FighterControl

Hi all,

Heading out to Cali later in the year wondered if anyone ever had luck at Palmdale catching anything good? Or the short trip to Edwards, I have seen they have a fair few jets based there do they have at heavy bombers?

Cheers,
Will

Will24 wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 13, 2019 11:57 am

Hi all,

Heading out to Cali later in the year wondered if anyone ever had luck at Palmdale catching anything good? Or the short trip to Edwards, I have seen they have a fair few jets based there do they have at heavy bombers?

Cheers,
Will

Palmdale is like a bad day at Warton or Westlands. There are a couple of good museums that definatley are worth a visit on the southern edge of the field (check for opening times though), but IME you'll have to be very very lucky to see anything on the ground, and even luckier to see it move/fly.

Edwards AFB is massive. You can't see anything on the ground, but you can see dots in the distance taking off or landing. Unlikely to be close enough to photograph or read off though. They do monthly bus tours, but these are booked up into 2020. There are some preserved bits and bobs at a some of the entrance gates.

Hi,

Brilliant info thank you for that! Yes saw there is a museum there will head for that for look around and cross fingers! Then heading to Vegas via Death Valley so hopefully see something there then onto Nellis!

Thanks again,
Will

"Star Wars Canyon" is closed to low level traffic until at least Nov. 30 so no point in stopping there for photos if that's what you planned? If you like fire bombers it's worth calling into Lancaster Fox Field as the airfield is very friendly and will let you wander around unescorted.

Kev

Museum at Palmdale is only open Friday , Saturday , Sunday and some public holidays . Hard to see anything else except at distance , heat haze could be an issue , might get lucky with a movement .
There are a few W&R preserved around Lancaster including F/A-18 at Stadium and F-4D in town at end of Main Street , not sure if the frames from the defunct museum out at the Airport are still there .
Barstow has UH-60's or UH-72's based .
California City Airport used to have some W&R and an ex USCG HC-131 on guard and seems to be a Business Jet storage /scrapping place these days .
Mojave is worth a visit , Ex NASA Convair and Ex USAF F-4D at entrance plus usually lots of other Ex.Mil and other stuff dotted around the Airfield .
There used to be several UH-1 fuselages stored just off the Highway near Tehachapi and 1 on a pole at the airport there .
F-86 at Apple Valley Airport .

STEVIEJAWS wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 13, 2019 3:05 pm

Museum at Palmdale is only open Friday , Saturday , Sunday and some public holidays . Hard to see anything else except at distance , heat haze could be an issue , might get lucky with a movement .
There are a few W&R preserved around Lancaster including F/A-18 at Stadium and F-4D in town at end of Main Street , not sure if the frames from the defunct museum out at the Airport are still there .
Barstow has UH-60's or UH-72's based .
California City Airport used to have some W&R and an ex USCG HC-131 on guard and seems to be a Business Jet storage /scrapping place these days .
Mojave is worth a visit , Ex NASA Convair and Ex USAF F-4D at entrance plus usually lots of other Ex.Mil and other stuff dotted around the Airfield .
There used to be several UH-1 fuselages stored just off the Highway near Tehachapi and 1 on a pole at the airport there .
F-86 at Apple Valley Airport .

Steve,
Whilst you're here....Moffett Field? I've never been there, but can the C-130's be read off at night/very early morning? Hoping to be there in the morning of NAS Leemore show, but it looks like it won't get light till 6AM ish, and the gates open at Leemore at 7AM so even with some fairly swift driving I don't think I can leave it till daybreak. Google Maps suggests it may be possible in the dark.

Hey Malcolm ,
I am not sure , I tried once , years ago but with all the new construction at the time , I couldn't find anywhere and haven't bothered since . Maybe someone else has some more up to date knowledge .

And that drive is about 2.5 - 3 hours with no traffic and one thing we have in the Bay Area and California is lots of traffic , construction and bad roads .

California City as mentioned has several Magisters on the ramp aswell as a little to the compounds to the east which also include a black and white Mig 17,if you happen to pass through Ridgecrest on your way to Death Valley they now have a small museum in the centre of the town that includes the first Hornet of the production line YF-18 160775 and I think a T-39 now,also F-4 at the gate aswell as a couple of other airframes in town.



And Mig 17 at California City

STEVIEJAWS wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 13, 2019 4:45 pm

Hey Malcolm ,
I am not sure , I tried once , years ago but with all the new construction at the time , I couldn't find anywhere and haven't bothered since . Maybe someone else has some more up to date knowledge .

Ok Thanks. Flying into SJC arriving 9PM, and planning to be at Leemore before 9AM so time is tight. A few new C-130J's might help ease the jetlag.

STEVIEJAWS wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 13, 2019 4:45 pm

And that drive is about 2.5 - 3 hours with no traffic and one thing we have in the Bay Area and California is lots of traffic , construction and bad roads .

