Message posted by gary on August 22, 2002 at 19:01:35 PST:
If you only have one day for Red Flag, I would hang out at Nellis and make sure you get some photographs of the planes landing around noon (+/- an hour). Once you see the forces land, drive to Coyote summit and hang out there the rest of the day. You really can't be sure where they will be flying, so it is possible to hang out at Coyote summit and see nothing, which is why I suggest getting some photographs at Nellis. If there were a point system attached to Red Flag photographs, I'd give a photo at Nellis half a point and a photo from Coyote Summit 10 points. Taking plane photographs at Nellis is like shooting fish in a barrel. Getting a good shot at Coyote Summit is much harder. I'm not sure if any day of the week is better than any other day. People used to say they knocked off early Friday, but that doesn't seem to be true from my experience. I think you are more likely to see furballs and flares later in the exercises as the first days are to get familiar with the area. I've never been there on day one, but Joerg says that sometimes the pilot will look at Groom Lake and say "Hey, what is that base?", to which he is told "That is where Elvis lives". [see link to DLR above; this is a very accurate glossery of Red Flag lingo] FWIW, I have never seen furballs and or flares at Coyote summit. I've seen furballs from the ranch at Cedar Pass, but hanging out in the Tikaboo valley is a better location for dog fights. You can park at the gravel by the road, the mail box, or up by the power lines.
In Reply to: Re: Octobers Flag posted by Johnny on August 22, 2002 at 17:52:08 PST:
Replies: