Of Wings & Things columnist Frederick A. Johnsen recently visited Star Ways Canyon and made this video of jets on the prowl. “It’s unusual to see so much vapor in the desert, but it had recently rained,” he noted.
“Watch an F/A-18 Super Hornet pull major vapor as the pilot exits Star Wars Canyon; see a C-17 Globemaster III from Edwards Air Force Base negotiate the rugged chasm,” Fred says. “We enjoyed a rare day at the rim in late April 2019 as many jets ran the gauntlet. And wait for the slo-mo replays on the F/A-18 vapor and the C-17 at the end!”
“Star Wars Canyon, also known as Rainbow Canyon, is just west of Death Valley in California. It is a favored place for spectacular low-level flying by military aircraft,” Fred explains. “This area is home to major flight test efforts; passing high overhead in this video is a General Electric Boeing 747 engine test bed with one large engine in flight testing.”