USA II 2025
It came as a surprise to everyone when Nellis AFB announced in March 2023 that the Aviation Nation airshow was being postponed from November 2023 to April 2024, and later again to April 2025. Wasn’t it always the end of the show season, celebrating the homecoming of the national pride, the United States Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team? Operational circumstances were cited as the reason, but 4Aviation didn’t consider it a problem, and planning for a major tour of the West Coast of the United States quickly began. The week following the show, the major WTI exercise at MCAS Yuma would also be underway, and to conclude, we had the So Cal Air Show scheduled for March ARB, a full week of aviation activity.
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On Friday 4 April 2025, the small group departed Amsterdam, with the fifth participant joining in Philadelphia, arriving together in Las Vegas in the early evening. There, we met the last participant, who had flown all the way from Australia. The luggage collection went quickly, and we took the shuttle bus to the car rental centre to pick up our Chrysler Grand Caravan for the tour. The luggage were loaded, everyone found their spot, and we headed via the Strip and a few short detours, including the Sphere, to our hotel, Circus Circus. This gave us a real taste of the atmosphere of this city of light.
On Saturday 5 April 2025, we rose early and headed to the north side of Nellis AFB, where you have a wonderful overview of the base. Luckily for us, some participants from the recent Red Flag exercise had stayed for the Green Flag exercise, and they were quite impressive: Saudi Typhoons and F-16s from the Emirates and Turkey. Several even flew a mission that early morning. For those who love numbers, we managed to collect around 90 serial numbers from based aircraft, a very impressive result. Afterwards, we headed to one of the parking lots for the airshow, which were located outside the base. With our past experience, we drove to the best parking lot where it wasn’t crowded yet. They started checking the camera bags and all the other gear people drag onto the base right on time, and we were on the shuttle bus in no time, driving onto the base a few minutes later. We later heard that other parking lots were chaotic, and people didn’t arrive at the airshow grounds until around noon, so we didn’t have that problem. During the bus ride, you also pass the 66th RQS ramp, where you can also photograph the brand-new HH-60Ws. There was one odd duck among them, and it turned out to be a US Army Special Operations MH-60M—really cool! The static display was fun, but honestly, it was quite disappointing. We expected considerably more from a base with the name and fame of Nellis. Besides a selection of stationed aircraft, there were only ten military aircraft from outside the base, four of which were F-35s from the Alabama National Guard. Not a single “large” aircraft (C-5, C-17, C-130, KC-135, or anything similar) was on display, and only one Warbird (T-6), which was quite strange.
However, the air show was considerably better than the previous edition, when the participating aircraft tried very hard to stay away from the audience. How different it was this time, with the brightly coloured A-10s, F-16s, F-22s, F-35s, and Aggressor F-16s taxiing close to the crowd after their impressive aerial demonstration. Despite the backlight at Nellis for much of the day, there are still plenty of opportunities to capture beautiful aircraft in the air and especially on the ground. We stayed until we were politely asked to leave the base, at which point there weren’t many people around, and the static display was also well photographed. Around 6:00 PM, when we finally lined up for the shuttle bus to the parking lot, four F-35s flew overhead, and we made a quick sprint to the taxiway to get our picture taken of these OT models. By then, the security had had enough, but the line for the bus had also dissipated, and we were able to board the bus and pass the 66th RQS apron once more to reach our car. Afterward, it was time to head to the hotel, and a little later we visited Rob, a friend who lives in Las Vegas. He and his wife had prepared a delicious meal for the group with drinks and a friendly atmosphere. It had been a wonderful first day of the tour!
