First up chaps: California!
(if any of these don’t point to what I say they do, tell me and I’ll check I haven’t made a typo, and correct any that I have)
Starting at Edwards AFB, which is vast. I’ll give you some of the highlights but please! Explore the entire west side of the dry lake. It’s packed full of a lot of oddities either “working”, in storage or on display as gate guardians like the X-29 and X-1. You name it.
F-22A - think this one is “authentic”. A LOT of spot nosed 12 year olds like to mark any fast jet, most often F-15’s, as F-22’s. In fact, they just make it up as they go along (see later comments re “F-19”). This is the real deal. Accept no imitations. There’s two or three in this area (one half in the hangar)
34 56’ 27" N, 117 53’ 24" W
The USAF Thunderbirds’ F-16’s
34 54’ 52" N, 117 53’ 49" W
Some B-1’s tarting up the dispersal nicely
34 54’ 11" N, 117 52’ 30" W
Canberra!!! Errr, sorry. B-57.
34 54’ 01" N, 117 53’ 04" W
Pair of SR-71’s. Presumably for storage as they’re no longer in service AFAIK. Go a bit NNE of these for the modified 747 used to piggy back the Shuttle back to Florida when it needs to land on the dry lake here.
34 57’ 11" N, 117 53’ 02" W
Now for something different - Beale AFB, complete with U-2 in the air!
39 07’ 35" N, 121 25’ 58" W
Travis AFB - more airlift out on the pan here than the rest of NATO put together? Probably.
38 15’ 44" N, 121 56’ 34" W
Leemore NAS - Naval Aviation at it’s finest. Why even buy a carrier unless you have the air power to play with the big boys like this?
36 19’ 55" N, 119 57’ 10" W
Vandenberg AFB - when you want to launch big rockets and can’t be arsed to go to Florida. Otherwise boring.
34 44’ 10" N, 120 35’ 10" W
Area 51? FORGET IT! There’s nothing to see there but buildings and another dry lake. Palmdale is where it’s at!!! A non-exhaustive list follows
Pair of Blackbirds and a D-21 drone, and a U-2 - presumably gate guards. Some muppet labelled the D-21 as the fictional “super secret F-19”. Muppet. Some people need to practice Google Earth aircraft recognition!!!
34 36’ 10" N, 118 05’ 9" W
Boeing X-32 , failed JSF competitor and ugliest aircraft since the A-10, if not more so!
34 37’ 08" N, 118 05’ 3" W
F-117 Nighthawk
34 37’ 24" N, 118 05’ 29" W
B-2 Spirit
34 38’ 14" N, 118 04’ 55" W
Not 100%, but reckon this is the YC-15 prototype (never entered service)
34 38’ 10" N, 118 05’ 45" W
You’ve seen the film Top Gun - now see the location! MCAS Miramar! Typically vast dispersal as is per usual in the US, and on display is a worryingly large air force for a Marine Corps… and this is just one of many bases!
32 52’ 10" N, 117 08’ 17" W
The US Navy is even bigger! NAS North Island
32 41’ 57" N, 117 12’ 33" W
Please pan West of NAS North Island for US Navy subs and surface combatants. North East for the USS Nimitz. Further East for seemingly the rest of the US Navy! In fact, the US Navy is all round San Diego bay. Truly awesome amount of firepower on display.
QF-4 Drones at Point Mugu NAS? Be interesting to know if that’s a special mission -135 on the pan to the West too. Various P-3, E-2 and C-130 variants kicking around on the pan too.
34 06’ 50" N, 119 06’ 16W
“Ghost” fleet, including the USS Iowa. Scary to think this is just ONE of them. There’s another one in Virginia, if not more elsewhere!
38 04’ 06" N, 122 05’ 50" W
What state next then guys?