Red Flag @ Nellis AFB (aka Area 51)

In case you didn't know, Red Flag started on Monday, 10/22/07, and goes on for two weeks.

Red Flag: en.wikipedia.org...

Its the Air Force's version of the Navy's Top Gun. Drive by and hope to get a glimpse of awesome warplanes in simulated action.

reply to post by guppy


is this an exercise you are involved in? either way, are you in a position to provide photos of any possible black ops/secret type aircraft? if not, its cool, i couldnt help but ask.

I'll be driving to Rachel, NV, in hopes of catching these aircraft in action. Just want to let other people, who live in the area, know about this event. People who live in Las Vegas, might catch a glimpse of the aircraft taking off from Nellis AFB and flying towards Groom Lake.

I'll be bringing my binoculars and camera with me. Hopefully, I will return with great pictures. Wish me luck.

Best of luck to ya and I hope you get in no trouble gettin all the right pics. have fun!

Nellis AFB is not the same thing as Area 51. Nellis has a large range facility and of course not all of the planes taking off from Nellis will be headed for Groom Lake. I can't think of a reason why Red Flag would involve black programs or Area 51 or anything like that.

We have Red Flag at our base too here in Alaska. The back of my house faces the flight line, so I get an air show all day/night long. Lucky me!!

My husband works the Nellis one too

Nellis AFB encompasses that entire region which Area 51 resides on.

reply to post by mtmaraca

Good luck man, Don't get busted

Nellis encompasses three sides around Area 51. However, they are completely separate from each other. Area 51 is totally restricted airspace, and even the military doesn't go into it unless they're intercepting a plane that enters it. Just because Nellis has ranges around Area 51 doesn't mean that they are the same, or that they have anything to do with each other.

[edit on 10/26/2007 by Zaphod58]

It was my first trip to Rachel, NV. Two things worked against me in spotting any thing.

1) Weather was very cloudy
2) The lady at Aleinn says Red Flag has been performing a lot of night missions

I didn't get to spot any aircraft during my visit. Plus, I didn't want to wait hours for nightfall to only hear them. But, the trip was still fun for me. It was the closest I have ever been to Area 51. The feeling was nostalgic.

Next time, I'll call ahead and find out what time of the day Red Flag is performing missions.

reply to post by guppy

Actually, not much to see around northern Nellis. These operational games rarely, if ever, involve secret ops of an interesting nature.
Just desert war game scenarios. Best place to watch the activity would be Indian Springs, though even there, you won't see much unless the scenario has designated it as an LZ, emergency landing field, or resupply-rearm area.
Fairly easy to tell, just drive by. Even during UAV exercises, the base is not heavily occupied, but when used in a major capacity there are people everywhere.
Be aware that even if you are on public land, a camera in hand will get noticed, and most times, you will be questioned and/or followed.
A terrorist is in the eyes of the beholder, until proven otherwise.

Easiest way to tell if you are wasting your time is to just drive by, and if the radar isn't spinning ( right next to the highway ), keep on trucking.

Originally posted by Zaphod58

Nellis encompasses three sides around Area 51.

I think you mean 4 sides:

R-4807A and R-4808N which includes Area 51 in its entirety to the west.

R-4806W to the south and southeast.

DESERT MOA to the east and northeast.

R-4807A and the REVEILLE MOA to the north.

Both MOA's are controlled by Nellis Control and require a call before entering (excluding 1500 AGL and below.)

However, they are completely separate from each other.

But all controlled by Nellis Range Control.

Area 51 is totally restricted airspace, and even the military doesn't go into it unless they're intercepting a plane that enters it.

Untrue. Many of the incercept airplanes and helicopters are based at Groom Lake.

Just because Nellis has ranges around Area 51 doesn't mean that they are the same, or that they have anything to do with each other.

Untrue. They are all in the big game of fleece the public for stuff they will never need or if they need it won't get it.

Everybody entering any part of the range must be cleared by Nellis Control.

Well that would explain the increase in military aircraft I have seen from my backyard. Just watched 2 AWAC's and a few B-2's fly over yesterday, along with the normal Raptors and other jets. Nellis is also hosting one of the biggest airshows in the country on Nov. 10-11.

