Is Star Wars Canyon, America’s Plane Spotting Jewel, At Risk Of Overuse?
We Visited "Jedi Transition" to Learn If the Best Low-Flying Area in the U.S. Is in Danger. It is the African big game safari, the Mt. Everest and the Louvre…
New Photos Surface of Secretive X-37B Space Plane in Orbit on Classified Mission.
Dutch Astronomer Photographs Rarely Seen Military Space Plane from Earth. Noted astronomer and satellite expert Ralf Vandebergh of Nijswiller, Limburg, Netherlands, spent months searching the skies for one of the…
A new Russian spyplane skirted the airspace of eastern Ukraine today
A new Russian Air Force Tu-214R could be tracked as it flew close to the border with Ukraine. Social media are going frenzy after a Russian Air Force Tu-214R was…
Impressive images of a Syrian attack plane firing rockets at ground target
Taken on Nov. 30, the following images show a Syrian Arab Air Force MiG-23ML using B-8 pods to fire rockets to ground targets located at Jabal Azzawiyah, Idleb province, Syria.…
Is spotting at Rome Fiumicino dangerous?
On Jan 18, I went to Fiumicino to watch some aircraft departing from RWY 25. After following the story of the US Air 1549 that performed a successful ditching in…
Navy Times Reports Findings In 2019 Star Wars Canyon F/A-18E Super Hornet Crash.
Pilot Was “Most Proficient” In Squadron at Low Level Operations Prior to Crash. “Based on current information, we will never know what actually occurred.” That is one finding in the…
Tom Cruise With F-14 Tomcat on Snowy Set in Tahoe: Top Gun Escape Scene Filmed?
Hollywood leaks photos of Cruise in snowy set; fan photos show special colored F/A-18F flying though the Star Wars Canyon; F-14 Tomcat appears on set. More “leaked” photos from production…
Video Shows First Flight of South Korean Marine Attack Helicopter
Korea Aerospace Industries’ (KAI) new Marine Attack Helicopter, a derivative of the Super Puma inspired MUH-1 Marineon, performed its maiden flight in December 2024. Thanks to a video posted on…
USAF Test Pilot School T-38C in Retro Livery Makes Rare Visit To The Sidewinder Low Level Route
A T-38C of the USAF TPS in overall white paint scheme was spotted on the famous low level route in the U.S. West Coast recently. A couple of weeks ago,…
U.S. Air Force A-10C, F-16C and F-15E Deploying to the Middle East as Iran Launches Ballistic Missiles Attack on Israel
Three more U.S. Air Force squadrons are being deployed to the CENTCOM AOR as Iran threatened and launched a massive attack on Israel with ballistic missiles. The U.S. Department of…
U.S. Air Force’s MH-139A Grey Wolf Participates in First Training Exercise at Maxwell AFB
The MH-139A Grey Wolf, meant to replace the U.S. Air Force’s Vietnam-era UH-1N Hueys, is now gradually being fielded and integrated into the nuclear defense mission, after the delivery of…
Report: ‘Incident’ Between U.S. KC-46 Pegasus And F-16C Off Netherlands
Airband listeners heard an F-16 pilot report 'a chunk taken out of its spine due to a too close breakaway incident' during refueling operations with a KC-46. On June 27,…
B-2 Spirit Stealth Bombers Visit Guam for the First Time in Five Years
U.S. Air Force B-2A Spirit stealth bombers have touched down at Andersen Air Force Base on the Pacific island of Guam for the first time since 2019, as shown in…
25 Years Ago Today: An U.S. F-117 Stealth Jet Is Shot Down Over Serbia
OTD in 1999, "Vega 31" was shot down near Belgrade. Here's how it went. On Mar. 27, 1999, during the fourth night of Operation Allied Force (OAF) over Serbia, a…
U.S. Air Force Deploys B-52H And B-1B Bomber Task Forces
Few days apart, B-52s landed at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and B-1s landed at Moron in Spain. The U.S. Air Force started two new Bomber Task Force deployments…
Rare High-Rez Photos Of Chinese J-10 And J-20 Fighters Right Off The Factory
Let’s discuss the details we can spot in the exclusive photos captured near the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group test facility. A reader of The Aviationist, who wishes to remain anonymous,…
Ukrainian UAV Records Its Last Seconds Of Life As It Is Hit By Russian Missile
The video, released by the Ukrainian 45th Separate Artillery Brigade, shows the downing of the UAV after it completed its artillery spotting mission. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion…
A Quick Look at the Boeing C-32A Flying as Air Force 2 Into Detroit And The Vice-Presidential Motorcade
Vice-President’s Aircraft And Motorcade Are Smaller And More Mobil Than President’s. Keen-eyed aviation photographers got a rare, up-close look at Air Force 2 during its visit to Detroit’s Wayne County…
Belgian F-16 Damaged in Ground Incident At Leeuwarden AB. Pilot Successfully Ejected.
