JANUARY 25, 2025 - FIELD TRIP - STAR WARS CANYON

Saturday, January 25, 2025 there will be a unique opportunity to photograph aircraft flying low through "Star Wars Canyon". We'll be at the place where we shot the Milky Way and star trails last August. For Google Maps, put in Father Crowley Overlook. It is about 2-1/2 hours from the Antelope Valley.

There is a group of pilots, called "The Privateers", who will be flying a variety of planes through the canyon at low altitude. This is the closest thing to a guarantee you'll have of seeing planes do this. There is no set schedule or list, but we expect the planes to come through in the morning.

Andrew plans on being there by 8AM. The only "services" available at the site are a National Park-style pit toilet. NO cell signal, no anything.

Bring snacks (bag lunch), water, a chair, a camera. a long lens (200-500, 150-600 or comparable) and your patience. Dress in warm layers. There's a paved parking lot, and a dirt road that takes you out along the edge of the canyon. It's a rocky road with sharp rocks.

Possible aircraft to come through are an Antonov An-2 biplane (complete with horn), Aero L-39 Albatros jet trainer, Fouga CM.170 Magister jet trainer, privately owned Northrop F-5 fighter, maybe more. It will likely be a handful of planes (More than 1, probably less than 10).

Here are some examples of what we'll see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5x_mzKEzts

https://youtu.be/usYI1IgqWi8?si=IYkYcs_UD6Y0SyME

There are zero guarantees here. Plans change, airplanes break before they can take off, but the chances this day are better than most. Think of it as fishing, but at a well-stocked lake.

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