Hey Marine vet here. That tube thing you encountered at the second airfield filled with concrete is the six-cell launch pod from an M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). The military probably used it for training helicopter sling loads (carrying stuff on the end of cables suspended beneath the helicopter). That girder platform was probably used for the same thing, which is why it has four u-shaped hook-up points on the corners. Cool vid! I always enjoyed watching the Ospreys do their thing when I was out there. I did crew chief training on the CH-46e in the early 2000s before they were retired and we often times would go out to random out of the way abandoned airfields for various training cycles. I got out just when the Ospreys were getting into the fleet so never got the chance to ride on one though. For anyone wondering, the first airstrip is Holtville, what was a USN airstrip during WWII. The second is Sand Hill Naval Auxillary Field, which was a satellite field of Holtville. It was used for training carrier pilots. When it was in use it even had a catapult and arrestor wires just like the real thing. Fun Fact: Some of the scenes from the movie Jarhead were filmed at that first airstrip. If you're interested in finding other abandoned airfields, check out the website airfields-freeman dot com. It's like an encyclopedia of closed and abandoned airfields all over the country. A great resource.
Thank you for sharing and thank you for your service. Very interesting. I will check out that website you mentioned. I am always on the lookout for other, unique locations like these type of airfields.
I've hauled lots and lots of pods for the government. Explosive 1.1D as I recall. We hauled a whole bunch of then that came back from Iraq from Blue Grass Army depot. In fact that is all I hauled for about 3 or 4 months at one point.
@@MrMontanaNights I knew where it was. I live in El Centro. They used to use the Airstrip as a Drag Strip back in the days. Also used to be a party spot and of course offroading. Thank you for your service sir.
Former H-60 pilot here, Came here to say the same thing. Looks like an MLRS pod repurposed for sling load training. Not worth anything, per say, so easy to leave it out there if that was an airstrip commonly used for training. : )
The fly-overs were definitely a gift from the pilots. They 100% were wearing night/thermal vision and the Osprey has a FLIR sensor as well (looks like a security camera under the nose), they were well aware of you. I spent the first 30 years of my life in Vista, it's very cool to see the southern California desert again. Great video!
Yeah they definitely knew someone was there. FLIR sensors are pretty hard to decieve, so even if they weren’t wearing night/thermal vision for whatever reason, they would know someone was in the area. And if there’s one thing I know about Military pilots, they love being able to make someone’s day like this. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ospreys doing the nighttime training noticed him there and went to get permission to do some extra daylight training in the area as well.
@@blademaster2390 It might not necessarily be just "training" that they are there for. Marines are currently being deployed to the border per Trump order and they are arriving in Ospreys. The pilots have probably already dropped off troops and/or supplies, and now are using the occasion to build up flight hours while the birds are cleared for operations.
Lived up on Whidbey Island in Oak Harbor, just south of NAS Whidbey, the sounds of E/A-6Bs flying overhead and helos performing low flights was exactly what we called it! The sound of freedom! The best thing about the helicopters was when they performed night opps over our house. Was what put me to sleep.
27:02 That's a spent rocket pod for the MLRS and HIMARS. This one is used for the ammo guys to practice loading and unloading off trucks. They are filled with concrete for training to simulate the real weight of a live pod.
@@dtadventure4x4 not quite the same, but after a dive day in Mendocino, the US Coast Guard Dauphin AS365 came down for a landing at Point Arena where I was having lunch. They let me have a look at the Dauphin close up! and had a chat that they’re monitoring marine channels if I ever got into trouble.
Dick Dale, the famous musician had an airstrip out by 29 palms. One summer we landed five Super Stallions out there and barbecued with him. It was pretty cool.
As a former Marine grunt and Vietnam vet, to this day I am still fascinated by chopper's. In particular the Huey. I live about five miles south of the Wyoming border, near Cheyenne. I often see Air Force helicopters flying a south-north pattern into Colorado, and it gives me a sense of pride that I really can't describe. Loved watching your video. That had to be a great experience for you, and receiving the unit patch was pretty damn cool. Be well.
