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The Mojave desert is the site of nearly continuous military aircraft operations. The R-2508 Restricted Airspace Complex stretches from Bishop to Edwards Air Force Base and from Tehachapi to the Nevada State line. Approximately 18,000 low level test and training missions are conducted within the R-2508 Complex annually.
Under the R-2508 Complex, the Saline Valley, adjacent to Death Valley, is used by military aircraft to transit between China Lake NAWC, Edwards AFB, and test ranges in Nevada. Aircraft from Fresno ANG Station and Lemoore NAS aircraft use the area for training.
I spent a week in March camping in the Saline Valley photographing military jets, mostly Hornets and RAF Tornadoes.
Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18C
Hornet in the Eureka-Saline corridor.
Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18E
Rhino #154 of VFA-122 Flying Eagles based at NAS Lemoore.
Link to Boeing's web page about the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Link to the Lemoore NAS web site.
Link to the Navy's Fact Sheet for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Link to the VFA-122
Flying Eagles web site.
Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18A,
N850NA of NASA Dryden, based at Edwards AFB. It was originally
assigned Navy BuNo 161703
Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18A,
N850NA of NASA Dryden, based at Edwards AFB.
Visit the Dryden Flight Research Center web site.
Royal
Air Force Panavia Tornado GR4.
Most
of the time I didn't get the camera pointed at the RAF Panavia
Tornado GR4s until after they had already blown past camp.
Royal Air Force page about the Tornado GR4.
Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18F
Rhino #104 of VFA-102 based at NAS Lemoore.
Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18F
Rhino #104 of VFA-102 based at NAS Lemoore.
Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18F
Rhino #105 of VFA-122 based at NAS Lemoore. It came close enough
for me to get a legible image of its Navy BuNo, 165544.
Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18F
Rhino #105 of VFA-122 based at NAS Lemoore.
General Electric's Boeing 747
engine testbed, N747GE made three passes over the valley one day
while it was testing a 115,000-pound thrust GE90-115B engine.
Note the large contrail issuing from the number 2 engine and the
very small contrail from the number 4 engine.
General Electric's press release about the first flight of the 747 with the GE90-115B.
Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18C
Hornet #311 of VFA-125 Rough Raiders based at NAS Lemoore.
Visit the VFA-125 Rough Raiders web site.
Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18C
Hornet #311 of VFA-125 based at NAS Lemoore.
RAF
Panavia Tornado GR4.
RAF
Panavia Tornado GR4.
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You can buy a 2006 calendar featuring my photographs of military airplanes flying in the wild.
A dozen photos of military airplanes flying in the Saline Valley in November 2005. In the Saline Valley, part of Death Valley National Park, military airplanes play at low altitude, fighters practice air combat manuevering at middle altitudes, and heavies cruise in racetrack patterns at high altitude. These airplanes are working, testing and training, away from the confines of airports and airshows. Airplanes in the wild.
Aircraft pictured include:
U.S. Navy Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornets of VFA-14 Tophatters, VFA-115 Eagles, VFA-122 Flying Eagles,and VFA-125 Rough Raiders.
U.S. Navy McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18C Hornets of VFA-2 Fighting Two.
Royal Air Force Lockheed Hercules C3
Royal Air Force Lockheed-Martin Hercules C5
Royal Air Force Panavia Tornado of the Fast Jet & Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit
Put a copy of the Military Airplanes in the Wild: 2006 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $13.95.
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Link to the In
the Wild index page for more pictures of jets in the
desert.
Go to home page of the Goleta Air and
Space Museum.
Send a message to Brian.