Yeah, I know. Am/Was trying to work out a way to squeeze in Castle AFB Museum too (need the Vulcan of all things!), but that looks problematic. Took me 2.5 hours to get from home to Fairford a weeks back due to motorway closures, so it ain't just your neck of the woods going to rats.

Malcolm
It doesn't fit with your timings, but the museum at Moffett is worth a visit. If you can avoid the heat haze you can see the Hercs over the other side from there.

Stevie
Can you be more specific re the locations of the (non China Lake) Ridgecrest preserved aircraft please

Thanks

david14 wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 13, 2019 8:44 pm

Malcolm
It doesn't fit with your timings, but the museum at Moffett is worth a visit. If you can avoid the heat haze you can see the Hercs over the other side from there.

Stevie
Can you be more specific re the locations of the (non China Lake) Ridgecrest preserved aircraft please

Thanks

I believe that was Ross that mentioned Ridgecrest . But they are located here :

130 E. Las Flores Ave., Ridgecrest, CA
https://chinalakemuseum.org/what-we-do

Another collection you might want to consider: the Estrella Warbirds Museum/Collection at Paso Robles, which is about 200 miles north of Los Angeles on I-5. Approximately 40 aircraft including F-4, F-14, A-6, A-7, Neptune, Impala, P.149D - an interesting collection. The website shows all of the aircraft on display, so you can get a well-informed preview of what's there.

Shame it is not like it used to be. In June 1981 I visited Palmdale for the first time when restrictions land side were almost non-existent. We drove round a corner approaching the fire station to be confronted by 8 stored A-11A's and 4 U-2C's. Plus in those days, for Civvie people, there was the TriStar production Line.

Hi all,

Thank you for the feedback! Will have a look and see what time we have to play with while out there. Ahh so Starwars still closed after the accident or is it just dates they can’t fly through?

Cheers,
Will

Nothing will be flying in the Canyon probably again this year with current notam telling pilots they must overfly the Star Wars Canyon at 1500ft agl valid until 30th Nov

Malcolm wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 13, 2019 8:13 pm

STEVIEJAWS wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 13, 2019 4:45 pm

Hey Malcolm ,
I am not sure , I tried once , years ago but with all the new construction at the time , I couldn't find anywhere and haven't bothered since . Maybe someone else has some more up to date knowledge .

Ok Thanks. Flying into SJC arriving 9PM, and planning to be at Leemore before 9AM so time is tight. A few new C-130J's might help ease the jetlag.

STEVIEJAWS wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 13, 2019 4:45 pm

And that drive is about 2.5 - 3 hours with no traffic and one thing we have in the Bay Area and California is lots of traffic , construction and bad roads .

Yeah, I know. Am/Was trying to work out a way to squeeze in Castle AFB Museum too (need the Vulcan of all things!), but that looks problematic. Took me 2.5 hours to get from home to Fairford a weeks back due to motorway closures, so it ain't just your neck of the woods going to rats.

Ok, to answer my own question. No, you can't read off the Hercs at Moffett in the dark.

I could see two sillouettes from the tram station drop off point at the south end of the base, and from the trading estate in the south east corner at about 05:45 local, but nowhere with any light on them. It didn't get properly day-light till about 06:45, by which time I was half way to Leemore. In retrospect I should have flown into Sacremento rather than San Jose, and done the museum at Castle AFB on the way to Leemore - but I didn't so that's that.

Will

I think Palmdale's worth a look, assuming you're there on a weekday, there's usually something of interest visible in the distance (7 miles) from the Lamont Odett Vista Point on Rte14. May be a U-2 doing circuits, if so, then the Facebook group description of BJ's corner gives best description of where to get good photos.

"Welcome, fans, to the Antelope Valley's Palmdale Air Force Plant 42 (airport code: "PMD") and BJ's Corner Sierra Highway and Avenue N (Renamed R. Lee Ermey Avenue) aircraft observation site. Enjoy aircraft spotting, partake in the history, share your photos, experiences and inquiries about the birthplace of many interesting craft."

I disagree that Edwards is a dots in the distance place, I've spent many hours at Boron East Rest Stop on Rte 58. There is a road slightly closer but this makes you rather more conspicuous and a traffic hazard. In the rest stop, we've never been hassled, but of course the locals love to chat, especially when waving cameras and binoculars and scanners around excitedly at a passing aircraft. if landing over the rest area the photo opportunities are ok, if departing, they're a bit high, but assuming that you are as interested in just watching and not expecting quality photos, it's worth a stop. Global Hawks overhead, KC-46, NKC-135, C-12s,plus small jets every time I've passed by.

The locations of both PMD Rte 14 and EDW Rte 58 places mentioned are in here https://wordpress.com/view/aroundtheran ... .home.blog or PM me and I can send separately and example photos.