- [Announcer] Production funding for "Outside: Beyond the Lens" provided by Visit Fresno County, home to unique attractions, California's fifth largest city, and easy access to three nearby national parks.

By Advance Beverage Company, serving Bakersfield and Kern County for over 50 years.

By Hedrick's Chevrolet.

- We are proud to support the spirit of travel in each of us.

Every journey has a first step, adventures start here.

- [Announcer] By Hodge's Electric Inc. Over five decades of delivering innovative solutions for residential, agricultural, and battery storage systems.

By The Penstar Group, promoting opportunity and growth for the future.

By Central California's Valley Children's Healthcare, futures worth fighting for.

By A-Plus Signs, we never stop innovating for you.

And by Valley Air Conditioning and Repair, family-owned and trusted for over 50 years.

Proud to support public television and the wonders of travel.

(jet roars) (gentle music) - [Jeff] Ever since I was a kid, I've been looking up.

(gentle music) The first word I consciously spoke was, "Plane," while pointing at a white stripe in the sky.

Aviation became a passion that has continued to grow for 57 years.

Travel photography delivered me to wild landscapes like this in the California desert, where today we sit and wait for two things I love to combine into one.

We've got a jet coming in called Echo through Juliet, so that goes right through us, which is Golf.

This is the Sidewinder, a low-level training route flown by America's top military pilots, and where stunning aviation images are captured.

And now, this new addiction has led to a childhood dream about to come true.

And in the process, an entirely elevated appreciation for the men and women who work every day flying jets in the wild.

(jet roars) - As a fighter pilot, everything we do is based off timing.

We have strict adherence to timelines.

So everything is very, very, very fast, it's very rushed.

So from startup to taxi, to taxi, to take off, like, we didn't have a lot of time to just kind of sit there and talk about stuff.

I mean, taking the runway, I was kinda like, "Hey dude, you ready?"

And you're like, "Yeah man, I'm ready."

So we just rage.

(jet roars) (cameraman exclaiming) - [Jeff] That kid that was always looking up, now has the opportunity to share what it's like to look down (inspirational music) from the rare air where eagles fly.

- You know, I'd kind of grown up going to the California Capital Air show and seeing the 144th there.

It kind of became a dream of mine to get to fly the Sidewinder.

So, getting to experience that for the first time was like a dream come true for sure.

- [Jeff] This is aviation photography in the extreme, where pure joy can come from an unexpected fly by.

- Woo!

- [Jeff] Thunderbird!

Yeah!

- Thunderbird!

- [Jeff] And extraordinary access to military pilots and crews brings a better understanding to why they train on the low level.

(pilot talking on radio) (rock music) - [Jeff] When you travel, the world becomes a smaller place.

When you explore with friends like mine, who share a love of photography, destinations come to life.

(jet roars) (upbeat music) We tell the stories of travel with our cameras, capturing the wonders of this world in every frame.

Day one of filming on the island and it's like crazy.

But on every trip the unplanned moments we film are the ones we remember the most.

Jordan, good to meet you brother.

- [Jordan] Good to meet you too, man.

- [Jeff] Now, join David Boomer, Zack Allen, Jon Neely, and me, Jeff Aiello, as we set out on a new journey to discover the people, places and food that all make travel life's never ending adventure.

This is "Outside: Beyond the Lens."

(upbeat music) Of all of man's inventions, there may not be a better sound than the startup sequence of an F-15 Eagle Fighter jet.

(engine whirring) It's a symphony of winding, spinning and vibrating.

An earth-rumbling awakening that signals the start of something beautiful and violent.

(engine whirring) It's pure audible joy, as the pilot and ground crews work seamlessly together to launch another survey of the 144th Fighter Wing from the Air National Guard base in Fresno, California.

(engine whirring) - So obviously it's big, it's powerful, it's combat-proven.

I like that it has two motors.

I like that it has multiple redundant systems.

So, if we have an EP emergency procedure, we've got multiple backups for hydraulics fuel and whatnot.

So.

I like that it's feared.

I like that it's known.

It has a reputation of being a chariot of death and I like being an eagle driver in that thing.

So it's big, it's powerful.

It's got a great radar.

It carries lots of missiles and it's just pretty intimidating sitting on the ramp.

(upbeat rock music) - [Jeff] Even though Fresno is the fifth largest city in California, it still has a small town charm about it that makes this a tight-knit community.

