Star Wars Canyon F-18 and C-17 style

[Sedalia Dave]

Rules have apparently changed since I was stationed at China Lake. When I was there flying down the canyon could cost a pilot his/her wings.

 

Title says Death Valley but the box canyon actually opens out into Panamint Valley. Most likely the photographer was at Father Crowley Point just off of CA-190. Another great place to shoot pictures is at the South end of Panamint Valley. There is a FAA Radar site that the Navy uses as a target for simulated low level Dive Toss bombing runs. You can park at a couple of wide spots on Trona Wildrose Road and watch the FA-18s come in a sage brush level then pop up, roll inverted to visually acquire the target, then simultaneously roll back wings level while transitioning to a steep dive. Do a simulate drop then level back off at sage brush level and high tail it out of the area. Wish I would have had a video camera with me when I managed to see it.

 

I will say that it is a little un-nerving when riding you are riding your Harley through Panamint Valley enjoying the isolation only to be jolted back to reality when you are overtaken by an FA-18 doing 500+ about 75 feet off the deck.

 

http://youtu.be/wBOCCd1lC4s

 

http://youtu.be/9vXktvOmEE0

[Sedalia Dave]

One more from the same area

 

http://youtu.be/3NcAX7xfkDk

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

I 'Jeep' out in that area a good bit. Those runs at night, are impressive to say the least.

OLG

[Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L]

I will say that it is a little un-nerving when riding you are riding your Harley through Panamint Valley enjoying the isolation only to be jolted back to reality when you are overtaken by an FA-18 doing 500+ about 75 feet off the deck.

 

Been there! Bout scared me off the bike!

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life]

In my other life (working), I spent some time at China Lake when the F18's were there during early program weapons testing. I spent quite a bit of time riding around in a Humvee assessing target damage. It is an awesome place, especially Petroglyph Canyon, which has miles of petroglyphs etched in the lava canyon walls.

[Doc Flimshaw Sass# 73310]

Europe has one in Wales... much greener for some reason

 

[Oklahomabound]

https://youtu.be/586lsjlBjL4

 

sorta like this too...

[Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103]

We were fishing the New River in WV.

Guide is a retired Master Chief.

A Herky Bird came over.

Low.

Deep, deep, DEEP in the New River Gorge.

The pilot laid on the coal, four engines belched smoke and she clawed her way up out of the gorge.

The Master Chief said she was below 500 feet because he could see the tops of her wings as she was climbing out.

For several long moments, our minds were not on smallmouth.

[Lost Trail]

I would hazard a guess that due to 16 years of flying into the litter boxes of Iraq and Afghanistan, that type of flight training is necessary.

[SELDOM SEEN SLIM, SASS #682]

Just wonderin why the radar is on the valley floor, (just outside of Ballarat on Panamint Valley Road) rather than on a mountain? Seems I missed the show at Fr. Crowley Pt., I was at the Cerro Gordomines 9/13/16.

 

Cheers, Seldom

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

State property vs national park land.

OLG

[Sedalia Dave]

Just wonderin why the radar is on the valley floor, (just outside of Ballarat on Panamint Valley Road) rather than on a mountain? Seems I missed the show at Fr. Crowley Pt., I was at the Cerro Gordomines 9/13/16.

 

Cheers, Seldom

The Air Surveillance Radars (ASR) are designed to look for aircraft and therefore its beam is optimized to look at the horizon and above. If it was placed on a mountain top, the shelters that contain the transmitter and other equipment would create a shadow. Aircraft in this shadow would be hard to detect.

 

This particular installation is there so that the R-2508 controllers can monitor military aircraft in the valley By locating it on the valley floor it minimizes interference between it and other ATC radars in the area.