Aerial Fighter Plane Photos of Yosemite Valley

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Messages 21 - 40 of total 51 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
WBraun

climber
May 23, 2005 - 12:41am PT
That's right. I think the legal height is 2000 ft above the rim.

Makes me remember a great story when we were filming Kauk trying to free climb the nose during january a while back. We had ropes fixed to the great roof and the producer wanted a helicopter to film the different perspective shot that it could get. We had to get permission from the chief ranger in Yosemite Valley for flying a chopper below the legal limit.

Bev Johnson setup the meeting between the producer and the chief ranger at the producers Yosemite lodge room. I was in the room with the producer when the chief shows up and the customarily coordinal greetings were exchanged. The Chief put his smoky the bear hat on the bed and sat down when Kauk enters the room and greets him and also sits down.

Not looking Kauk sits on the chiefs hat and we hear the sound of it getting crunched heh, heh, oh oh, not a good opening gambit for our helicopter bid. Now Kauk pulls that hat out from under his ass and it’s kinda flat and distorted, and starts to apologize for that crunch. The chief made his visit short with the rules are rules and you must be 2000ft above the rim for your shot and got up and left.

Next day up at the great roof we do the shoot and the chopper comes right up to us 150ft away. Oh oh, looks like they went for it anyways and broke the rules……….
climbera5

Trad climber
Sacramento
May 23, 2005 - 09:45am PT
Fabulous ride Chris. I've done this in a Cessna 206 but not a jet, holy cow! To confirm, it is 2000' AGL, above ground level, for protected areas like National Parks. You were well above that. Great shots of El Cap, it really shows how overhanging sections are. Well done!
Weenis

Trad climber
Shastafaria
May 23, 2005 - 11:49am PT
Got a wake up call from some Navy or Air Force jets one morning.
Two small jets roaring up the valley well below our bivy on El Cap and after a bit they flew back out to the west. Werner, write that book.
yo

climber
NOT Fresno
May 23, 2005 - 11:23pm PT
Don't have the rules handy but isn't it 2000 AGL from the highest point laterally within two miles? That would be HD at 9000, putting the bandit MiG below approved 11,000. Shoot it down.
rick

Social climber
california
May 24, 2005 - 11:22am PT
I was on washington column several years ago, when a fighter jet of some sort went blasting down the valley about level to us, it was loud and shocking and looked damn exciting, I always assumed it was some air force pilot having fun, I guess it could have been a private fighter jet...didnt know there were such things.

rick
coiler

Trad climber
yosemite
Jun 1, 2005 - 07:37pm PT
To clarify, the FAR's call for 2000' above the highest terain within 2000' so if you were more than 2000' feet from half dome you could be lower. When I fly the valley I'm usualy at about 10,000 when I come in from behind El Cap, I do a big turn in front of Half dome and then fly over the top of Sentinel while starting a nice shallow descent. By the time I'm over the Cathedrals I'm at about 9000' and directly in front of the Captain and on my way back out west. Theoreticaly you could fly right down the middle of the valley below the rim, as long as you were 2000' feet from it, but I'm not one to push the rules in a plane.
azzkikr100

climber
Jun 4, 2005 - 11:54pm PT
man thoes pic...... FRICKIN SICK!!!!!!!!!


I am so jelous!!!!
Don't let go

Trad climber
Yorba Linda, CA
Jun 5, 2005 - 04:16am PT
Lucky turd!
Wild Bill

climber
Ca
Apr 23, 2007 - 02:10pm PT
Bump because I wasn't around to see this cool thread when it first popped up.

That first photo of ElCap really shows the lay of the land.

mooch

Big Wall climber
The Immaculate Conception
Apr 23, 2007 - 02:29pm PT
Eat your heart out Chris....Hornets rule buddy!

I took this shot of my buddy Les (aka 'Bonesaw') from VFA-147 (Argonauts) flying 1v1 in 1999 while I was in VMFA-314 (The Black Knights); a Marine F/A-18C squadron. We flew in a CAG (carrier air group) together. I was stationed in Miramar while that lucky bastard was stationed in Lemoore....heading to the Valley on weekends when we weren't doing carrier certs :P

BTW, 4 G's is a roller coaster ride at Six Flags. Let me know when you're ready for 7.5Gs...I'll help you take the training wheels off! ;)

To hell with noise abatement laws!! Listen to the sound of freedom for a change!


Cheers,
Dave (aka Mooch)

Dog

climber
Apr 23, 2007 - 04:28pm PT
Holy Smokes! Where do I get a ticket for this ride?


We were climbing in the Owens Gorge on a weekday and a couple of A-10 aka Warthogs flew through in formation. Unbelievable!
mooch

Big Wall climber
The Immaculate Conception
Apr 23, 2007 - 04:52pm PT
"Where do I get a ticket for this ride?"

You gotta wait in line for over a year and a half; includes Officer Candidate School, Flight School, BIDS School (type aircraft school). Did I mention you need a college degree and 20/20 vision? No smokin' the green stuff either kiddies ;)

"Besides try catching the N-number of a jet going 400kts+ Not happening"

This aint' GA or commercial aviation brutha......you ain't gonna get an N number from that jet cause there aint' none! Only BUNO numbers (also known production serial numbers)....too small to be seen, if there are any painted on!
MZiebell

Social climber
Prescott, AZ
Apr 23, 2007 - 05:21pm PT
Werner,

Seems like you've probably seen more of the Valley (and the park) from the air than anybody else here. The flight from El Cap Meadow with slow orbits up the face of El Cap is still the best flying I've ever done...

Martin
G_Gnome

Trad climber
Knob Central
Apr 23, 2007 - 07:10pm PT
Hey, I resemble that remark!
dipper

climber
Apr 23, 2007 - 07:36pm PT
I nominate Jody for a scholarship to next years Sushifest.

With complimentary wasabi and other green stuff.

What was it Sgt. Hulka said?

"Lighten up Francis"

ß Î Ø T Ç H

Boulder climber
from the Leastside
May 27, 2010 - 05:07am PT
The first time I went up to the diving board (above porcelain wall) we saw a plane flying low in the valley . Quite surreal .
Brokedownclimber

Trad climber
Douglas, WY
May 27, 2010 - 09:37am PT
Nice ride in an L-39 Albatros! Built by Avia in the Czech republic. Woo Hoo! The FAA regs state 2000' above any National Park, National Seashore, Wildlife Refuge, National Monument. From the views I saw, they were definitely very legal.

Back in 1965, low passes through the Valley were commonplace; sometimes accompanied by sonic booms that triggered rockfall!
GLee

Social climber
MT
May 27, 2010 - 09:41am PT
Just to be accurate, it's an Aero L-39, not a MIG, but an USSR Czech trainer/fighter never the less.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_L-39_Albatros
Brokedownclimber

Trad climber
Douglas, WY
May 27, 2010 - 09:43am PT
Yo: There is only a 2000' horizontal distance requirement, not 2 miles.

P.S. :Private Pilot (current medical) and complex endorsement.
Roxy

Trad climber
CA Central Coast
May 27, 2010 - 10:17am PT
awesome! Man what a lucky day that was...
Messages 21 - 40 of total 51 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
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