The air guard base here operates out of the Fresno Yosemite International Airport.

So the public sees and hears the 144th operation every time they fly.

And it's important to everyone who serves here that the community understands the mission.

The popularity of aviation photography along the Sidewinder on social media is helping to tell that story.

How important is it?

And it's sort of a byproduct of basically these aviation photographers that are camping out at different points along the Sidewinder, that at the end of the day, they are lovers of aviation.

- [Pauls] Yeah.

- [Jeff] And they're photographers.

Is it important for the, in this process, for the public to better understand and appreciate the military's role and what it does?

- Yeah, no.

I think that's a great point, Jeff.

And I think there's a lot of benefit there to what these photographers and these aviation lovers provide.

'Cause they give the public insight into what we're doing out there.

And again, I know it looks really cool and I know that's part of the draw.

But what I appreciate about that is by giving the public insight into what we do, hopefully it helps them understand the importance of the training, the importance of having that airspace.

There's not many places in the country and across the world where you can really do what we do in a place like that.

The photographers and some of the aircraft watchers there, I think they do a great job of providing the public insight, you know, into what we do.

I hope that helps them understand or helps the public understand why that's important for us.

(upbeat music) - [Jeff] Getting to know the people behind the mission of the 144th who support the pilots and planes we all love to capture in the low level, is another important part of this journey.

- So, I am in the office with airfield management and our responsibility is everything related to the operational environment of the airfield.

That's gonna be pavement and markings and signage and lights and the parking plans and wingtip clearance and birds, making sure there's no rocks on the runway or the taxiway.

- [Jeff] Now, the old Airways golf course, I noticed, is right here.

And when I jumped in the car, I noticed we had some golf balls here.

Is there a correlation?

- Yes, yes there is.

So we have the golf course right there and several times a week we will find golf balls in this area right out here.

- [Jeff] You do have a net in place, but it is airways, so you are gonna have a higher quotient of shankopotamus out here.

- I have definitely been in the wrong fairway more than once when I've played out there.

(rock music) - [Jeff] Now, if you think posting up on the Sidewinder is cool, as these jets screen by at 500 feet, 500 knots, standing on the taxiway just yards from F-15s in full afterburner on takeoff is a religious experience.

(jet roars) (rock music) Major Sanchez is giving us quite a show today, buddy.

- Out here it's a good show.

Great weather.

- [Jeff] It is great weather.

- Nice and clear night.

- [Jeff] Yeah.

- Yeah.

- [Jeff] Yeah, it never gets old, does it?

I mean, for you even.

- Yeah, no, it never gets old.

Every time they, when we're this close, you see the jets go by, you feel it in your lungs, like, the base of the thrust.

- [Jeff] Yep.

- [Sanchez] And you feel it every time.

- [Jeff] Yeah.

- [Sanchez] Pretty exciting.

(jets rumbling) - Ryan's been out here a lot.

He's always out, kind of on the runway.

You see the truck out there, you know Ryan's taking some good shots.

- [Jeff] What do you think of these photographers that are camping out and getting these shots of you guys?

- Oh man, it's incredible.

Like, some of the shots that come back are just, like, next level.

Some of the coolest shots I've ever seen.

And to get to see those, like, captured and blown up in high res... - [Jeff] Yeah.

- [Rose] It's amazing.

- [Jeff] It's awesome.

Well, you guys have a safe flight, man.

- Thanks.

- [Jeff] We'll get some shots of you guys taking off.

- Cool.

Love it.

- [Jeff] All right, see you buddy.

- See you.

(upbeat music) (intense music) - [Jeff] Back on the Sidewinder, point Delta, for another day of shooting jets in the wild.

All right, man, I'm with Jordan.

I just met Jordan.

You just pulled up a little late to the party, but you're here.

- Little bit.

Yes.

- [Jeff] Okay so, this your first time to Haystack?

- Very first time.

- [Jeff] Are you excited?

- Absolutely, I am.

Hopefully something comes by.

So I'm hoping something.

- [Jeff] So, how long have you been doing aviation photography?

- [Jordan] I've been into this now since about 2019.

Kind of a pandemic era.

- [Jeff] What's the passion?

What drives you out here, just to get that shot?

Is it the community?

Is it all of it?

- It's all of it.

