winds that blow over the top of the Sierra Nevada can be extremely strong, sometimes gusting over 100 MPH over the crest by Mt Rose and Slide Mountain. I'm not a pilot and I know zilch about aviation but I've seen aircraft, both smaller GA up to large commercial jets, getting hammered by the strong winds that sometimes occur, especially at the south end closest to Mt Rose. When my son was younger, he worked for Delta on the ramp and on one occasion he watched a Delta Mad Dog make four attempts to land in a hellacious crosswind. When it finally ramped at the gate after the fourth try proved successful, he said there was so much vomit throughout the cabin that the Dog had to be removed from service until a cleaning agency could be brought in to sanitize it.

Great shot, and interesting info. Thanks, Gary!

Great shot and perspective Gary and thank you for sharing the details.