Star trails, aircraft trails, and the Nevada Test and Training Range

This image is from a 10 minute exposure of the airspace in the Nevada Test and Training Range during a Red Flag exercise. What you see are star trails (based on the earth's rotation) and trails from fighter aircraft. The aircraft are flying in a manner to make it difficult for "virtual" surface to air missile sites (AKA threats) to "virtually" shoot them down.

Star trails with fighter aircraft

A bit more explanation on the main Red Flag 2014-3 page:
Red Flag 2014-3

I found this cool time lapse video from Red Flag at night. Even though its just aircraft landing and taking off its still amazing to watch. I am assuming its from 2014, and one of these days I hope to take a trip out to Vegas to see what I can of a Red Flag operation.

a reply to: StratosFear

Red Flag is launching 60 planes an hour. Recovery is more spaced out, but still impressive.

The rate of assent seems a bit exaggerated in the video, not that I think it is altered. It it just a function of the distance to the base from the camera.

The video is certainly worth viewing.

I've watched Red Flag from Tikaboo at night. All you are seeing is lights in the sky, but if you understand the exercise, the lights make sense. For instance, the thing that is orbiting to the north is the AWACS. The orbits to the east and west are tankers.

a reply to: gariacI did a search and it brought me here so I figured this thread was better to post in rather than a new thread. I thought Tikaboo was closed to the public a few years ago, but you say you can watch Red Flag from it, Awesome!

I hope to make that hike one day. My Mt. Everest

originally posted by: StratosFear
a reply to: gariacI did a search and it brought me here so I figured this thread was better to post in rather than a new thread. I thought Tikaboo was closed to the public a few years ago, but you say you can watch Red Flag from it, Awesome!

I hope to make that hike one day. My Mt. Everest

Freedom Ridge was closed years ago. Tikaboo is 25 miles from the base and public land. If they steal it, it would be a significant land grab that would attract way too much attention. [Hey, maybe we have a use for Cliven Bundy after all.] As it stands, they have a spy camera on the peak. It is carefully positioned so that they can see you do the hike. Not that this would stop a test on a moonless night, but they would certainly be more cautious about daytime activity. Or they would fly something just to announce to the world that they have it, like when they were evaluating the SU-27. As if the wooden SU-27 decoys spread around Creech wasn't enough of an announcement.

Was it the same with the Migs? They just flew them when people were watching?