Honestly, I started just for the getting the shots and then, as it's gone along, I've met a lot of nice people, a lot of cool people in the community, a lot of people that I felt like I never would've actually thought that I would, you know, be in touch with.

- [Jeff] Yep.

- [Jordan] And it's just a really friendly community, really enjoy the people out here.

And it's also nice to, you know, get away from the city.

- [Jeff] It is nice.

- Yes.

(laughs) - [Jeff] It is nice to get away from the city and this is a beautiful day out here.

- It is.

Yes.

- [Jeff] Hopefully we got some jets coming.

- I hope so.

- [Jeff] Jordan, good to meet you, brother.

- Good to meet you too.

- [Jeff] Right on, man.

(rock music) The Sidewinder low level route twists over a wide variety of terrain.

From tight canyons in the Sierra, to the transition at point Charlie, where jets dive into the Owens Valley.

From points Fox Trot and Golf, pilots scorch the sands of massive dunes and race down desert valleys.

- [Taggett] Yeah, checking into the Sidewinder, yeah, we'll switch over to 315.9 and it's essentially just making sure that no one's at the same point that you are.

So, safety down low, but yeah, you'll just check in at point Alpha, typically, I find the best part of the actual Sidewinder is point Alpha through point Delta.

The rest is kind of cool and then it gets hot, especially in the summer, as you start going through the dunes in like, Death Valley.

But what's so special about the Sidewinder, in my opinion, is that you basically hit every biome as you fly this, you know, 200, 300 mile course.

So yeah, you're gonna hit the mountains, especially in the winter, you're gonna see snow, you're gonna see waterfalls, green trees, and then you're gonna jump in right into the desert.

You can start in the snow and then end in the desert and it's unbelievable.

- [Pilot] To re-enter point Delta.

500 feet, 509.

- [Jeff] Griffin pilots have to stay current on their low level training, and the proximity of the 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno to the R-2508 airspace, means these F-15 C's, with that distinctive tail flashing we love, are regulars through the Sidewinder.

- Sidewinder is extremely important.

For starters, for safety, you gotta have a dedicated area to fly at low level.

(jet roars) What we do, when we go to the low level, again, it's all strictly training.

You might see photos or videos of us rolling up in full afterburner, all that stuff.

That is literally our training.

We might need the afterburner to tighten the turn.

We get the most performance out of the jet about 450 knots with the afterburners lit.

So if I come around a mountain canyon and then there's a big wall next to me, around like point Delta, you know, you got to the east side, you kind of have a wall, but we gotta make that turn.

So, there's a lot of photos of the jets kind of banked up in AB and that is literally so we can get around that point and back down where we need to go without scrubbing off knots.

We cannot get below 350 knots, below basically 5,000 feet.

So we've gotta keep our speed and our smash up.

(upbeat music) - [Jeff] One of the 144th's newest members and first female fighter pilot in its history, has dreamed of flying the low level for most of her life.

Now, that dream has come true.

- The first time I flew the Sidewinder...

So I just got here back to the 144th Fighter Wing in August of 2024.

So, the first time I flew the Sidewinder was probably in October.

The first time I went through it, I was just put in trail as a new wingman and they were like, "Yeah man, just be like, a mile two miles behind me."

And just kind of holding on for dear life, trying to get through there, trying to, you know, keep up, be fast enough, sort of stay in a position that I could still see him and stay visual but also, you know, not kill myself with the mountains all around me, all the different terrain.

But it was also the most exhilarating, exciting experience in my life.

We do have low level currency that we have to maintain, so we do have to fly it within a certain amount of time, otherwise we go non-current for that.

But me personally, I've honestly probably done a low level, maybe five times total since I've been here.

And it usually comes down to if we have extra gas that we need to burn before we can go out and actually do our training due to our external fuel tanks.

Or if that training of the day is strictly just going out there and hitting the low level for the currency.

(techno music) (signal beeping) (pilot speaking indistinctly) - [Jeff] The day in, day out training of Griffin pilots takes a heavy toll on the aircraft they fly.

Many of the F-15s the 144th flies are over 40 years old.

(techno music) Keeping these jets operational and ready to protect the west coast of the United States 24/7 is the job of the dedicated maintainers who are proud to be a part of this mission.

- I love everything about what I do.

I mean, we're keeping the nation safe, we're keeping the state safe.

We get to work on these amazing beasts of an aircraft and continually keeping 'em flying safe and reliable day in and day out.

