Jets Over Sand and Sea

[MM 426]

Jets Over Sand and Sea
For Saturday, September 2, 2023
Michael MacKuen

The United States Navy, along with its junior partner the USAF, would like to invite you to a fast tour of the American Southwest in Nevada and California. You are encouraged to fly Navy jets, Air Force jets, American or European jets, civilian jets, or whatever you like.

We commence from Nellis AFB [KLSV]. Since the 1950s, Nellis has been the Air Force center for fighter jet training, and since the 1970s it has conducted a Fighter Weapons School to improve tactics for the changing combat environment. (The Navy view is that this was an imitation of the Navy’s path-breaking and eminently successful Top Gun program.) As we prepare for our mission, we can enjoy the busy air base as it prepares for Red Flag training exercises that include pilots from the US Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and numerous NATO allies.


Navy F-35C on the floor of Death Valley. Over the Sand and ... Under the Sea

On departure, some pilots may take a look at the Las Vegas Strip. Then north over the restricted airspace  of the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) for a visit to the USAF facility Homey Airport [KXTA]. This is more commonly known as Groom Lake (after the nearby salt flat) or Area 51. Also, informally, Dreamland and Paradise Ranch. This facility is thought to support the development and testing of experimental aircraft and weapons systems. It was acquired in 1955 primarily for flight testing the Lockheed U-2. It was clearly involved with developing the A-12 (precursor to the SR71) and F-117. In the late 1960s, Groom Lake tested the MiG-17 and MiG-21 head-to-head with the F-4 and concluded that pilot tactics and skill were decisive and the equipment was not – results that indirectly led to the Top Gun program. While much has become known, the facility has remained officially Top Secret since its founding.

(Despite the secrecy, some people also understand that Area 51 reverse engineered crashed alien spacecraft and had joint meetings with extraterrestrials. And it developed a Mach 5 spy plane as well as weather control and time travel and teleportation technology. Not to mention a transcontinental underground railroad system and a disappearing airport rooted in alien technology.)

Our brief visit will reveal no secrets. We take off for the southwest to begin the low-flying segment of our trip. After passing the mountains we descend into Death Valley [DV]. Some pilots may wish to see how fast their particular aircraft can fly while below sea level. With an outside temperature a bit higher than a standard day, the speed of sound at sea level is approximately 670kts. Other pilots may prefer to admire the natural majesty of the scene.

We land at Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake [KNID]. This is the Western Mojave and, as it happens, the Navy controls a great deal of this desert landscape. The Station’s two ranges and the main site cover an area the size of Rhode Island and the restricted and controlled airspace makes up 12 per cent of California’s total airspace. The installation was created in 1935 as a rockets and weapons test and evaluation site by a combination of Navy officers and Caltech scientists. Among the weapons developed here is the AIM-9 Sidewinder, the most used and copied air-to-air missile in the world.

We continue our low-flying exercise by heading up into the Sierra Nevada. Pilots should fly at a safe low altitude and avoid taking undue risks. The ground crews at the end have been asked to remove any vegetation from the aircraft and to report any excessive clusters of branches, pine cones, bramble, and grass. We fly southwest and then west into the Isabella-Walker Pass [WALKR] to Isabella Lake [LISAB]. Then north up the “mighty” Kern River [KERNR]. This begins as a canyon and then continues a mostly south-north course as a steep valley just to the west of the Sierra Crest. Just after The Needles [NEEDS], the Kern River takes a sharp right turn [RTURN] and then back to the left [LTURN] before resuming the norward course. Another 20nm and we shall want to climb to an altitude of 12,500ft at the Kings-Kern Divide [12500]. Then a sharp descent of about 4,000ft to the South Fork of the Kings River [KINGS] into a long canyon that will make for good low-flying practice. We proceed about 40nm to the artificially-dammed Pine Flat Lake [PFLAT] and turn southwest.

After the Kern-Kings River run, we head for NAS Lemoore [KNLC]. Lemoore is the Navy’s largest Master Jet base and the center of West Coast strike fighter operations with four carrier wings “home-ported” here. It is home to sixteen F/A-18E/F Super Hornet squadrons – the mainstay of the fleet. In addition, it hosts three F-35C squadrons – the likely future of the Navy’s combat wings. There are two parallel runways with the operational base located in between. When landing, pick 14L or 32L and take the last high speed exit and then taxi right across the base to position for takeoff on the other runway. Lots to see.

Next is Vandenberg Space Force Base [KVBG]. As we approach the base, we can see the beautiful Guadeloupe Dunes [DUNES], a National Wildlife Refuge. Vandenberg AFB was built in the 1950s as a ballistic missile base which could launch rockets over the Pacific without endangering civilian populations. This was the site for the development and testing of the Thor, Atlas, Titan and Minuteman programs. In addition, over the years Vandenberg launched satellites of almost every purpose using a variety of boosters. And Vandenberg developed Space Launch Complex-6 [SLC6] or “Slick Six for the Space Shuttle program – though the Challenger disaster put an end to that. Since then the base has launched a number of heavier lift vehicles including the Delta and Atlas programs. In the last decade, SpaceX has successfully used SLC-4 [SLC4] for their now-regular Falcon launches and recoveries. And the company has recently acquired use of SLC-6 for both additional Falcon operations and the development of the super-heavy-lift Starship.