Twenty-year U.S. Air Force retiree here. Your video reminds me of the time my wife and I were rockhounding North of the city of Quartzsite, AZ. We were pretty much hunting the desert (Moon Mountain, AZ area), keeping Hwy 95 to our East (Staying where we could continually see the big-rig trucks on the highway, and not get lost), and the Colorado River Indian Reservation to our West. About mid-afternoon, we started hearing this helicopter rotor noise (Much like in your video), but we could not see anything. Finally, we spotted two black dots to the North, that were slowly getting larger by the minute. They were following the highway, which was about three miles, or more, to our East. Then, for some reason, they veered in our direction. They flew right over the top of us, and we could see that they both were V-22 Ospreys. They hovered about 50 feet, or more, over the top of us. Then, the side hatch/window opened up and a helmeted head looked down at us. He made some hand signals at us, that neither of us veterans understood. We waved back, and snapped a few pictures. The guy pulled his head back inside, both copters headed back toward the highway, and continued on their original path to the South. We totally expected to see rescue vehicles and county sheriff's cars at any minute. We slowly made our way back to Hwy 95, and headed for Quartzsite again. We suspect that they were coming South, headed toward the Marine base at Yuma, when they somehow spotted us, alone in the desert, and thought that we were maybe lost. All in all, an exciting afternoon!
Thank you for sharing your story - very cool! And good to hear that there are truly good people out there that keep an eye out in case someone needs help! Anyway, thank you for your service.
So cool that you got to see some of our operations up close like that. The Osprey is...wild to say the least. Thank you for sharing and bringing us along on your adventures!
My son flew Marine Ospreys (Mv22bs) for several years and instructed pilots in NC. He now instructs navy Osprey (Vmm22b) pilots in San Diego. Nice videos!
The concrete will shrink in the winter, and the cracks will fill with wind blown sand. In the middle of august when it heats to 130 deg. f. it will expand and bulge , as it has nowhere to go. Happens to highways in the midwest all the time.
Born and raised in Southern California desert. It is such a beautiful place in the early spring.. Crisp morning air that makes you feel good to be alive.
They definitely saw you. They have Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR). The FLIR system in the Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys is the Raytheon AN/AAQ-27, which provides pilots with infrared imaging for navigation, threat detection, and landing in challenging environments. Some Ospreys may also be equipped with additional sensor suites, including Distributed Aperture Systems (DAS) and other optical enhancements, depending on mission requirements. Ooh-Rah, brothers
From the flyovers and landings to interacting with the marines and getting a patch! Absolutely awesome experience. No telling what you’ll find in the desert, not to mention the HIMARS pod! Amazing video.
Kinda, reminds me of hunting up in Alaska, up in a remote mountain range Dahl sheep hunting and a f22 raptor came buzzing in at high speed, showing me his under belly. Can't even describe the sound echoing off the canyon walls. Never will forget that. LoL 🇺🇸👍
I was stationed at MCAS Yuma in the mid 80's, (VMFAT-101 F4 Phantoms) that looked like Holtville airstrip. And you are right, we would go to several of these airstrips to drag race our motorcycles and party. Sometimes go to them for WTI. (Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course). There was one south of Yuma called Aux-4, (Auxiliary air field #4) that we frequented quite often. Fantastic video, thank you for posting and revitalizing some old memories!!!
Thank you for sharing your memories. And thank you for your service. I really appreciate it. I just checked on the Aux-4 airfield and it seems to be actively in use as a local airport.
I was with VMFAT-101 in the late 80's when they flew 1st gen F-18's (El Toro) . Looked forward to the start of the day to see if the 2nd S was removed overnight from their call sign... SharpShooters..... more than a few times they ran out of White background Red Letter to be replaced with White Background Green Letter. Then they ran out of S's... oh the chuckles to see the most awesome callsign ever...
