Smoky Mountains Earn Their Name

For my flight out of Knoxville on May 27th, the Smoky Mountains definitely lived up to their name. Many of my flights this spring have been delayed because of weather, but Brian, my pilot, and I thought we had gotten lucky with the forecast improving leading up to our flight. Before it was over, though, we flew around rain, through rain, and upon our return diverted from Downtown Island Airport only three miles out because a downpour we had been racing to our destination won the race. Even where it wasn't actively raining, the air over the mountains held so much moisture that the haze did look very much like smoke.