Keeping everybody here safe.

- [Jeff] Talk to me a little bit about the jet behind you.

This one's done now.

This jet's sort of become pretty famous in the last five or six years.

- Yes, sir.

This jet has been all over the world with us.

This is aircraft 113.

It is currently decommissioned.

It will be a static display here in Fresno, is our goal.

It was painted by our maintainers here with the stars and stripes theme that you see and we enjoy it.

We take it to air shows, we take it to all around the world and it just gets praised everywhere it goes.

(techno music) - [Jeff] The more time I spend in the desert and in the Sierra on the Sidewinder, the more I'm wanting to know firsthand what it's like to fly these lines on the low level.

(jet roars) But getting a ride in one of these planes is next to impossible, I know that, but that doesn't mean you don't try.

After the long process of paperwork, approvals, making some promises to God I know I can't keep, and a lot of luck, I got the call that my flight in the F-15 D from the 144th in Fresno was set and that my pilot would be the one and only "Ogre."

(upbeat music) - It is extremely rare for kind of an off-the-street civilian.

I mean, I know you're a TV guy but it's very difficult to get a backseat ride.

Most of the backseat rides are for very high performing individuals, Congress people, governors, senators, pro football players, maintainers of the year, airmen of the year award winners and also people that, like, the wing commander would pick.

So, to have someone just basically be able to come in and get a backseat ride is pretty damn near impossible.

- [Cameraman] There he is!

- [Jeff] When you dream about doing something for most of your life, the first moments that dream comes true can be a little overwhelming.

And to be honest, my memories of jet startup and taxi are a bit cloudy.

I didn't have a lot of time with Ogre pre-flight.

We just got in the jet, turned it on, and rolled out to runway 2-9 right.

Watching Jinxy go to full AB on his takeoff roll.

- So, an unrestricted climb is basically a max performance climb full AB, and basically, try to go as straight up as possible and it's to get away from the airfield as fast as possible, but it's full AB up to about whatever altitude we can get.

Usually we get about 15,000, I think on that day we were able to get up to 15,000.

So you're hitting the runway, you're hitting the end of the runway at about 400 ish knots and then it's about a good five to six G-pull to get the nose.

70 to 80 degrees nose high.

And then we basically have to roll inverted and pull down 'cause we don't wanna push the nose over or all that blood's gonna go to your head and you're gonna feel sick.

- [Cameraman] Woo!

- [Jeff] Getting sick was, by far, my biggest worry about this flight.

(rock music) I usually do okay with motion sickness, unlike Zack Allen, who turns green on the kiddie rides at Disneyland.

But I have nothing to compare a flight in a high performance fighter jet to, so I'm hoping for the best.

(rock music) A few minutes after takeoff, we caught up with Jinxy over the Sierra where Ogre showed a typical close formation maneuver usually done after a fight.

- So we get rejoined with Jinxy and then we kind of did some close formation.

You know, we basically got up real close and there's some video out there of that.

We got close and we did a battle damage check where, basically, we would do a battle damage check on the way home after fighting.

And what that is is we're going up above the jet to look for any kind of missing panels, holes, dents, fires, I mean, anything that...

The fighting is so violent that these jets shake a lot.

So, we're looking for popped rivets, we're looking for missing missiles, missing missile fins, any of that stuff.

So when we get in the airspace, we gotta do a G-warmup and a G-awareness exercise.

The G-warmup is to make sure both our G-suits are plugged in and they're actually working.

And then the G-awareness is to actually test the jet and see how we're actually feeling.

So the first G-warmup turn was about four and a half to five G's.

You're back there grunting, I'm not even squeezing, I'm just kind of used to it.

(Jeff chuckles) And then, the second turn is full AB and then we hit about seven G's and then bled down about six and a half.

'Cause I've gotta be able to make sure that my body's good to go.

And you handled it like a champ.

(upbeat music) - [Jeff] While Ogre and I are high overhead, Zack, David, Ryan, and a few other photographers have made the tough climb up the Haystack to capture jets, and our fly-by soon from point Delta.

(upbeat music) - I feel like it's starting to level out.

Like, we're almost... What do you think?

(upbeat music) - [Cameraman] Yeah, it's deceiving.

- [Jeff] After doing some scheduled simulated fighting with Jinxy, Job, and Kane, Ogre and I break away to hit the Sidewinder.

