View allAll Photos Tagged Redflags
The Thin Skin two-dimensional altitude determination radar is an older Soviet radar that has been re-engineered by, and is in use in, several other countries.
From: Pacific Air Over Alaska
By Robert K. Ackerman, SIGNAL Magazine
October 2011
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.
Before backhoeing could begin to un-flood my friends' home and yard, they wisely called Diggers Hotline to ensure they wouldn't have electrical issues on top of the flooding.
Meet Jack Rafferty! He and his wife moved to the area in December of this past year, and they really enjoy the area. He was enjoying the peacefulness of the beach and collecting shells that were brought in by the rough surf. He hadn't intended to get his shorts wet when he set out for the beach! Mr. Rafferty was a pleasure to chat with, and I'm glad I worked up the courage to approach him for the 100strangers.com project!
Related photo here.
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.
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.
A German Air Force Pilot conducts preflight checks from the cockpit of a GAF Eurofighter Typhoon before a combat training mission during Red Flag-Alaska 12-2 June 11, 2012, at Eielson AFB, Alaska. Red Flag-Alaska is a Pacific Air Forces-sponsored, joint/coalition, tactical air combat employment exercise which corresponds to the operational capability of participating units. The entire exercise takes place in the Joint Pacific Range Complex over Alaska as well as a portion of Western Canada for a total airspace of more than 67,000 square miles. (Department of Defense photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth/Released)
A B-52H Stratofortress from the 96th Bomb Squadron, Barksdale Air Force Base, La., flies a sortie Feb. 1 during Exercise Red Flag at Nellis AFB, Nev. The purpose of Exercise Red Flag is to train pilots from the U.S., NATO and other allied countries for realistic combat scenarios. This includes the use of live ammunition for bombing exercises within the Nevada Test and Training Range. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kevin Cox)
The ocean can be a very dangerous place. A red flag flying on the beach can mean dangerous surf and riptides that steal your strength until you drown or killer sharks with razor-sharp teeth and jellyfish with poisonous tendrils that trail through the water almost invisible to the eye. None of which can stop you from relaxing at a local bar sipping a few very dangerous margaritas. But that can be another type of danger, so keep your eye peeled and head back to the comfy Cancun resort bed while you can still find the path.