Sky Ranch, Original Site location?

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Sky Ranch, Original Site location?

Leo,

I'm remembering that you're a cartographer <sp?> you have any better luck with nailing some of the old features with what's there now?

The stuff I tried to concentrate on was the natural drainage lines.. figuring, maybe incorrectly, that they would be somewhat the same.. Some of them seem to be pretty close and narrow it down pretty well.

But, I never was really good at reading maps....

[Leo]

Re: Sky Ranch, Original Site location?

Looking at the City of Reno pictures and adding the property lines, it looks like that little piece of "runway" is just grading, the whole site has been leveled and has a drainage swale running through it. Nothing there seems to be a "historic" (meaning old, existing ground) feature. The propety lines there also have no relation to any alignment such as a runway or street. Most of that area seems to have been graded fairly recently. Sometimes, however, old ground traces show up in the coloration of the ground and that could be what is being seen here.
That said, the photo's in Tegler's book and your's Wayne, seem to overlay pretty good so I think you have the location nailed. I have asked around and looked for this before and have not yet found any maps old enough to show that area back then. Some digging at the county might yield something but i have not had another reason to be there!
You can go to http://maps.cityofreno.net and go to general maps to zoom in to the area. I have found the photo's there are much more recent than Google.

[GregS]

Re: Sky Ranch, Original Site location?

If I'm not too far off, The dark spot is part of Martin-Mariettas gravel pit. I drive truck, & we've been loading out of there for the Donner I-80 project. Curious as to where the "Spanish Springs" Airport was I drove around one afternoon....found the little dirt strip smack dab in a housing & Industrial park up against the hills. At the far end of the runway IS the pit. Could be a pond is my guess...wash sand/gravel.


GregS

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Sky Ranch, Original Site location?

You can go to http://maps.cityofreno.net and go to general maps to zoom in to the area. I have found the photo's there are much more recent than Google.

OK, thanks for the link.


Here's the area of interest, as of 2008 (their newest offering). I located a detailed shot of a drainage ditch where it forks
into two (or intersects an old dirt path), which can be seen in the old B&W photo AND in the
Google perspective (marked with a green line in two of my previous images...).

There appears to be a paved road running through that point now, and the site of the light plane runway looks freshly surface-scraped:

[Leo]

Re: Sky Ranch, Original Site location?

I think it's the right spot. The only way to check would be to go out and see if that dark patch on the ground is a grading difference or a soils difference, that would tell if it is part of an old runway. Also, the buildings out there now that do not show on the old pictures would have to be post-1965.

[Leo]

Re: Sky Ranch, Original Site location?

A little more info. The dark lines on the east and west sides are slopes. The white patch on the south end is a spillway, and the rock anti-erosion is visible. It is a detention basin for stormwater.
Adjacent to the west side is a right-of-way for Rockwell Blvd., actually a court. All of the parcels around this site are privately owned by one family trust or another except the basin which is owned by "One, LLC".
Everything to the south is the Bridal Path subdivision.
I doubt there is any trace of the old Sky Ranch there at all.
I do believe it is the correct spot though.

[Apteryx]

Re: Sky Ranch, Original Site location?

Google "Street View" at Pyramid & W. Calle De La Plata, shows dirt movers scrapping the area, no vegetation. Probably no trace left, now.

[jarrodeu]

Re: Sky Ranch, Original Site location?

The original course from 1966-1970 at Stead was an oval, but it was closer to the runway/grandstands than the course is now. It extended almost to the cliff at Lemon Valley to the east, and to what is now the 'fenceline' on the west end/Valley of Speed.

How much closer was it?

The general shape of the course used today was implemented in 1971...I believe it was almost 9 1/4 miles. Over the years it has gradually gotten smaller.

I think I know the answer but I'll ask anyway, why has the course gotten smaller?

Jarrod

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Sky Ranch, Original Site location?

1. The course use to be right in front of the crowds. Now the "never cross" deadline is 400 feet away. Back then, the pits were on the right end of the field.


2. They moved the far most pylon south, closer to the center of the course a bit to "flatten" the back turn a little to make the course safer (and as a by-product, faster!).

[Big_Jim]

Re: Sky Ranch, Original Site location?

The pits were only at the east end of Stead in 1966. They moved them to their present location in 1967...but from 67-71, the T-6's and Unlmiiteds were in two long east/west lines. In 1972 was when they started the segmented rows that they have now.

But yeah, Jarrod...until 1971, the course was closer and there really was no 'deadline' per se'. That is one of the reasons Greenamyer got in trouble in '71 after they started with the new course....during the race he came wide and literally flew over the ramp and crowd. That was one of the reasons Shelton protested his win that year, and one of the factors that led to him being banned by PRPA and having his ticket temporarily taken away by the FAA.

As far as shortening the course, it has been 'adjusted' probably a dozen times or so since 1971. It's always been on the back side, and usually reflected property owners infringing on the course.

[John H]

Re: Sky Ranch, Original Site location?

Amazing thread... I'd given up hope anything was still there and thought it was all covered by those subdivisions, based on previous threads here on the subject in recent years. Thanks guys, this was a great read!

[Leo]

Re: Sky Ranch, Original Site location?

By the looks of it, it pretty much is all gone and covered, JohnH. The chances of that basin being developed into anything else is slim though, there is another across Pyramid from it so it probably contains a fairly large ares drainage when it's wet. The land west of it is private property and could do anything in the future I guess, but probably would be commercial, 7-11, that kind of thing. The land east has a house on it now.
I guess we could stand in the bottom of the basin and have a seance to conjure up ghosts of Reno past!
It IS kind of cool to know where it is and that at least a tiny part is not under someones gazebo.

[Shawn Aro]

Re: Sky Ranch, Original Site location?

The pits were only at the east end of Stead in 1966. They moved them to their present location in 1967...but from 67-71, the T-6's and Unlmiiteds were in two long east/west lines. In 1972 was when they started the segmented rows that they have now.

But yeah, Jarrod...until 1971, the course was closer and there really was no 'deadline' per se'. That is one of the reasons Greenamyer got in trouble in '71 after they started with the new course....during the race he came wide and literally flew over the ramp and crowd. That was one of the reasons Shelton protested his win that year, and one of the factors that led to him being banned by PRPA and having his ticket temporarily taken away by the FAA.

As far as shortening the course, it has been 'adjusted' probably a dozen times or so since 1971. It's always been on the back side, and usually reflected property owners infringing on the course.

hey Big Jim i told my dad this didnt Greenamyer get penilized too for not pulling 300 feet during Mike Loning mayday ?

[Big_Jim]

Re: Sky Ranch, Original Site location?

hey Big Jim i told my dad this didnt Greenamyer get penilized too for not pulling 300 feet during Mike Loning mayday ?

He was penalized for both...but they still gave him the win. And on top of it, he was busted for having done an engine run up too close to the crowd at San Diego a couple months earlier. Between the FAA and PRPA that is why he didn\'t race at Mojave the following month, or Reno the next year.

[Fence Sence]

Re: Sky Ranch, Original Site location?

Does anyone know where the unlimited coarse was?