Nellis AFB Show 2007 Report (The Raptor was unreal)

My son and I made the trek out to Nellis to see the big show this year. Lucky for us the wife stayed at the Hotel so us guys could do as we please .

I have been to more airshows than I can count. I have seen Cobras first hand at Paris, and I can still recall the days when a empty, cordoned off spot on the tarmac that was guarded with the sign "stealth fighter" used to be a USAF stock joke at airshows. Hands down, the flight demonstration put on by the clearly held back Raptor was one fo the most incredible I have ever seen. The Preadator drone was also a huge surpries to me. Orbiting at FL18 it beamed back images of the show in both IR and optical that showed increadble resolution.

The reason we chose this is two fold. Since 911 the Edwards openhouse has been hit or miss, the Raptor was flying and the B-2 was supposed to flyby as well (I did not with no explanation given) and it was the capstone event of the 60th anniversary of the USAF

Videos will be shown once I can get to work to use the T3 lines to upload them. I also will omit pictures of static aircraft that most of us have seen.



Ive seen coutless C-17 but this is the first time I have been allowed to roam around inside one. Even the cockpit!

This first picture shows the jump lights, the fold out IV hangers 9for medical flights, HALO oxygen ports, and medical oxygen ports and aeromedical electrical



My 5 year old son in the pilots seat of the C-17



The RC-135W was a plane I have never seen in person. The number of antennas studding the fuselage is amazing along with those on the wingtips (Two each) as well as the sensor packages contained in the bulges on the foreward part of the a/c.






The Raptor was not show as a static display but this is the one that did the flight demos

files.abovetopsecret.com...

One Surprise was the Block 60 F-16. It even had the UAE flag on it. I wonder if they are testing it out over the Nellis range etc.





There is much more including the Preadtor, USAF agressor squads and some video of the Raptors flight demo i will upload later

The inlet grill on the static F-117 showed some wear and tear




The weapons load out on a MQ-9 Reaper



Yep thats a SCUD in the background and a SA-8 SAM system in front as part of the USAF agressor squadron.




An Agressor F-15 (note the Red Star on the inlet cover) and F-16





Yes, Matthew had to cross the "Line of Death" to take the picture These were all over the place



Infrared image from the Predator drone of the USAF Thunderbirds taken from 18000 feet



The image the pilot of the Predator sees (Im assuming) as it made its pass on the main runway.



This one was pretty cool. This is the electro optical image from 18000 feet. If this is what they were willing to show us, you have to wonder what its real capacities are.

Those are great pictures! Your son is absolutely adorable!

Our air shows suck here. LOL I used to go to Andrews AFB (WDC) shows every year for about 15yrs straight. Loved it!

We get foreign jets here all the time for Red Flag (it is here in AK too)...but I never have gotten any good pictures

Thanks for sharing!

[edit on 15-11-2007 by greeneyedleo]

Darn it! I totally forgot it was in November. My wife and I were driving into Vegas and saw smoke coming from Nellis. I realized it was the airshow. Pissed me off I missed it for other plans we've made.

Is there a way you can have a site where I can download these pix?

Thanks in advance.

Great Shots Fred...!

Looks like you and your son had a fun time...
Can't wait to see the videos... Keep us informed please!

Johnny

The videos of the Raptor demo are up.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I saw it here at our air show in august. Was amazing how it can flip the way it does. Millions upon millions of tax payer dollars to make a damn plane flip on the spot.