On Sunday 6 April 2025, we were able to sleep in a bit since we’d read all the numbers—about 150 are listed—and the base didn’t open to the public very early. We returned to the base via the same parking lot and set off in search of the other photo opportunities we’d missed yesterday. We were even earlier than yesterday and were now on the base when the Saudi Typhoons and Emirates F-16s landed. We’d decided to leave after the local units’ demonstration, as we still had about 450 km to drive south. But first, we stopped at North Las Vegas Airport because we’d heard there were two Ospreys there, and we wanted to see them. They were parked right by the fence, and a picture was easily taken. During our tour of the field we also saw several former Australian PC-9s and other smaller aircraft providing Close Air Support training, and in the distance, we saw a strange Blackhawk flying—it turned out to be a US Army HH-60M. So we went looking for his parking spot and came across two National Guard UH-72s. Time flew by, and we arrived in Phoenix in the early evening.
Monday 7 April 2025, was scheduled for one of the busiest fighter bases and very popular with almost all our participants: Luke AFB in Arizona, home to several F-35 squadrons of Americans, Belgians, Danes, Italians, Dutch, and Norwegians. Besides this latest generation of fighter jets, there’s also a squadron of Singaporean F-16s and usually a detachment of several older fighters. This time, we had four former French Air Force Mirage F1s, each flying about three missions. When we arrived around 8:00 AM, we saw the first Lightnings coming in from the distance. During the more than 100 missions that day, we saw 55 different F-35s, most of which we were able to photograph well. At the end of the day, we still had another 300 km to drive, and we stopped in Gila Bend for two old RF-101s and a bite to eat before arriving in Yuma. Our hotel for the next two nights was near the approach to the Marine base, and while enjoying a drink outside, we chatted about the beautiful day with the sights and sounds of various Hercules, Ospreys, and Super Stallions in the background.
On Tuesday 8 April 2025, a few number spotters set out early again to see what there was to see, and it was quite a sight. As mentioned, the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI) was underway. This USMC exercise is held twice a year at MCAS Yuma and lasts seven weeks, with a theoretical and flying component. The great thing is that many units participate, almost all of whom bring their own aircraft. Over the two days, we saw 130 different operational military aircraft from about 40 different squadrons, and we were able to photograph over 80 of them. All the ramps were full, and many could be identified, but a few were not due to distance, parking, heat haze, etc. After this first round, we drove the short distance back to the hotel for breakfast and to pick up the missing participants. This morning was relatively calm, with almost no wind, so the active aircraft took off and landed in all directions, and we missed a few. In the afternoon, however, things really took off, and we were able to photograph numerous KC-130s, F-5s, F/A-18s, EA-18s, F-35Bs and Cs, CH-53s, and MV-22s. The AH-1s and UH-1s were a lot more challenging, as they didn’t really get close, but we managed to catch a few. We stayed until dark to freshen up and later enjoy a delicious Indian meal.
Since yesterday had been so good, we left early on Wednesday 9 April 2025, for California to visit NAF El Centro. Once there, we saw a dozen VFA-106 F/A-18s and fourteen T-45Cs from TAW-2 on the ramps, which quickly took to the skies to fly a mission. Around noon, we had photographed two dozen aircraft, and it was time to head back to Yuma. We went via the nearby Imperial Airfield where, unusually, there wasn’t a single military helicopter in sight for a refuelling stop. That slight disappointment was more than compensated for at MCAS Yuma by what felt like even more activity than the day before—what a fantastic base! When the sun set again, it was time to leave. We had to travel another 350km to our hotel for the next two nights in San Diego. This hotel was also close to a base, in this case MCAS Miramar, and once again we heard that night flying was on the agenda.