A word about Nellis Air Force Base:

I think Nellis AFB is the best run, most well kept AFB in the country. There is not one single area that can be seen while driving by that is not in tip top shape, painted and well groomed. There are no piles of debris anywhere. Even the wind socks are replaced when the least bit tattered.

And talk about low key. You rarely hear (not that it doesn't happen) any bad stories about Nellis. In fact, except for Red Flag and the Air Show you never hear much of anything.

But I also don't know of an U.S. Air Force Base (excluding Groom and other 'secret' facilities) where so many secret things go on on a daily basis.

And that is the key to secrecy, "well run, low key, well maintained".

Great job Nellis!

Used to be nice out here in the great American Outback, to see aircraft flying low and slow, or high and fast, several times a week. Not to mention a weekly or better sighting of something "unusual" at night. (Or even, rarely, broad daylight) But sadly, they have been keeping everything low key the last decade or so.
A massive public demonstration, like Iran did with their missle threat, would seem a good thing---along with some "unexplained teasers".
I am still awaiting word on an "Americans only" tour I have been offered, if space and security allows, and if the program still exists post 9/11, but as I post here, I am sure I have been blacklisted.
Time will tell.
Just recieved a survey from UNR about what I would expect of the local economy if the Tonopah Test Range closed or changed operation. Just by the questions asked, it appears to be in the works. It won't affect me in the slightest, but it will be a death blow to Tonopah, even though it is already in the throes of it now, as hardly anyone works there from the local population. Sandia will still operate, and even posts for applications a couple times a year, but like Groom, the vast majority fly in from Vegas.
Nellis is massive, and a demonstration of that amount of war gaming would do no harm, IMHO, of course.

Well, gotrox. I never said I wanted to see secret ops stuff. I just wanted to see cool military aircraft flying around. The people in Aleinn always see aircraft during Red Flag. It was just my luck that this Red Flag mostly performed missions during night.

As for seeing UFOs, that would be a plus if it did happen. My attitude is seeing a UFO is blind-luck. If you see one, you see one. That's why I intend to take several more trips when I get the time.

BTW, I will post soon with a pix I took with my digicam. On public land, I saw an odd shape rock on top of a hill. I pulled over, grabbed my binoculars, and saw something strange. An near-perfect, rectangular rock with a black slit or hole on it. My guess is its one of the surveillance devices the military places all over the area.

I was in the area from Friday morning through Monday afternoon. No planes spotted at Coyote Summit. I did spot a C130 at Queen City Summit. Camped out near the range at night, two CH-47s flew nearby blacked out. There was plenty of light to ID the choppers. Nice and loud.

I'll upload scanner audio from Frinday night and Monday morning later. The LA fires forced a high game on Friday and a split game on Monday morning.

Regarding watching night exercises, in some ways, they are more entertaining than day exercises. You can spot the planes easier, though of course they are only dots. Roulette calls out the enemy locations, which you can easily verify at night. I've encountered many a blackout out plane around the ranges at night. I even got buzzed by a Colt when camped near the TTR.

www.lazygranch.com/flags.htm

I maintain a frequency list for Red Flag here:

www.lazygranch.com/temp/redflag_confirmed.pdf

The list isn't perfect, but it is better than others on the net since every frequency listed has either been monitored by me or someone I know that is competent, or has been found on official documents. Often frequency lists get updated by posts to the net by well meaning but clearly confused people. that just combine lists found online. I have one or two more to add to the list. It seems every flag adds a new frequency or two, or I discover new frequencies.

If you watched the Red Flag Imax movie, they show Area 51 as a no-fly zone. In the exercise, it is considered a country that is neutral and has not given fly over rights to the defenders.

I generally write up my Red Flag monitoring on the yahoogroups hidesertscan and black-triangles groups, should you want to find older posts.

Here is some audio from the October Red Flag:
www.lazygranch.com/sound/redflag/oct2007/rf10272007_night.ogg
www.lazygranch.com/sound/redflag/oct2007/rf10292007_day.ogg

Just to clear things up a bit with the OP's title

Nellis and Area 51 / Groom lake are two distinct areas as is the Tonnapah Test Range

I'm not sure if I should start a new thread or not for this. Anyway, here is my latest Red Flag frequency list. I think the next flag starts on the 14th. It should run for two weeks.

www.lazygranch.com/temp/redflag_confirmed_jan2008.pdf
New frequencies in yellow.