I am so happy you got this experience, thank you for sharing. My favorite part was "you don't have to move, but it would be awesome if you did." Like you said multiple times, you know those guys had a blast showing off their toys. Love our military representing us well ❤
I'm a Marine that was serving in San Diego when 9/11 happened and deployed after. I'm an old 46 year old Marine now, but hearing stories like yours brings a tear to this old man's eyes! We were always told "be a diplomat to others" while I was in. Thanks for the video and that brings up great memories! USMC 1999-2007
Thank you for sharing and thank you for your service. The two Marines that came over and talked to me were definitely great ambassadors for the Marine Corps!
The concrete slabs popping-up is from thermal expansion. I bet a 6000’ runway with compromised expansion joints faces a lot of thermally induced stress in the desert.
Just remember, "abandoned airstrips" can quickly become un-abandoned in times of emergency. Always keep exploring, but try not to camp ON the airstrip, just in case nearby aircraft need an emergency landing (particularly near military bases)
@Tontu-ty it happens more often than you think. When the options are that decrepid airstrip or the bare desert floor, I promise you a pilot will land a passenger jet on one of these. There is a story about this actually happening with a 737 or 747, and there were kids playing at the end of the runway. The plane barely stopped before running over the kids on their bikes.
Pretty cool! Although I'm sure they were able to see you even in the dark, I would have turned on my hazard lights on my truck if it was me, and also if you have any not too bright lights to mark the top most part of your vehicle just to be safe. And yeah as others said, maybe parking off the pavement is a safer idea. Thanks for the video!
Holtville Naval air station imperial valley Ca. Holtville was used by the Navy to train pilots in skip bombing, night flying, and air-to-ground rocket firing. F6F Hellcats and F4U Corsairs were among the aircraft operated from Holtville. In 1944 Holtville was significantly expanded. The upgrades included the runway being extended to 6,000 feet. 1. Wikipedia
I think the whole damn desert of the southwest all the way to the ocean and beyond to San Clemente Island is and was used as a military base! Ive worked in CRM monitoring at the SSTB on the salton sea in the 90's when they were cleaning it up....that was a test base the the military used for test drops for the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.....weight wise....old Paramount runway and I forget the other one, but as far as the eye can see... chocolate mountains, salton city, carrizo impact area....further north the desert center Patton training area...ft..Irwin (I was stationed there), 29 palms, used to be El Toro MC Base, San Clemente island...Pt. Loma old big 16 inch guns WWII era, San Diego county is full of training rounds and live rounds including in the bay...El cajon parachute training, El Centro parachute training....list goes on forever..
Holtville was used by the SCCA for sports car races from the end of the 60s through the mid 90s. We sometime had the Royal Marines (UK) were using the runway for C130s and paratrooper training during our race weekends. The remnants of the blue paint are from a BMW commercial filmed there over 30 years ago.
Thanks for reminding me about that one. Will have to check that out. These guys I talked to were from Miramar and apparently had a 10 PM air space curfew or something like that.
Don't worry those Marine aviators surely has FLIR, thermal or night vision capability of some kind. They weren't going to hit you by landing on you at night. Very unique and exciting experience and the patch is way cool. Congrats. Thanks for sharing
i wouldn't know what to do... do you wave, do you awkwardly stand there? I'm sure the pilots were as surprised to see someone camping there then you were to see them land. Having them give you a patch of their unit while they are conducting exercises just shows how nice they are (they might've seen you were there during their whole training which is why they were nice)
At first I was not sure what to do or how to react, but on a couple of fly-overs I waved and gave thumbs up - not even sure if they were able to see it. But as mentioned in the video, I was impressed by their flight skills. So cool :-) Anyway, thank you for watching and leaving a comment. I appreciate it.
