Nellis Air Force Base - Aviation Nation

[KeithP]

I will be attending Aviation Nation this year and was wondering if anyone had been to the show at Nellis in the past. Looking for tips for getting the most out of the show.

Thanks in advance!

-KeithP

 

[potato28]

Take :camera:'s

 

[Synomenon]

I go every year. This is probably the first year I will not be going. Weather for the event should be great though. We're supposed to have clear skies for the next 15 days (not that that's unexpected for southern NV). It was cloudy last year during.

 

[KeithP]

Yeah, I should mention I will be bringing my Nikon D80 and I may borrow a friend's DV camcorder as well.

-KeithP

 

[Jawo]

From my experience from the Andrews Air Show you want to be near the front, set your camera to manual/sports mode, turn burst mode on, and have lots of empty cards. You will want a long telephoto for the aerial shots (the EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM worked great for me) and a wide angle for the static exhibits, though it is possible to shoot a whole show with the telephoto (as I found out).

BTW, make sure you catch the F-22 take off, its incredibly fast!

 

[KeithP]

I will be using the Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 and AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6. Not pro glass by any means but with a little luck (nice sunny day) they should do nicely. There are a ton of good tutorials on the web for shooting air shows, so I have started going over those pages.

-KeithP

 

[dougp]

Originally posted by: KeithP
Looking for tips for getting the most out of the show.

Yah, look up. hehehe, j/k - couldn't resist. If you could get me some pictures of the P-61/A-26 if they have one?

 

[bGIveNs33]

I might be working it :Q

Actually, if the opportunity comes up, I might try... haven't done one yet.

I fly on one of those non-pointed nose planes, the ones that actually do something

 

[KeithP]

Assuming I get some reasonably presentable pictures, I will post a link with pics when I get back. The D80 is only my second camera and my first DSLR so I am still learning.

-KeithP

 

[bGIveNs33]

Originally posted by: KeithP
Assuming I get some reasonably presentable pictures, I will post a link with pics when I get back. The D80 is only my second camera and my first DSLR so I am still learning.

-KeithP

I just checked the schedule... doesn't look like we'll be there. If anything changes I'll PM you and give you the good tour of the plane

 

[KeithP]

Originally posted by: bGIveNs33

I just checked the schedule... doesn't look like we'll be there. If anything changes I'll PM you and give you the good tour of the plane

What are you flying/crewing in if you don't mind me asking?

-KeithP

 

[bGIveNs33]

Originally posted by: KeithP

Originally posted by: bGIveNs33

I just checked the schedule... doesn't look like we'll be there. If anything changes I'll PM you and give you the good tour of the plane

What are you flying/crewing in if you don't mind me asking?

-KeithP

I'm on the C-17... that really big slow plane(according to the fighters anyway). I was at Nellis today and saw the F-15 and F-16's, they are impressive. But it is nice to be on one of the newest toys the Air Force has to offer(probably 2nd to the F-22). You should have a great time, the Thunder Birds are absolutely amazing. And of course Vegas isn't so bad either

BTW- I'm a loadmaster(enlisted aircrew). The glorified definition is they are in charge of weight and balance, loading and offloading. We are probably a more manly version of a flight attendant if you ask me though. But the plane is absolutely amazing... very cool technology.

 

[skyking]

That's a nice ride there
I was fortunate enough to spend an hour and a half in the McChord AFB C-17 full motion simulator. That thing is a beast, especially when lightly loaded

 

[KeithP]

Yeah, flying out of Long Beach I often see a C-17 or two in various stages of completion sitting on the tarmac. The C-17 was designed, in part, to replace the C-130 correct? My dad is retired Air Force. He was a navigator on a C-130 (53rd weather squadron, the "Hurricane Hunters"). He is going to meet me in Vegas for the show.

If you end up at the show by some chance definitely PM. I would love a tour of the C-17.

-KeithP

 

[bGIveNs33]

Originally posted by: KeithP
Yeah, flying out of Long Beach I often see a C-17 or two in various stages of completion sitting on the tarmac. The C-17 was designed, in part, to replace the C-130 correct? My dad is retired Air Force. He was a navigator on a C-130 (53rd weather squadron, the "Hurricane Hunters"). He is going to meet me in Vegas for the show.

If you end up at the show by some chance definitely PM. I would love a tour of the C-17.

-KeithP

I'll look into it. From what I've heard, the C-17 was supposed to replace both the C-130 and the C-5. But it can't land the places a C-130 can and it can't carry the amount of cargo a C-5 can... both of which are very vital to the Air Force's mission. It definitely is a cool plane... very high tech. As much as I am glad that I ended up on the 17, the 130 does some really cool stuff. I have a few friends that do the search and rescue portion and I am a bit jealous. Well, for a little while anyway, but the trips to germany/australia/greece make up for it.

 

[macwinlin]

I went last year, and it was pretty good despite being cloudy and chilly.

You've probably already read it, but for everyone else:
"Tips to enjoy the show"

The tips I have below are somewhat covered in the link, but as I remember:
-Comfortable shoes will be needed to walk from one part of the event to another.
-Also expect to be searched and go through a metal detector like at an airport.

Oh, I don't think they had any fast food restaurants like a Pizza Hut or Taco Bell there, but they did have vendors that sold hamburgers, pizza and other things. The reason I mention this is that you'll need to bring cash as I don't think they took credit/debit cards. Or, you may want to eat before you go.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Heading out of town that week.

After seeing and participating in them over time, the thrill lessens.

Plus the fact that I no longer know any of the Eagle drivers

 

[KeithP]

Judging by the looks of things, it appears that you either stand or bring a small folding chair or blanket correct? They don't seem to have bleachers or anything like that? Also, my camera bag is basically a average size backpack, like a teenager might use to carry school books around. Judging by their security section it is unclear to me if this would be allowed in or not. Anyone have any ideas?

-KeithP