Chopper_nut's US trip July 2018

[chopper_nut]

So I'm in the US at the moment. I'll be posting the images relating to aviation only here. Most of the photos won't have captions unless they need one... hey, it's a good recognition quiz.

Palmdale

[chopper_nut]

Edwards AFB. West and North Gates, obviously can't get onto the base itself. There is a flight test museum that's only open to military personal.

[chopper_nut]

Mojave Space Port. Sunday before the July 4 so everything was closed up. The only interesting thing that I couldn't get a photo of was a flight test Tristar.

















In Las Vegas right now. McCarran was a complete bust. High fences and nobody willing to let me take photos of anything. Maverick Helicopters had about 10 EC130s on the ramp that I was unable to take photos of. Went out to Nellis AFB but there was nothing moving. I believe that I spied our old A4s parked on the ramp.

[SUBS17]

Cool photos, how do you know that they are NZ A4s?

[chopper_nut]

Cool photos, how do you know that they are NZ A4s?

Dark coloured A4s... not to many of those left

[Charl]

Great pics... thanks Nick.
Interesting to see the sole surviving MDD YC-15: it's small!
That and the Boeing YC-14 (Stored at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base) were actually Hercules replacements.
Ironic that the -15 led to the much bigger C-17 which was subsumed by Boeing in the end, like everything else.

And what's that moustachio'd nose peeking out behind the Tomcat??
Surely not the Valkyrie, although I can't think of another quite like it...

[Lindstrim]

And what's that moustachio'd nose peeking out behind the Tomcat??
Surely not the Valkyrie, although I can't think of another quite like it...

Possibly a Beech 2000?

[Charl]

Ah yes, it's on poles which makes it look tall.

[chopper_nut]

Bolder City
Just a few shots. A huge number of helicopters.

[chopper_nut]

Ah yes, it's on poles which makes it look tall.

[chopper_nut]

Kingman AZ. An interesting place. Everything was shut today just for July 4 so these shots are all over the fence... very difficult.

[Splitpin]

Ahhh Nick .... great post. This is bucket list stuff for me cheers.
Now , young fella ..go and catch some fish

[chopper_nut]

I’m going to need to just to pay for this... Pima and the Titan museum will be in the next few days.

[Charl]

Ah yes, it's on poles which makes it look tall.

OK... canard: Burt Rutan and Scaled Composites, then.
Go fishing young fella

[Splitpin]

Magic stuff ...sad to see those DC-8's and 747's like that, but that's life I guess.
Interesting to a little dust devil in the background of a couple of the shots, real desert stuff.

Re the old NZ A-4s Nick ...I think your right about seeing them ...that Draken (I think) is or was owned by the same group that got the Skyhawks.

[chopper_nut]

They were dark A4s in matte paint. I'm pretty sure that's what it was. Impossible to get a photo of.

Pinal Air Park.
Potentially a very interesting place but the security was insane. Threats of prosecution everywhere. Only found one stretch of fence where I could take some photos. In addition, there was a 747 Dreamlifter.









Also went to Mirana Regional airport which was surrounded by a massive fence. There was a corner of the airport that had a whole heap of A4s and F8s but it was impossible to take photos through the fence. Around the other side of the airport were three DC6 and a Neptune tanker... again, inside the fence.

[chopper_nut]

So we did Pima today. If you haven't done it, use the whole day, use lots of sunscreen and clear the memory card for your camera and make sure that the batteries are charged. It's incredible.... SOOOOO many aircraft. Just some of the highlights going up here.

[Charl]

See what you mean... what a collection!
Ain't that Hustler quite the business.

Funny how we are used to what makes an aircraft look "right".
Putting a jet intake over the canopy looks almost as daffy as a giant float under the prop.

[Splitpin]

Nick ..... I heard it was worth a visit but.....
The choppers alone would be worth it. I will digest the photos again and then ask some questions ...holy cow.
Thanks for thinking about us back here

[chopper_nut]

That's only part one. It's too time consuming to upload the rest tonight. Some great looking aircraft and some pretty strange looking beasts.