A Belgian Air Force F-16 hit a building shortly after start-up. On Jul. 1, 2021, a BAF (Belgian Air Force) F-16 was involved in an incident at Leeuwarden Air Base,…
A Close Look at Air Force One’s Visit to Detroit and the Presidential Motorcade.
Detroit’s Metro Airport Yields Great Photos of Air Force One aircraft and Motorcade. Local spotters, aviation photographers and aircraft enthusiasts were treated to spectacular views of a U.S. Air Force…
Kuwaiti F/A-18E Super Hornet Photographed In Its New Low-Visibility Livery
The New Aircraft Will Abandon The Classic Three-tone Livery Sported By Kuwait’s Legacy F/A-18Cs. One of the first F/A-18Es Super Hornet for the Kuwait Air Force has recently been photographed…
Online Flight Tracking Provides A Look At The US Build Up In Middle East Following the Attack on US Embassy In Iraq
Here’s everything we know about the deployment that followed the attack on the US embassy in Baghdad which involved at least 30 aircraft (that could be tracked online via ADS-B).…
This Stunning Photo Captured Thunderbird Opposing Solo Generating Shock Wave Light Distortion
The visible distortion around the belly of the aircraft (left side of the photo) is caused by the shock waves that distort light as if it was entering a new…
Check Out This Chinese Helicopter Gunship Helmet That Looks Like a Movie Prop.
New Helmet Mounted Sight for Z-10 “Fierce Thunderbolt” Has Star Wars Vibe. China’s impressive new CAIC (Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation) Z-10 gunship helicopter has attracted little western media attention since…
57th Fighter Wing at Nellis AFB Completes New “WRAITH” Aggressor F-16.
Sinister Black Aggressor Livery Won in Social Media Vote, Ready for Aviation Nation. The newest aggressor F-16 in the 57th Fighter Wing at Nellis AFB outside Las Vegas, Nevada, was…
We Found Charlie’s Beach House From “Top Gun” After Its Move for Renovation.
Famous “Top Gun” Set to Become Centerpiece of New Hotel in Oceanside, California. A staple of southern California tourism is trying to find artifacts of the 1986 film classic “Top…
MAKS 2019 Surprise Appearance: The Mysterious Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut Re-emerges.
Last Seen at MAKS in 2007, The Experimental Su-47 Tested Forward Swept Wings and Other Advanced Technologies. MAKS 2019 air show at Zhukovsky International Airport outside Moscow, Russia will be…
MAKS 2019 Airshow Preview: The Practice Flights as Seen at Zhukovsky.
Russia’s Greatest Airshow, And One of The Best in The World, In One Week. We’re outside the fence of Zhukovsky Airport in Zhukovsky, Russia, about 40 kilometers from downtown Moscow.…
[Updated] Witnesses: Navy F/A-18 Crashes in Star Wars Canyon, Debris Scattered In Canyon
The status of the pilot is unknown. There are reports that some visitors near Father Crowley Overlook were injured. We talked to some witnesses. Unconfirmed reports are just now surfacing…
Russian Air Force About To Conduct An Open Skies Treaty Observation Mission Over Canada’s Arctic.
