View allAll Photos Tagged Redflags
Nellis is one of the hardest, most frustrating places I've ever shot at. The light is very tricky, and the runway is far away.
But, one of the most beloved departures at Nellis is the "Flex West" departure.
June 12th 2010. Red flags at the beaches in Phuket indicate that the ocean may not be safe for swimming. This was a calmer day, but Karon Beach can be rough. People drown every year. Karon beach information on my Phuket Blog : www.jamiesphuketblog.com/2007/09/karon-beach.html.
F-22A Raptor pilots from the 192nd and 1st Fighter Wing, Langley Air Force Base, Va., step to their jets during the 40th anniversary of the Red Flag combat training exercise, Red Flag 15-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Feb. 3, 2015. Red Flag is a realistic combat training exercise involving the air, space and cyber forces of the U.S. and its allies. It is conducted on the bombing and gunnery ranges on the Nevada Test and Training Range. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Carlos J. Claudio/Released)
F-15C Eagle aircraft from the 144th Fighter Wing, Fresno Air National Guard Base, California, rest on the flightline during Red Flag-Alaska 18-3 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Aug. 13, 2018. RF-A is a Pacific Air Forces-directed field training exercise for U.S. and international forces flown under simulated air combat conditions. RF-A serves as an ideal platform for international engagement and the exercise has a long history of including allies and partners, ultimately enabling all involved to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures while improving interoperability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Curt Beach)
My wife and I had some free time so we decided to drive down to Las Vegas for the Red Flag exercise in mid-March 2025. The weather forecast was good and there seemed to be a decent line-up of participating aircraft. Unfortunately both items fell short. The sky conditions were excellent but the weather sucked. Very high winds affected some of the fighters. The first afternoon we were there all F-16s and F-35s were grounded due to crosswinds. Also unfortunate was that Flex departures were cancelled at the last minute so the planes had to do a straight out departure - this sucked for photographers. In the late afternoon the recovery shifted to landings over Cheyenne Avenue. This was our first visit there in about a year and we couldn't believe the change. It was a mix of a homeless camp, scrap yard, bombed out Gaza, and just a totally trashy area. Burned out cars and car parts were everywhere. We didn't feel safe there despite being among other plane spotters. Wow. I took these photos in mid-March 2025.
Re aircraft activity - it seemed a lot lower than at prior Red Flags. There were a lot of Nellis resident aircraft but not too many visitors. It was a decent trip but not a great one.