All visitors must park at the Speedway and take the buses in. No walk-ins allowed. One recommendation though, 'Red lot'. You can thank me later!
My girls in a sea of flags.
Oh yeah, it's an AC-47 Spooky gunship! Note the 2 GE GAU-2 miniguns (electric powered gatling guns) sticking out the left side.
Also called 'Puff the Magic Dragon'. Who could forget that scene in the 'Green Berets' (with John Wayne), where the AC-47 gunship was called in to hose the camp down after it had been overrun! If you havn't seen that movie before, go rent it! It's a classic.
OK, plane ID time. What is this?
It's a Boeing RC-135 Rivet Joint. The RC-135 is a reconnaissance craft used to gather, analysis, and disseminate on-scene intelligence. It can send targeting information directly to attack aircraft, and is definitely a force multiplier.
The logo on the side of the Bone says 'Star of Abilene II'.
The B-1B is an awesome plane to watch fly. Unfortunately, Nellis only had one on static display.
I should have queued up to get a peek in the cockpit. By the time I got there though, the lines were too long (for me)!
The B-1B has a variable geometry wing. Here, it's extended in the 'slow' position.
A parting shot of the B-1B Lancer. Hope to catch one in the air sometime in the future...man, are they LOUD!
With all that ordnance hanging off the wings, this has got to be the Reaper!
Officially known as the MQ-9 Reaper, it is an hunter-killer unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of long endurance, and high altitude surveillance. 'Hunter-Killer', just like in the Terminator movie...scary! Just kidding. The Reaper still needs to be controlled by humans (for now). :-)
The A-10 Thunderbolt II is more commonly called the 'Warthog'.
This Hog is fully loaded up with bombs and missles. I was surprised the A-10 did not fly at Nellis. Sadly, it was static only.
Nellis Emergency response stands ready - just in case.
Well, obviously not a static display... but it didn't fit anywhere else! This MD-500E is operated by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. It wasn't on the show schedule, so I don't know what it was doing there...
Such exciting curves. Must be from a C-17.
Front view of a EA-6B Prowler. They are currently used in anti-IED operations in Afghanistan and Iraq to jam cell phones and garage door openner frequencies used in remote detonation devices. If you stop and think about it for a moment, we have it real easy here in the U.S.A.
OMG! It's Blackout! Or maybe, it's just a MH-53 Pave Low. For those who's not into shows, Blackout refers to the Decepticon helicopter in the 2007 'Transformers' movie. Lots of great action scenes, but don't spend too much time worrying about the plot.
The MQ-1 Predator was the first armed UAV. Originally used only for reconnaissance, it wasn't long before they made hardpoints and started hanging missiles off it. It usually carries 1 or 2 hellfire missiles. I'm sure the enemy hates them!
The E-3 Sentry is normally called AWACS, which stands for Airborne Warning and Control System. Of course, other planes do AWACS too, so it's somewhat of a misnomer.
Here are some kids playing with an old anti-aircraft cannon. Without fire-control radar, it hasn't much chance of hitting anything nowadays!
This is Calvin Spann climbing on top of a P-51 Mustang.
Dr. Spann is a WWII veteran of Tuskegee Airman fame. The Tuskegee Airmen were of course, the famed all black combat unit who distinguished themselves in WWII.
One of my girls posing with a RPG.
Posing in front of a Korean vintage Mig. Doesn't that flight suit look like it's on a female dress form?
Packing up to go home, the girls pose beside the Air Force monster truck.
Being the home of the Thunderbirds, Nellis had a F-16 in Tbird colors for the crowds to get close to.
See if you can identify all the heavies. I only got 5 out of 6...
Yours truly. BZ.
Nellis '08 Gallery Index