Analog vs Digital: Canada under observation by Russian Open Skies Treaty mission, while multinational mission is over Russia. According to Canadian Department of National Defence officials, Russian officials, and open…
Man Photographed with Drone in Western U.S. Military Low Flying Canyon Threatens Area for All
Despite Posted Signs and Rules, Illegal Drone Operators Threaten Low Flying Area. Local Death Valley area photographer and aviation expert Brian Emch captured photos of a person flying a small…
U.S. Air Force To Reactivate 65th Aggressor Squadron At Nellis AFB With 11 F-35A Lightning II
The unit, inactivated in September 2014 due to budget constraints imposed by sequestration, is going to "resurrect" and fly the 5th generation aircraft. On May 9, the U.S. Air Force…
This Awesome Video Shows A C-17 Globemaster III Flying At Low Altitude Through the Star Wars Canyon
It's not the first time a C-17 flies in the "Jedi Transition" but it's always a pleasure to see the airlifter maneuvering through the Canyon. “Star Wars Canyon” (aka Rainbow…
Take A Look At These Crazy Cool Shots Of An F-35 Flying At Low Level Through The Snow-Covered Sierra Mountains
This is something you don't see too often! The stunning photographs in this post were taken on Feb. 21, by our friend and photographer Christopher McGreevy. They show a 461th…
Flying With The Tornado Attack Jets At The Bombing Range
As the Tornado completes its final days of service with the Royal Air Force, which is about to become the first operator to retire the type, we have looked at…
This Shot Of An Aggressors F-16 In The Star Wars Canyon Shows The Difference Between Heat And Shock Wave Distortion
This image of an Aggressors F-16 provides an opportunity to see heat distortion "at work" and compare it to shock wave distortion. Here's another stunner. The image in this post…
Check Out This Shot Of An F-35 Flying Through The Star Wars Canyon Generating Shock Wave Light Distortion
What makes this shot really amazing is the distortion caused by the modified index of refraction around the aircraft as a consequence of the shock waves. "Star Wars Canyon" (aka…
ATAC Civilian Hawker Hunter Crashes Off Honolulu, Pilot Injured During Ejection.
Private “Red Air” Adversary Simulator Aircraft Crashes Within Sight of Shore. An ATAC private contract adversary Hawker Hunter crashed off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii shortly after takeoff from Honolulu…
In-Flight Emergency, New Kawasaki Motorcycle And More: All The “Top Gun: Maverick” News We Can Tell You, And Some We Can’t…
Among all the other things, Tom Cruise Has Emergency “Flap Caution” Landing During “Top Gun” Sequel Filming. Hollywood action film star Tom Cruise had to cut short the filming of…
Is This “Maverick’s” New F/A-18F Super Hornet for Filming “Top Gun” Sequel?
Hollywood Gossip Site Leaks Photo of F/A-18F With Special Markings. Even though all of us feel the need for speed to get the new Top Gun sequel, "Top Gun: Maverick"…
Amazing Video Shows Ultra-Low Level Flying From The Cockpit Of A U.S. F-16. And Here’s Why This Kind Of Training Is Still Important Today.
An amazing video shows what it's like to fly at ultra-low altitude over Japan. Is this kind of training is still relevant? The footage you can find below was just…
Italian Air Force Tornado ECR Jets Are Deployed To California To Test Their New AGM-88E Advanced Anti Radiation Guided Missile
The Italian "Tonkas" are currently deployed to Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake along with four Eurofighter Typhoons and a C-27J Spartan. A small contingent of nine Italian Air Force…
Reflecting on The Raptor: F-22 Demo Team Changes Pilots for 2018.
We Get a Rare Opportunity to Meet the Outgoing and Incoming F-22 Demo Pilots. As the 2018 air show season rapidly approaches in the United States it occurs to me…
The Real-World Air Combat Origins of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”
Truth is Stranger Than Fiction, And the Inspirations for “The Last Jedi” Are Remarkable. This article contains spoilers. If you have not seen “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” yet, you…
Two Edwards-based F-16s Spotted In Star Wars Canyon With Mysterious New Pod
Are you able to ID the pod carried by these two "Vipers" flying at low altitude through the Jedi Transition recently? Few days ago we have published the photographs of…
Are We Seeing B-21 Raider Development and Testing Activity at Area 51?
