red flag nellis 24-2 and the las vegas experience
To those in the know about red flag and Nellis AFB this should be of nothing you don’t already know, but for those who dont know here is a little background.
Red flag is a national and often multinational military training exercise designed to give pilots and air crews realistic aerial combat training to increase survivability in combat scenarios. These events are generally held 3 times a year at Nellis Air Force Base just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. There is also another set of exercises named red flag Alaska that generally happen twice a year with the same purpose, only based out of Eielson air force base near Fairbanks Alaska.
I started this photography trip like every other vacation anyone has ever taken. Packing bags, making sure batteries are charged,etc. Southwest airlines is my go-to airline when flying domestic in the US. While some see their boarding and seating style as archaic, I personally enjoy it. I left the Tampa Airport (TPA not TIA) and the flight to Houston was nothing out of the normal, except for some turbulence on decent. The next flight from Houston to Vegas is where things really shined, as the seats had power ports for charging your devices. Apparently, this is a relatively new feature that is only on a few aircraft as I am typing this.
After I landed in Las Vegas, I went to pick up the rental car only to realize Vegas and spring break don’t mix. There were only 3 cars left to choose from and as usual I got stuck with the worst choice possible for anyone who likes cars. Any guesses? If you picked the lowest HP production car that you could have bought in 2021 you would be spot on. Yes, a Mitsubishi Mirage, which is now on the list of cars I would never want to drive again even if someone were to pay me.
As sluggish as the car was, it drove very smooth as I made my way to the Planet Hollywood hotel and casino on the Vegas strip, which would be my base of operations for this trip. I checked into the hotel and ate a $10 pizza which was the best value for a meal that i ate the entire week.
And now for the part you all are probably waiting for. Now it’s day 1 or Tuesday March 12th and it’s overcast but a beautiful day to watch some fighter jets. I started my drive out to Las Vegas motor speedway, which is the best place to watch the jets participating in red flag depart for their training sorties. It was when i arrived to the track across the street from the base, I remembered the real reason I attend these events. The sheer number of other like-minded individuals out there was indescribable.
I parked my car on the gravel area on the side across from the base and went to set up my camera. However, before I could get my camera gear out of my bag, I witnessed 3 f35 lightnings takeoff. The sound of those jet engines is hands down the best sounding adrenaline rush one could wish for. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get any photos but there will be plenty of other chances.
When I mentioned all the other like-minded people, I wasn’t joking when I said there was a ton of them. By the time of the mass departures, the head count of photographers easily exceeded 1000 people. That being said everyone treats each other like family, so it really doesn’t feel overwhelming. Some of the first people I interacted with once I arrived were the Ruffalo (Ramp Check) Brothers, who run one of the greatest aviation podcasts in existence. I highly recommend checking out Ramp Check Global if you haven’t already. (link to channel at bottom)
The time for afternoon mass launches came in almost none at all. Time really does move faster when you are enjoying yourself. The first few aircraft to depart were the refueling tankers, 3 kc135 Stratotankers and an airbus a330 MRTT. this was followed by a variety of aircraft ranging from f15 strike eagles and a10 thunderbolts on the blue air (good guys), and f16 vipers and f35 lightnings for the aggressors or red air (bad guys).
After the last few jets took off, I repositioned my car to the south end of the runway on a road called Cheyanne Blvd which provides a great view of the aircraft as they recover (land). That being said, I definitely do not recommend coming here after dark as it is in an extremely bad part of town.
The photos taken this day were absolutely amazing. and the expirences will stay with me for the rest of my life. but this was only the first day of and there is still a ton more.
Day 2 or March 13th 2024 started and went almost the same as day 1 with a few small differences. I met up with the Ramp Check brothers again, but this time I was joined by none other than the legendary Brian who most people know as BH World. Brian was the mastermind behind the all-star bash drift event which he started in 2007. If you want to hear more of his crazy stories, you should check out TheSileightyMania podcast season 1, episode 5 for his interview.(link at the bottom)
The number of jets that fly each day vary greatly. however, day 1 definitely had more to offer. only about 2/3rds of the aircraft that flew on Tuesday went up on Wednesday. It wasn’t all bad though, the f16 aggressor with the paint scheme known as wraith only flew on day 2, while the one called ghost only flew on day 1. The b52 Stratofortress bomber only flew on day 2 Aswell.
Red flag 24-2 as a whole went from March 11th until March 22nd of 2024. That being said I only attended 3 days, March 12 13 and 15. In reality I was only able to take photos on the 12th and 13th since weather was subpar on the 15th.
just to set the record for those people those who are wondering why i didn’t go take photos on the 14th, you might be in for a Suprise. I actually was taking photos, just not of airplanes. During the day on Thursday the 14th, I went out walking around on the Las Vegas strip. I had forgot about the sheer number of scammers and Con artists that frequent the strip, so I was constantly checking my pockets. Despite all the shady stuff that goes on, the best part of the strip was the amazing food. The Sol Mexican Coina restaurant at Ceasars Palace has the best pork carnitas I have ever had. but that comes with a price. Other than the first night when I had the pizza, I was shelling out $25 to $30 each meal.
Once the sun had set in sin city, I decided to do some street photography however I was in a predicament. The photos would have turned out way better if I had decided to use my actual camera. However, the number of pickpockets and scammers on the strip would have made an easy target out of me if I were to carry around my main camera. Using my better judgement, I decided to take photos using my iPhone only. despite that the photos actually turned out amazing.
i think ive covered everything major that was worth posting about. if you would like to see more photographs from this, please go to the gallery tab at the top menu, or follow @floridaafterburnerimages on Instagram. If you would like to purchase a print of anything you like, please send a message using the info on the contact tab.
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Article written and photographs taken by Gabriel West