Nicpix Aviation Press                

NAS FALLON

Home of the US-Navy agressor sqn VFC-13, operating the F-5N Tiger-II 

and the NSAWC  (better known as TOPGUN), operating the E-2 Hawkeye,

F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-18 Hornet  and the H-60 Sea Hawk.

Nicpix Aviation  Press was granted a superb visit to this facility and thanks

MC2 Steven A. Rinkel for this very relaxed and beautiful opportunity!
Below follows the result of this photoshoot; just click on the thumbnails to see the larger images!

 

                          First to see are these preserved aircraft at the main gate of NAS Fallon:

                                                         

  A-7B Corsair  154420   A-4B Skyhawk 142100   A-1E Skyraider 132261    and UH-1B 60-3593/7H-593.

              And then we went on to the ramp of the NSAWC and this is their badge as seen of their aircraft

 

                          first to see was one of their Hawkeye AEW aircraft:

                                   

                            It is E-2C+, BuNo 164108 and modex 601, assigned to the NSAWC

The parking spots left on this line are filled in with another E-2 (landed later) and F-16's of the NSAWC:

                                                           

          F-16A's , BuNo 920409 with modex 60;        900942 with modex 50   and 900944 with modex 53

                                                            

          F-16A's , BuNo 900947 with modex 56;         900945 with modex 54   and 920404 with modex 57

              The NASWC  also operates some F-16B's; two of them were on the flightline today: 

                                               

          F-16B 920461 with modex 07 and TOPGUN 40th anniversay F-16B 920458 with modex 04 

       and we simply couldn't resist this one:

             

            from left to right: MC2 Rinkel,  me,  Gary Schenauer  & Andre Urruty      

                              a couple of  general shots of the F-16 flightlines at NAS Fallon:

                                                

                           F-16 line seen from the left and right.        F-16 with the tower of NAS Fallon behind

                                                          followed by the F-18 Hornet line:

                                                     

             F/A-18C 164066, modex 22;   F/A-18C 163746, modex 33;  F/A-18F 165801, modex 14

                                                       

Strike 25th anniversary F/A-18F 165796; F/A-18C 163456, modex 35 after washing returned back to the line

                   and also here some flightline shots:

                                                   

                          The Hornet line at NAS Fallon    View of a Hornet with the tower behind

             The rescue unit is always on alert on this active airfield and these three MH-60S  were outside:

                                                                    

MH-60S BuNo 166366    MH-60S BuNo 167826    MH-60S BuNo 166370 with the tower nicely fitted in the last picture

              Then we went on to the other Agressor unit at NAS Fallon: VFC-13

                                             

     F-5N 761564, modex AF-10 and F-5N 761544, modex AF-05 are former Swiss AF F-5E J-3039 & J-3019

                                               

                      F-5N 761552, modex AF-13 was formerly in use with the Swiss AF as  J-3027

               VFC-13 was very busy this day and a lot of missions were flown with their aircraft:

                                                               

 VFC-13 F--5N's 741547/AF-01 and 731635/AF-02 and 761551/AF-04 taxiing out for a threeship mission 

                                                           

E-2C+ BuNo 164492/600 just landed;  F-5N's 761562/AF-00 &  761568/AF-12 awaiting taxi-clearance   

                                                      

                   Still awaiting their clearance  gave me the opportunity for those pictures above!

                                                                                                                                                     

              First to return was VFC-13 c/o aircraft 761562, "double nuts" in its' beautiful colour scheme

                                                             

              More returning F-5's: 761551/AF-04 and 761568/AF-12 also returned to their parking spot   

                     On the visitors ramp there were parked some more aircraft:

                                                              

NSAWC F/A-18B 162836, modex 01 and VAQ-129 EA-18G Growlers 166857/NJ-553 and 166893/NJ-554

               Now we had a new experience: all driving  on the taxitrack; some aircraft  -van- some aircraft!

                                                  

       These pictures are taken through the front window of the van we were in; driving on the taxiway!

                                                                                                                                                

     F-16A 900944/53 and F/A-18C 162840/30 had a twoship  mission to fly

                                                             

This F-16 had to wait a bit so we could shoot a lot of pictures including the No-Show callsign on the pilots' helmet!

                                                                  

  NSAWC F-16A 900945/54 taxiing on to the runway and taking off with roaring full afterburner selected 

                                                                                                  

                                                 F-16A 920404/57 had a mission alone.  NAS FAllon has, just like aircraft carriers, a meatball.                                          

                                                                             

                        VFC-13 flew another mission with F-5N's 761562/AF-00 and 761552/AF-13

                                                                  

         after entering the runway, these F-5's show their hiked (increased height) nosewheel position

               after this the aircraft were  returning  to NAS Fallon:

                                                      

         These Hornets came in first:  F/A-18C 163456/35, F/A-18C 164059/36 and  F/A-18F 165805/12

                                                                  

           VAQ-129's EA-18G Growlers 166893/NJ-554 and 166857/NJ-553 also finished their mission

                                                                  

               NSAWC  beautiful camouflaged F/A-18C 163708/25 also recovered into NAS Fallon

                                                   

                                followed by these NSAWC F-16A's: first 900944/53 and 900945/54

                                                                  

These were the last to recover before we left the "Big Move":  F-16A 920404/57 and F/A-18C 162840/30

  Now it was time to say good-bye, but not for we'd photographed the preserved aircraft on the base:

                                                                                              

                close to the bank on the base is preserved this RA-5C Vigilante reconnaissance aircraft

               And NAS Fallon has a nice collection of preserved aircraft stored in their Air Power park:

                                                                                          

    DF-8L Crusader 145449/AH-106 flew with VF-111      E-2C Hawkeye 159496/NG-600 flew with VAW-123

                                                                       

A-6E Intruder 155627/NE-500 flew with VA-145       FJ-4B Fury 143575/TR-44 has only 24584 as serial applied

                                                                         

North Korea AF MiG-17F 3020 is actually ex Polish AF Lim-5 1319   Soviet MiG-15 8170 is ex Polish AF Lim-2 1614

                                                                  

Moldavia AF MiG-29S Fulcrum    Hungary AF MiG-21bis Fishbed 3964   Soviet MiG-23ML Flogger is ex GDR-AF

 

                                                                         

A-4E ( actually A-4F) Skyhawk 155025 in VA-94 markings     A-7C Corsair 156734/NL-300 flew with  VA-22

                                                                            

        F-5E 160796/AF-13 flew with VFC-13              F-16N 163576 flew with the NFWS and has Topgun titels

                                                                                                  

  F-14A Tomcat 159626/AC-100 flew with VF-32             F-4N Phantom II 151510/NF-100 flew with VF-161

                                                                                           end of this article