It's funny to be because I was just writing about this military site. It's likely Camp Coxcomb! It was used in the early 1940s to train troops in desert warfare during WW2. My uncle's army division, the 95th Division, later renamed from "the Victory Division" to the "Iron Men of Metz" during the war after they liberated the French city of Metz. the first army to conquer the heavily walled, fortified city since Atilla the Hun, a thousand years earlier. Here at Camp a trained in the desert and had large desert combat maneuvers in case the Divisions ended up going to Africa during the war. THE 95TH instead were sipped to Europe, landing at Omaha Beach 98 days after D-Day and were assigned to Pattons Third Army. What a coincidence it is to see it thru your video a week after I researched and wrote about it for a memorial story for my family history. My uncle was KIA as they Fought Hitlers "West Wall" aka Siegfried line, along the French -German border. He is buried nearb at St Avold in the "Lorraine American Cemetery" in France. The largest WW2 American Cemetery in Europe. Thanks for sharing the video!!
They put on such a show for you! That’s incredible. I genuinely had goosebumps. ❤ my favourite aircraft. Sadly in the UK we don’t have much of anything. I did see one of these flying low over Llangollen while I was out walking once. ❤
Those ospreys were a part of my job. If you look up at the ceiling that was where the bottom of the bird would be hovering over top of me and my team as we hooked along loads to it. Ospreys sucked because they have an unstable wind pattern underneath them, but it was nice if it was cooler out because of the warm jet blast.
I bet, they lit his big white truck up with a laser rangefinder at the very least, maybe even some radar. I live near a base in Alaska and have apache gunships fly over my place when they are vectoring in to the army base, usually they fly over a little river. Also from the airforce base we get f22,f16,f35, c5,c17 and c130 and tons of aircraft. Kinda sad I never got to see a sr71 takeoff before they got decommissioned. But they were kinda secretive.🇺🇸
So funny how I found a video that involves my previous squadron I was at. Miss my peoples. Very humble and smart people work there!! Semper malus and stay ugly!
What an experience! Love catching the odd military aircraft flying overhead, very exciting to see this many doing exercises right on the strip you are parked on.
From your accent you sound German. In case you didn't know we have German military personnel who have i believe permanent duty stations at Holloman AFB, New Mexico and Nellis AFB, Nevada. I hauled weapons, explosives, and other secrey stuff for the governemnt for 30 years and when the Germans shipped their ammo over here we would haul it to them wherever they were based. We loved dealing with them, so polite and efficient in getting us offloaded. Be well! :)
Yes, I am originally from Germany. Moved to the US in 1998. I heard about a few German units stationed in certain areas - usually for training and weapons certifications or so. I was a tank driver in the German Army (West Germany) at the end of the Cold War. We had US Army units on our post in northern Germany near Hannover and Hamburg.
Alot, of water erosion around also. It's a shame they don't cut those bushes down and do some repairs on it before it gets to bad. It seems like it's all a prefab air field panels🇺🇸
We were RV snowbirds out of Ontario Canada spending the winters at Del Pueblo Tennis and RV resort on Ave 3E in Yuma AZ. when those were first transferred into the MACV airbase beside that Ave.. Their arrival flight path took them at low level right over the RV and brother was that an experience! Our 20,000 lb GVW 40' Fiver and International semi-tractor tow vehicle shed every bit of dust clinging to them and our cat didn't come out from under the bed for hours afterward. It was like being inside a cement mixer when those guys flew over. What an impressive aircraft those things are.
@@dtadventure4x4 Over here in Arizona we have 4 inch thick concrete sidewalk slabs lift like that all the time. The slabs break right along the slab line, and then lift up.
21:34 btw, that loud "slapping" sound you hear, are the blades pitching to provide a little more downward thrust right before the touchdown. They also have to rotate much faster than helicopter blades due to the smaller rotor size. Despite the horror stories with these aircraft, they are actually quite safe. I'm an artilleryman, occasionally we will use these to sling-load and emplace M777A2 howitzers, which weigh about 10,000 lbs a piece.
