Luke Air Force Base (LUF, KLUF)

[azspyder]

Thanks Bill! It was very nice meeting you last week!

Nice one Steve! Difficult light yesterday.
Great shooting with you.

Bill

[Chris Kennedy]

Break on arrival. Caught a little vapor from the wingtips.

[Joe Copalman]

One of the best belly-views I've seen, Chris. 

I'm really surprised at how much vapor the F-35 generates.  Both the wingtips and the leading edges of the wing roots seem to generate vortices even on bone-dry days.

[Chris Kennedy]

One of the best belly-views I've seen, Chris. 

I'm really surprised at how much vapor the F-35 generates.  Both the wingtips and the leading edges of the wing roots seem to generate vortices even on bone-dry days.

Thanks.

Must be something about the shape that causes that. RH was about 29% at that time today. Not exactly bone dry, but still pretty dry.

[Jeff D. Welker]

One of the best belly-views I've seen, Chris. 

+1 Chris. Excellent catch sir.

[Brian Lockett]

F-35B BuNo 168720 Modex 02 of VMFA-121 arrived just before 11:00 this morning.  It made four circuits of the pattern in vertical landing mode and then landed.

[Chris Kennedy]

The first F-35 coming in.

[Chris Kennedy]

There was a Fox 10 cameraman set up at Reems and Glendale, so there might be some video on their news tonight. The aircraft did some hovering over 3L/21R, so he might have gotten some decent footage of that, although he was on the wrong side for the best sun angle.

[Jeff D. Welker]

[azbill]

I really like the post processing on that one Jeff!

[Scott Youmans]

Some cool Luke stuff guys.  Interesting to see the Yuma F-35s out here.  I think Chris is on the right track in regard to the vapor being related to the shape.  Just and educated guess but I think those sharp wingtips are causing very tight, high-speed (equals low pressure) vortices that cause what little water there is in the air to condense.  Similar thing happening at the leading edge root extensions.  Kind of works in our favor.  Not so much for stealth considerations!

[Joe Copalman]

Yeah, I've noticed it out at Yuma when they're on final - you can see the overwing vortices streaming from the wing roots from behind when they're flaring to land, just barely.  When I was out there in October, I believe it was much lower humidity than today, and it was still visible.  Would love to see one yanking and banking in high humidity.   

[azspyder]

[Jeff D. Welker]

^^^^^^ The afternoon winter light sure enhances those photographs Steve; super images sir.

Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) F-15SG Strike Eagle taxiing to the active.

[Tower Guy]

Very nice shot Jeff, I do like the nice clean background from this location, nothing to detract from the cool aircraft shot.