Luke AFB is not just home to a load of USAF F-35s. It is also the training base for many of the export operators. They also allocate some of their jets to the unit, so you do have the opportunity to catch a bunch of jets that are not from the USAF. This includes Italian, Danish, Norwegian and Dutch jets. Aside from the Danish ones that actually have a tiny bit of color in their national markings, all the jets are low viz. At least they are slightly different, even if not very conspicuous.
Every once in a while, the Air Force moves airframes around between units. One may have exhausted the limits on their airframes and they need to be retired or it could just be a balancing exercise to spread the usage types across the larger fleet. The Arizona Air National Guard unit at Tucson has recently received a bunch of different (calling them new would be a stretch) jets that have come from various units around the country. They will be marked up with the AZ tail code in due course but, at the time of my visit, they were still carrying markings from a bunch of other bases. Getting a diverse range of tails before they all became the same was the challenge while there. Here are some of the results.
I have never photographed at Luke AFB before. Mark and I spent a few hours there as part of our trip. The base is home to the F-35A training unit and a variety of foreign F-35A training too. Plenty of USAF F-35s were in the pattern that day. I got loads of shots of the based jets but, with the current style of low observability finishes, the jets did look very alike. Yes, there were crew names and unit badges to be seen but, sadly, one Luke F-35 looks a lot like another Luke F-35.
The designation of the F-16V is one that leaves me a bit confused. There are A model jets that are upgraded to this standard, but I thought some new build jets were also having the designation. Maybe I am mistaken about that. I also see two-seaters upgraded to the standard so an A or a B model can now be a V model? Anyway, enough about that. I got to see some.
Taiwan has been upgrading its fleet of A and B model F-16s to V models. The program is nearly complete from what I have read. They operate a number of the jets from the Guard base in Tucson at the international airport. While Mark and I were there, we got to see a bunch of them launch and recover. This included one with special markings in the fin. The markings are otherwise not too conspicuous but, because they are early model jets, the lack of the bulged fin root with its antenna is the thing that allowed me to identify them. Must be some life left in those airframes despite their age!
Quite some time ago, I posted a piece about the take off of some F-35As that were doing a flyover for Veteran’s Day. What I didn’t cover in that post was that they had to come back! They actually spent a fair bit of time out around the area as well as doing the flyover so there was some time between departure and arrival. Originally, I had intended to get some pretty standard side on shots of their return. However, earlier in the year, I had done the same thing for some other F-35s, and, at the last minute, I had a change of heart.
I rapidly grabbed my stuff and drove around to the approach end of the airfield near Ruby Chow Park. I decided a head on shot followed by an underside shot would be a better bet. Conveniently, they decided to do a run in and break rather than a straight in approach, so I was able to get some shot of them in formation as they passed overhead. Then the approach shots worked out pretty much as I had hoped. I was glad that I had done something different to my usual. If there had been more opportunities, I hope I would have tried other ideas too.
I could easily have missed this, but my friend messaged me that a Herc was coming in. I was working on some other stuff and would have been unaware until too late. It was not where I was, and I wasn’t moving but the roll out and taxiing back was in lovely light so I wasn’t missing out. They taxied to the terminal and kept the engines running so I wondered if they were going straight back out but it wasn’t to be. They then taxied to a parking spot and shut down. Maybe they were clearing customs? Apparently they stayed for the night but were gone when I came by the following day.
I saw the USAF F-35A demo at SeaFair in 2022 and it was impressive but, unfortunately, a bit distant over the lake. Abbotsford in 2023 was my first chance to see the performance closer in and that combined with the evening show to give good lighting conditions. I was not disappointed. The demo was a great routine, and it really tore up the skies as the pilot wrung the jet out for our entertainment. The honking great engine means it is never quiet and, while it might not be as agile as an F-16, there is plenty of control authority for some rapid changes of direction. The evening light made the airframe look even better. These are some of my favorite shots from the display.
The UW Huskies had a home game during the weekend of during the weekend of Veterans’ Day. The USAF provided a flyover for the start of the game with a couple of F-35As from Luke AFB making the trip up to Seattle to do the honors. The sun was a bit erratic on the day of the game, but it wasn’t too bad and the trees around Boeing Field still had a little fall color in them. Both jets launched for the flyover.
I watched them taxi out from the Modern ramp and head to the departure end. I knew that they would be airborne well before they got to me, but I was hoping that they would keep it low. The first of the jets obliged keeping nice and low at least for a while allowing me to get a shot with the ground in the background. The second jet was a little more eager to climb and it was well skylines by the time it got close to my spot. They were planning on some time in the local area before the flyover so now it was time to wait.
I have had various encounters with the C-130s of Lynden Air Cargo over the years, but they have usually been a relatively normal side on type of shot. I saw one of the aircraft had gone into Paine Field and I was fortunate that the departure was scheduled for a weekend day when I could get up there. I decided at the last minute to make the trip up and, as I pulled up at my preferred location, a quick check of the phone showed the aircraft was already at the hold.
I got set up as rapidly as I could and then they were rolling. The advantage of this location is that the plane will have rotated and is climbing out towards me. The Herc is able to get out of short strips just fine, but it isn’t climbing too rapidly so I knew I should get something different to what I have taken before. I quite liked the front quarter shot but the others were fine too. I was then back in the car and home in a short time. It was almost like I hadn’t been away, but I had got the result I wanted.
The All-Star baseball game was in Seattle this year. Baseball is not my thing so I wasn’t paying too much attention although I did have a meeting near the stadium and discovered just how much a parking garage will charge on the day of the All-Star game! However, they did have some USAF F-35As in town for the flyover proceedings. I was south of the city later in the day and started to head north close to the time when the game was due to start. I had been hoping that I might get up to Boeing Field for their launch but, as I drove north, I could see the jets pulling off their run over the stadium.
I figured they would recover quickly but headed for the approach end of Boeing Field just in case. Fortunately, they had taken the scenic route and had been touring around Puget Sound. I was there in plenty of time for their landings. One thing that I had not really noticed before about the F-35A is the approach angle of attack that the jet adopts. The planes seem to have quite a nose high attitude when on approach. The radome is short so the field of view is probably not a problem, but I was surprised I had not spotted this previously.
I got the jets all landing but they were really a series of repetitive shots of similar looking jets. Nothing too special but still nice to have a different jet here for a while.