With New Projects in Development, and New Construction, The Area is Ramping Up. We’re not sure what is happening inside (and close to) the restricted Nevada Test and Training Range…
Area 51-based F-16D Performs Rare Pass Through The Star Wars Canyons Hours After F-117 Is Spotted Chased By Two Seater F-16
This was probably the very same F-16 flying alongside an F-117 on Nov. 14, 2017. On Nov. 14 (the day after an F-117 was photographed on a trailer south of…
We Track Down the Secret MiGs and Sukhois of the Nellis Test and Training Range
America’s Pilots Fight Russian Aircraft in Training but Where Did They Come From? It is a vast 5,000 square miles. And it is off-limits. What happens here shapes the technology…
Has An RC-135U Combat Sent Signal Intelligence Aircraft “Covered” The Two F-35A Stealth Jets Visiting Estonia?
Yesterday two USAF F-35A stealth aircraft performed a quick visit to Estonia. But their mission to the Baltic region was probably not only supported by a KC-135: an RC-135U and…
China’s new J-20 “Mighty Dragon” stealth fighter officially unveiled and ready to enter active service
The PLAAF (People's Liberation Army Air Force) has eventually unveiled its long-awaited J-20 stealth fighter to the public during the Zhuhai Air Show’s opening ceremony. Is it possible to compare…
[Video] Buzzed by U.S. F/A-18 jets in the Death Valley
The American "Mach Loop" is on the Death Valley Beware: video contains strong language There is a series of spotting places in Wales, UK, that aviation enthusiasts have nicknamed the…
Hunting Red Flag Air Traffic from Coyote Summit
There is a place not far from Area 51, where you can get some really cool pictures of Red Flag participants. As an aviation enthusiast I grew up with camera…
Russian Aircraft Carrier in the vicinity? Royal Netherlands Navy had no ships to dispatch
Russia's only aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov passed through the English Channel recently. But the Dutch Navy had no ships available for escort duties. In spite of a commitment to the…
[Photo] Giant Antonov AN-124 Ruslan low on final approach at Gilze Rijen airport
This is the kind of aircraft that could buzz your head if you are spotting at Gilze Rijen today. In the 1980s, you could see U.S. F-4 Phantoms or RNlAF…
These photos prove F-4 Phantom and F-14 Tomcat could take off and land with folded wings
You won't believe it but U.S. Navy legendary planes (F-4, F-8 and F-14) could fly with folded wings, asymmetric configurations. To save space aboard the deck of U.S. flattops, aircraft…
Davos’s World Economic Forum Air Defense
World Economic Forum 2014, in Davos, from Jan. 22 to 25, was secured by a complex airspace surveillance operation. As happened in the last years, both the Austrian Air Force…
[Photo] U.S. F-4E Phantom’s ultra-low final approach buzzes photographer’s heads
If you though that the most spectacular landing happens at the Caribbean St. Maarten’s Princess Juliana Airport, you were wrong. Along with Waddington in the UK (and few other airports...),…
F-16s depart for NATO Tiger meet with special color scheme that has almost vanished after landing
Following The Aviationist's first post on the Polish Air Force Special Colored F-16s that were to attend the NATO Tiger Meet in Norway, there were rumors that the aircraft from…
Airspace over London now on lock-down: All security measures put in place to protect the Olympic Games
Friday Jul. 13 saw the London Olympics only two weeks away. But the date is a milestone because, at 23.00 local time, the airspace over the southeastern UK eventually came…
God Save the Queen. And her flypasts.
Whereas other nations have cancelled or reduced flypasts or limited their contribution to air shows, because of the global financial crisis, the UK seems to be one of the few…
Infographic: Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Flypast
On Saturday May 19, Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her first 60 years as monarch. Here are the graphics that explain how the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, a flypast of over 80…
Near miss as Britain's biggest warship squeezes through Thames Barrier to attend the Olympic Guard exercise
Along with the Typhoon on QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) at RAF Northolt, west London, the Olympic Guard exercise, whose goal is to test the security plan aimed to prevent a…
F-35C first flight (and heat and noise concerns…)
On Jun. 6, 2010, piloted by Lockheed Martin Test Pilot Jeff Knowles', a retired Naval Aviator and test pilot who flew F-14As and F-14Ds operationally' and who was also chief…
Airport security and spotters
On Sept. 16th 2007 I went to Rome Fiumicino airport since I wanted to photograph the arrival of the B-747-400 of the Korean and China Airlines. These wide-bodies are common…