Thanks for the additional explanation. I had noticed the different sound before they took off and saw how the rotors changed position. So cool. Thank you for your service!
MCAS Miramar in San Diego puts on a massive air show every year that is open to the public. They have a TON of aircraft on display and a bunch of different squadrons you can go talk to and ask questions!
I grew up spending my thanksgivings out on that airstrip visiting my family in Holtville, we'd all go out to the strip the day after and camp out and ride dirt bikes and quads with my cousins
I've been "wandering" the past year and have had similar spontaneous cool moments. you've just be gotta be ready to receive it. its also the reason I've done it.
I saw you post that on the FordTremor forum. I used to work in the Imperial Valley doing environmental consulting and wildlife surveys. I know that terrain well. Have fun!
Neat-o. That what you call kicking your camping up a notch. I remember one time when I was hiking up Santa Anita Canyon about three Huey choppers flying into the canyon at eye level. They dropped off about a dozen or two soldiers just up the trail from me and by the time I passed the drop zone they had all taken positions in the trees/shrubs. I walked past them without interaction to avoid disturbing their training.
nice story. reminds me of my time as a recruit (swiss). one warm summer night our squad was walking all geared up along a river in the dark to take up some position. there were few civilians (probably couples on a romantic date), they quickly left after noticing a full squad of young guys in camouflage... 😂
The damage it was from a 2010 7.2 earthquake that was just south of where you are 10 miles probably. It causes a big trench to apear from baja to socal. Its the largest earthquake on the region. Those steel structures are used by helicopters for training. It simulates lifting a vehicle or artillery piece, its the same thing with those pipes filled with concrete, but those where used in the past, now the metal ones are used. If you see those at a airfield it means its active still.
You have to admit honestly.. The first night those Ospreys came it had to be a bit concerning for you.. lmao. Not like they flew by in the distance.. Thats such an awesome experience you had though.. Love it..
A couple of these appear to be Navy CMV-22B Ospreys deemed operational in 4/24. The CMV-22B Osprey is a variant of the MV-22B and is the replacement for the C-2A Greyhound for the Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) mission.
"Need a lift soldier"
"Yes, I saw a base not too far from here"
"It ain't on the map"
"Trust me, it's there"
Independence Day?
@sinchansouk1986 yup
LoL😂
Hey Marine vet here. That tube thing you encountered at the second airfield filled with concrete is the six-cell launch pod from an M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). The military probably used it for training helicopter sling loads (carrying stuff on the end of cables suspended beneath the helicopter). That girder platform was probably used for the same thing, which is why it has four u-shaped hook-up points on the corners.
Cool vid! I always enjoyed watching the Ospreys do their thing when I was out there. I did crew chief training on the CH-46e in the early 2000s before they were retired and we often times would go out to random out of the way abandoned airfields for various training cycles. I got out just when the Ospreys were getting into the fleet so never got the chance to ride on one though.
For anyone wondering, the first airstrip is Holtville, what was a USN airstrip during WWII. The second is Sand Hill Naval Auxillary Field, which was a satellite field of Holtville. It was used for training carrier pilots. When it was in use it even had a catapult and arrestor wires just like the real thing.
Fun Fact: Some of the scenes from the movie Jarhead were filmed at that first airstrip.
If you're interested in finding other abandoned airfields, check out the website airfields-freeman dot com. It's like an encyclopedia of closed and abandoned airfields all over the country. A great resource.
Thank you for sharing and thank you for your service. Very interesting. I will check out that website you mentioned. I am always on the lookout for other, unique locations like these type of airfields.
I've hauled lots and lots of pods for the government. Explosive 1.1D as I recall. We hauled a whole bunch of then that came back from Iraq from Blue Grass Army depot. In fact that is all I hauled for about 3 or 4 months at one point.
@@MrMontanaNights I knew where it was. I live in El Centro. They used to use the Airstrip as a Drag Strip back in the days. Also used to be a party spot and of course offroading. Thank you for your service sir.
aren't they usually filled with top tier crayons?