Point alpha through Delta.

- Every mission that we do is briefed extensively, it's debriefed extensively.

And we are getting tactical lessons learned out of it and we're meeting tactile objectives.

If it just so happens to look like we're out flying around, getting cool pictures, fine, I don't really care.

We happen to hit the low level probably more than anyone because we have to have that low level currency for our alert mission.

So, every time we go out over the desert, pretty much everybody should be tagging that low level so they can get a rehack on their low level currency or they are not able to sit away.

(rock music) - [Jeff] I told the guys that when Ogre and I came by Delta, I'd give them a fist bump if things were going good.

If my hand didn't come up at all, it was because I was double clutching a barf bag in the backseat.

(rock music) (jet roars) - Woo!

That's a great pass.

- [Jeff] Luckily, I kept it together.

- I think that just kicked Jeff back in the seat on that one.

- [Jeff] And getting low on fuel, Ogre and I climbed out of the Owens Valley and pointed tail 129 back towards Fresno.

My family and friends were allowed to come out to the base to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with me.

- [Family Member 1] He's burning us right now.

Right overhead.

(jet roars) (family member exclaims) - [Family Member 2] He's not gonna land, is he?

He just did a pass by.

(jet roars) - [Jeff] My overall impressions of the flight are this, the takeoff roll and thrust blew me away.

The higher G's hit like a truck for my first time up there.

The visibility out of the jet is stunning and flying the Sidewinder was 100% pure enjoyment.

(rock music) Back on the ramp, I can't believe how physically exhausted I am from the hour and a half flight.

But the biggest impression left with me after it all, is a better understanding of how exceptional these pilots are.

What they do every time they go up is tough, physically and mentally.

And they have to perform at the highest levels of both because their mission protects all of us and the lives we live every day.

(serene music) It's been a month since my flight in the F-15 and my first time back in the desert to capture jets on the Sidewinder.

I've joined up with Ryan and Keegan from Horn Photo.

This is Keegan's first time on the low level.

This is kind of the middle of nowhere in a vast sea of nowhere.

- What do you mean kind of?

(Jeff laughs) - [Jeff] It's been a long drive to one of the most remote sections of the Sidewinder, point Golf.

(majestic music) A long, difficult slog up these steep sand slopes is tough, but the call to find new and unique angles to photograph military jets against these landscapes supplies the drive to push higher on the dunes.

We've got a jet coming in it called Echo through Juliet, so that goes right through us, which is Golf.

(jet roars) - [Jeff] Thunderbird!

- [Ryan] Thunderbird!

- [Jeff] Thunderbird!

Woo!

- [Ryan] Thunderbird!

- [Jeff] That's a Thunderbird!

Yeah!

(Jeff laughs) The smoke!

- Woo!

- [Jeff] Oh my God!

- Yeah!

- [Jeff] That was awesome!

- That was a Thunderbird!

- [Jeff] Oh my God!

- [Ryan] Woo-hoo!

(triumphant music) (camera shutters) - [Jeff] Photography has been a passion for most of my life.

Aviation is an obsession that has continued to grow since before I could speak.

(camera shutters) These two worlds coming together is the bond all aviation photographers share.

(jet roars) Now, a new connection between the military and the people they protect has been made through frames frozen in time.

(serene music) All of it set against wild landscapes that have always been here.

Calling us to explore.

With hopeful eyes to the sky, inspiring us to always look beyond the lens.

(jet roars) (upbeat music) - [Announcer] Production funding for "Outside: Beyond the Lens," provided by Visit Fresno County, home to unique attractions, California's fifth largest city, and easy access to three nearby national parks.

By Advanced Beverage Company, serving Bakersfield and Kern County for over 50 years.

By Hedrick's Chevrolet.

- We are proud to support the spirit of travel in each of us.

Every journey has a first step.

Adventures start here.

- [Announcer] By Hodge's Electric Inc. Over five decades of delivering innovative solutions for residential, agricultural, and battery storage systems.

By The Penstar Group, promoting opportunity and growth for the future.

By Central California's Valley Children's Healthcare, futures worth fighting for.

By A-Plus Signs, we never stop innovating for you.

And by Valley Air Conditioning and Repair.

Family-owned and trusted for over 50 years.

Proud to support public television and the wonders of travel.

(upbeat music)