By: Las Vegas Now Staff
Monday marks the beginning of Air Force Heritage Week — a chance for everyone to reflect back on the growth and progress of the military service. You may not realize it, but Las Vegas has one of the most critical Air Force bases in the country.
It's often the noise overhead that first alerts you to Nellis. But it's where the best pilots come to take their skills to the next level. Some even describe Nellis as the Air Force's top gun.
The aircraft you see zipping across the sky are much different than the aircraft that hovered overhead more than 60 years ago. But the mission of Nellis Air Force Base has always been the same — groom the best fighter pilots the U.S. Air Force has to offer.
“It's the best place in the world to fly. The history that is here is amazing and to be part of that history when you fly on the northern range is just a feeling you can't describe in words,” said Captain John Baum.
Capt. Baum is a flight instructor with the weapons school at Nellis. He says getting to Nellis is a goal almost every pilot strives for, “The airspace is the best place to fly. It's just the largest airspace that we have in the U.S. Air-to-ground targets that we are able to drop live weapons on is the best in the world.”
The Nevada Test and Training Range has one of the strongest reputations, holding more than 2.9 million acres of restricted land and more than 15,000 square miles of airspace. It's where pilots from all over the world come to hone their skills before heading to war.
Over the years, Nellis has had its share of challenges, including aircraft collisions. But their most recent challenge is encroachment — homes they feel are being built too close to the flight path.
“I understand the people there get a little annoyed when their windows break and things get rattled around, but we have to provide this kind of environment to do this task, because if we don't train the way we are going to fight, when the time comes we won't be able to fight,” said Dep. Commander Tom Timmerman.
Fighting for America's safety by placing the strongest fighter pilots in the sky is bragging rights few have, but Nellis says it's a responsibility they plan to keep.
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