flightblog's Photos

Osprey - Bonita Springs, Florida

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North Carolina

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F-86 Sabre

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Yates Mill Pond - Raleigh, NC

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Saford-Lee County Airport

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With a little less then an hour to touch down at San Francisco International, my flight passed by this airfield somewhere close to Death Valley California. I snapped a few photos (one, two, three). TonopahI’m a little hesitant to speak to any commercial pilot for fear of getting a free medial exam from one of the many air marshals, but when I departed the plane at SFO I asked the captain and first officer what Air Force base we passed about an hour before we landed. They kind of looked funny at each other. The first officer asked me if I knew. I responed that I hadn’t a clue. The first officer returned with, “That’s Tonopah.” I got my Blackberry out and emailed myself a note, “Tona Pah,” so I’d remember. Once I got someplace with an internet connection I looked up Tonna Pah and found a descent amount of info on the Tonopah Test Range (TTR). The Tonopah Test Range is located about 30 miles southeast of Tonopah, Nevada and is jointly owned and operated by Sandia Laboratories, the Dept of Energy and Detachment 3, Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC Det 3), the presumed operator of Area 51. TTR is only 70 miles away from Area 51. A closer look at several aerial photos found online confirmed that what I did indeed photograph was the Tonopah Test Range. TTR is actually part of the northern edge of Nellis Test Range and falls under the command of the 98th Range Squadron and was first opened in 1957. Welcome to TonopahIn 1979 the base was greatly expanded to accommodate the evaluation and testing of aircraft and weapons including the then super secret F-117. Several large hangers, called canyons, were built to house the F-117 fleet and its crews. Apparently the F-117 was tested in complete secrecy till 1983 when three “mysterious crashes” caught the public’s attention. The confirmed existence of the Shunkworks plane wasn’t declared by the Air Force until 1989. Another famous celebrity of the TTR is the “Bunker Buster” JDAM that was successfully used in the first Gulf War. Bulls eyes used to test the JDAM, and other weapons, can been seen from the aerial photos and contributed to the nickname “Mellon Strip” given to Tonopah. Chuck Yeager also flew P-39s out of Tonopah. What’s the fastest way to get to Tonopah? Janet Airways has regular flights from McCarran International. Numerous other unmarked jets arrive daily as well as the standard assortment of military aircraft. There’s a housing project just north of the base called Mancamp which contains dormitories, a library, cafeteria, and gym. There is an unbelievable amount of info on Tonopah, Groom Lake, and Basecamp for all your conspiracy reading enjoyment. It appears that the base is still active so I’m assuming that 1.) the airspace is restricted and 2.) the flight I was on was well outside that restricted area.

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I still haven't mastered shooting the stars

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A terrible why to spend the 4th of July. My neighbors house was severely damaged (it may need to be demolished) in a fire this morning. The fire possible started by someone falling asleep while smoking in bed. Everyone did get out safe but one dog did not make it.

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Raleigh, NC

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