Nellis Air Force Base-Red Flag 12-4

Hello All, and greetings from Las Vegas, home of the Air Force's largest aerial exercise, Red Flag. I am in town for a full week, partaking in the excitement that is dozens of combat jets roaring into the hot July sky. And of course, I will do my best to share what I can with y'all. Suffice it to say that this thread will be image heavy and photobombed by this time Friday, and I ask for some leeway in advance, as I am editing on a new laptop, and cannot vouch for its lack of color cast.

Anyhow, today alone I shot 5 new aircraft types, so there is much new for me to find here. I hope you enjoy installment 1, which provides a good sampling of what was seen today.


I hope you enjoy, and leave me some feedback, as I need to get comfortable with editing on this laptop!



Cheers!


Nick


A VAQ-209 Prowler

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8286/7...921d315c_b.jpg



A banking Bone

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8284/7...f30b1c35_b.jpg



And a Big Bad BUFF

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7...8ba764c8_b.jpg



AWACS on recovery

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7123/7...215680cb_b.jpg



The new Splinter Eagle

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7251/7...654dc2e8_b.jpg



And a Pave Hawk Too!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8430/7...8dbda82a_b.jpg

An Agressor Viper

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8430/7...d4585f11_b.jpg



Homeward bound Bone

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7...60ae3346_b.jpg



And a Lakenheath Eagle

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7255/7...8177e237_b.jpg



An Arctic Aggressor

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8167/7...228c60d2_b.jpg



And a Test Bird

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8018/7...5dd4c537_b.jpg



A new dark Viper

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/7...3f61523c_b.jpg



And a Hog on the Hunt

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8152/7...68e105bf_b.jpg

Kfir is an awesome looking aircraft. Nice shots!

Thank you TJK!

That Kfir sounds just as good as she looks with that J79 engine.

Great work, Nick! I've always thought the Kfir was a neat airplane, glad you were able to catch it. What's that thing under the forward fuselage of the B-1? Some sort of sensor pod they use on the range for Red Flag?

Really Nice Shots....


Rich B

Is that a Mirage? :tongue: It fits in the dessert lol. VERY nice set Nick. I have missed Red Flag for years. I go to Vegas at least once a year and never at the same time as one of the events :-( Can;t wait to see more ...

BTW were you spotting from Cheyenne or Nellis Blvd? I got kicked out of Cheyenne last year... the MPs were very upset with me, not sure why. SOme local spotters said it was rare to be kicked out of the approach area...

Thank you all!

Moose-That B-1B is carrying a Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod, it is now standard fit for the B-1B's so that they can self designate laser guided bombs, as well as perform their own Damage Assesments before releasing ordnance. It is a fairly recent addition to their arsenal. Its hard to see, but the B-52 above is also carrying a targeting pod between nacelles on the starboard wing I believe.

Manny, departures were shot at Cheyenne, and recoveries at the Speedway. What did you do to get yourself thrown out? I have NEVER heard of that happening, unless perhaps you parked on the base side of the street...



Nick

great shots Nick- me likey BUFF

so is Red Flag something you have to have special access to, or can you just go there when it's happening, like an airshow

All of the shots that you have seen here can be taken from off base with no special access. Some of the shots from the next 3 days will require that added access that I have gotten for a project that I am working on, but many people from the world over do come just to sit off base and shoot all the awesome aircraft that come into town.

Great pictures! Is the sky really that blue?

To add to Vinny's question, I was just going to ask how you are handling the heat haze out there in terms of your editing- or are you so close that there isn't much- being the middle of summer I would think you have at least some

Awesome shots Nick, thanks for sharing! I think Red Flag is on all our bucket lists as spotters. Can't wait to see the next few batches of images, keep em coming!

I may be wrong, but I think the BUFF uses the Sniper pod, though the one on the wing in that picture looks more like a LANTIRN pod from that angle.

Alrighty, just got back in from another day in the blast furnace that is nellis at this time of year, and will try to answer your questions in order before I run out for dinner.

Vinny-In some places, the sky really is that blue. It is a product of shooting nearly overhead as they break over you in some places, and just DAMN good light in others. Its not all that Blue, but a lot of it is if you know where to shoot.

William-Heat Haze is an issue in some places, more on the ground (as you will see from my photos tomorrow), but ever present. If you try to shoot at the far end of a zoom lense, you might encounter a little, but they are usually either high or close enough to avoid super bad haze. Its also not very humid here, which helps things in your favor as well. If you;d like, I can post some 100% crops as examples later.


Captmjk-These BUFFS are carrying LITENING, and I have never seen a BUFF with a Sniper ATP. It was an ANG unit that first qualed the LITENING pod on the BUFF, and since then, I believe that has been what they use.


Pics later tonight, once I stop feeling sick from dehydration.