After a quick look we continue to NAS Point Mugu [KNTD] which was for decades the Navy’s primary test center for missile development. These include air-to-air, air-to-surface, and surface-to-surface missiles. It now hosts the Pacific Fleet’s four EC-2C Hawkeye squadrons as well as a number of logistical support aircraft. In addition, the annual Point Mugu Air Show has been a great success. This year’s fiftieth anniversary show (2023) included the rare joint appearance of the Navy and Air Force display teams, the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds.

Then south off the Los Angeles coastline toward the San Diego area. First we execute a low pass over MCAS Miramar [KNKX]. You may request permission for “a fly-by” from the tower. Miramar (or Mitscher Field) was best known as the Navy Fighter Weapons School or Top Gun training program. In the 1960s it was thought that air-to-air missiles made dogfighting skills obsolete. But the results of the first air campaigns in Vietnam (and the test results of air-to-air combat with captured MiGs at Groom Lake), convinced the Navy to create a special training program for elite pilots that would emphasize Advanced Combat Maneuvers (ACM) and Weapon System mastery. It was hoped that if enough squadrons had “Top Gun” graduates who could teach their mates, then the overall performance of pilots would improve. It did improve – dramatically. (The first years of the program were run on a shoestring, with borrowed equipment and a stolen trailer as a classroom. The early instructors’ talent and determination prevailed and the program proved its worth.) In its day, Miramar was nicknamed “Fightertown USA”. However, in 1996 the NFWS moved to NAS Fallon near Reno in western Nevada.

After the low pass, we turn south to land at NAS North Island [KNZY] (Halsey Field). The inclusive Naval Base Coronado is the home port of several aircraft carriers (two nowadays) and is the largest aerospace complex in the Navy. The CO Naval Air Forces and the CO Pacific Fleet Air Forces are headquartered here. Started in 1911, North Island became the home for West Coast Naval aviation during the 1930s and especially during World War II when it hosted over a dozen aircraft carriers. Today, San Diego, Coronado and North Island remain the center of the US Navy on the West Coast.

We take off and curl around to see two carriers. And immediately in front of us the magnificent Coronado Bridge which simply begs for some close scrutiny. (Before agreeing to the bridge, the Navy required that it clear 200ft to enable the Pacific Fleet to exit San Diego harbor.) We turn east, over the San Diego suburbs and then the mountainous Cleveland National Forest with its chaparral canyons, arroyos, and high desert dotted with oak and conifer forests. Then we pass over the Imperial Valley’s arid Domelands. A few minutes later we land at our final destination Naval Air Facility (NAF) El Centro [KNJK]. The base temporarily hosts squadrons who work on aerial gunnery and bombing on the Imperial Valley ranges. Better known to the public, El Centro is the winter home of the Navy’s premier demonstration team the Blue Angels.

Documentation
The flightplan can be found here.

Aircraft
We need to cover about 840nm so require something that will “fast cruise” at about 420kts. Most of our favorite military fighters and trainers will do the job including the Lockheed F/TF-104G Starfighter, Gruman F-14 A/B Tomcat, Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet, Lockheed F‑35 II, Hawker Hunter, Leonardo M-346, BAe Hawk, Boeing T-45 and Aermacchi MB-339. Those who prefer civilian aircraft might like a B-737 or a business jet such as the Cessna CJ-4 or Cessna Longitude, Honda Jet or Cirrus Vision. (All pilots will want to be aware of our aircraft mix and make accommodations.) Playing along with the US Navy theme, I shall fly the IndiaFoxtEcho Lockheed F-35C in the US Navy VFA-97 livery (a stock livery). This flying is designed for military jets, but you should fly whatever you like.

Additional Scenery
These are not necessary for the flight. They do add some color and some are just excellent quality freeware scenery.

Nellis AFB Red Flag [KLSV]. nickb007
Homey Airport [KXTA]. superspud
China Lake NAWS [KNID]. nickb007
Lemoore NAS [KNLC]. groovyy
Vandenberg AFB [KVBG]. Mountainair
North Island NAS [KNZY]. julysfire
El Centro NAF [KNJK]. Mountainair
Coronado Bridge San Diego. TheWhiteArcades
US Navy San Diego. FreakyD

Temporarily, you can download a scenery package here. 476 MB.

In addition, if you have them already you might want to activate: UK2000 Common library (Free from MS Marketplace), DCDesigns F/A-18C (Freeware), Carrier Ops USS Enterprise (photosbykev), RAF Coningsby (Imccar26), the MSFS TopGun and of course the MSFS USA World Updates. (All these for extra scenery bits such as military buildings and parked aircraft on the ramp.)

Time and Weather
For takeoff on Saturday, set the simulator at 3:00 pm local for September 2, 2023.
We prefer real weather.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, September 2, 2023. 1800 UTC
AVSIM Discord Server: https://discord.gg/K5Vy6UxWNm  - AVSIM GROUP EVENTS-SAT. COM3
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Please be kind enough to enter the title exactly as it stands in the title=”xxx” line of the aircraft.cfg file. Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

[Viking01 186]

21 hours ago, MM said:

The United States Navy, along with its junior partner the USAF, would like to invite you to a fast tour of the American Southwest in Nevada and California. You are encouraged to fly Navy jets, Air Force jets, American or European jets, civilian jets, or whatever you like.

👍 very well said, Sir! 😄