We’re not surprised that it’s quiet at MCAS Miramar on the morning of Thursday 10 April 2025, considering the night flying the day before. Because everyone was also eager to visit the USS Midway in San Diego, we decided to do so now. This is a fantastically restored aircraft carrier with equally beautiful aircraft on deck and several below. The entrance fee isn’t cheap, but it’s definitely worth it. Across the water is NAS North Island, and everyone notices the sheer volume of activity there; every few minutes, a Navy H-60 flies by. We opted not to return to Miramar, but to find a nice spot at NAS North Island. And where did we end up? Right on the beach, barefoot in the sand and camera at the ready. A few Seahawks were making low approaches, ad nauseam, but you had to be constantly alert, because a new one could easily be in the mix. Most of them fly in beautifully along the coast and drop a bit before landing, so they’re in perfect position, fantastic! Besides the many MH-60R and S Seahawk variants, we also see a Coast Guard Dauphin and MH-60T, four VFA-14 and VFA-15 Hornets visiting, the C-2’s replacements, the CMV-22Bs, are also busy practicing, and at the end of the day, a very bare- regular MV-22B arrives. Everyone is thrilled again. We’re all fans of the famous Top Gun movies, of course, so we also went to check out the famous café from the film, the Kansas City Barbecue in San Diego Harbor. We also had dinner there, but we’ll skip that next time…
It’s now Friday 11 April 2025, and the same number spotters set out early again to see what’s visible at Miramar, and they weren’t disappointed. In the morning, you can read a whole row of KC-130s, F/A-18s, F35s, and CH-53Es (mostly just codes), but the Ospreys prove very difficult to identify. The rest of the group is picked up from the hotel, and we first go to the San Diego Air & Space Museum on Gillespie, where we arrive just as the museum is opening. They’ve covered all the aircraft with light blue covers over the canopies, probably very good for the preservation of the aircraft, but terrible for photos, and they weren’t removed upon request, a real shame. After a while, we hear thunder in the distance, a sign that fighters are taking off from MCAS Miramar, and it’s time for us to move. We find a good spot in the approach, and after a short while, the first F-35B hangs in the approach with all its flaps extended. After a while, a police car pulls up a little ahead of us, and we think he’s going to send us away, but then he grabs a camera and starts taking pictures! Around 2:00 PM, however, a few Navy officers showed up and politely asked us to leave. We had captured nearly thirty aircraft (F/A-18C & D, F-35B & C, CH-53E, MH-60R, T-34, and MV-22) beautifully in our photos, so we decided to leave and not engage in any discussion. This allowed us to spend the last hours of this weekday on our favourite beach, where some interesting things were happening, with a Coast Guard HC-130J from Kodiak, Alaska, as the highlight of the afternoon. Via the main branch of the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park, where the unique Lockheed A-12 Blackbird and Convair Seadart are displayed outside, we closed the aircraft section for today and drove the 175 km to the last hotel of the tour in Riverside.
The So Cal Air Show is scheduled for this Saturday 12 April 2025, on March ARB. This one doesn’t open its gates very early either, and the hotel is nearby, so we leave after a delicious breakfast and, despite a navigation error by the driver, arrive at the base early. The static display looks much better here; it’s not super large either, but there are almost twenty interesting military aircraft (A-10, B-52, AC-130J, VX-9 Hornets) and about 20 warbirds. The flight lines border the public area, giving you a great view of another 25 aircraft, a mix of operational and warbird aircraft. Just like at Nellis, the airshow is backlit here, but there are plenty of opportunities for beautiful pictures. From outside the airfield, an E-3, F-35, and a Custom and Border Patrol HH-60L show off their skills, and the Thunderbirds also give it their all. We’re very satisfied again.
Sunday 13 April 2025, is our last day, and we’ll visit the show again. A great way to avoid the backlight is to go across the runway to the March Field Museum, which has a very clever approach. For USD 60 per car, regardless of the number of passengers, you can enter the museum grounds to watch the show, giving you immediate access to the museum’s fantastic collection. You’re much closer to the runway here and have the sun at your back almost all day. A special visitor is a B-1 flying quite high, but it’s always impressive to see. The Thunderbirds deserve another mention, as they perform their show beautifully low and loud over the museum. Late in the afternoon, we leave for LAX, hoping to take off for London around 9:20 PM and then continue to Amsterdam shortly after.
This concludes the tour, and we’ve seen and photographed a huge number of aircraft in beautiful conditions with a very pleasant group. We will definitely visit this area again.