Former H-60 pilot here,
Came here to say the same thing. Looks like an MLRS pod repurposed for sling load training.
Not worth anything, per say, so easy to leave it out there if that was an airstrip commonly used for training. : )
The fly-overs were definitely a gift from the pilots. They 100% were wearing night/thermal vision and the Osprey has a FLIR sensor as well (looks like a security camera under the nose), they were well aware of you. I spent the first 30 years of my life in Vista, it's very cool to see the southern California desert again. Great video!
Yeah they definitely knew someone was there. FLIR sensors are pretty hard to decieve, so even if they weren’t wearing night/thermal vision for whatever reason, they would know someone was in the area.
And if there’s one thing I know about Military pilots, they love being able to make someone’s day like this. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ospreys doing the nighttime training noticed him there and went to get permission to do some extra daylight training in the area as well.
@@blademaster2390 It might not necessarily be just "training" that they are there for. Marines are currently being deployed to the border per Trump order and they are arriving in Ospreys. The pilots have probably already dropped off troops and/or supplies, and now are using the occasion to build up flight hours while the birds are cleared for operations.
MY FRIEND THAT IS THE SOUND OF FREEDOM.
Lived up on Whidbey Island in Oak Harbor, just south of NAS Whidbey, the sounds of E/A-6Bs flying overhead and helos performing low flights was exactly what we called it! The sound of freedom! The best thing about the helicopters was when they performed night opps over our house. Was what put me to sleep.
27:02 That's a spent rocket pod for the MLRS and HIMARS. This one is used for the ammo guys to practice loading and unloading off trucks. They are filled with concrete for training to simulate the real weight of a live pod.
Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for chiming in :-)
@@dtadventure4x4 28:07 I’m guessing the faded words said “DO NOT DROP”
Love the video!
@@iamgarrde Thank you 🙂
I was guessing some sort of rocket because of the spiral rails. Give them that spin like a bullet.
@@dtadventure4x4 The rocket magazine is loaded into a rack on a tracked mobile launcher vehicle from a supply truck with a crane..
SO cool! You got your own air show! Oorah Marines!
Yes, exactly :-)
Thank you for watching and commenting. I appreciate it.
@@dtadventure4x4 not quite the same, but after a dive day in Mendocino, the US Coast Guard Dauphin AS365 came down for a landing at Point Arena where I was having lunch. They let me have a look at the Dauphin close up! and had a chat that they’re monitoring marine channels if I ever got into trouble.
Dick Dale, the famous musician had an airstrip out by 29 palms. One summer we landed five Super Stallions out there and barbecued with him. It was pretty cool.
How fun :-)
What a cool story! Do you remember where the strip was?
that's rad
As a former Marine grunt and Vietnam vet, to this day I am still fascinated by chopper's. In particular the Huey. I live about five miles south of the Wyoming border, near Cheyenne. I often see Air Force helicopters flying a south-north pattern into Colorado, and it gives me a sense of pride that I really can't describe. Loved watching your video. That had to be a great experience for you, and receiving the unit patch was pretty damn cool. Be well.
Thank you for sharing parts of your journey. I very much appreciate it and thank you for your service!!!
it's interesting how we went from the Huey to the osprey in roughly the same time that we went from the wright brothers to Apollo.
@@sunny-sq6ci Wow! I have never thought of that. You're right!!
I love the sound of a huey
@@scottlin777 Yeah, nothing sounds any better. The Huey's and the pilots that flew them. I still have many memories.
Seeing how happy you are from this experience literally brought tears to my eyes. Well done Marines!
Twenty-year U.S. Air Force retiree here. Your video reminds me of the time my wife and I were rockhounding North of the city of Quartzsite, AZ. We were pretty much hunting the desert (Moon Mountain, AZ area), keeping Hwy 95 to our East (Staying where we could continually see the big-rig trucks on the highway, and not get lost), and the Colorado River Indian Reservation to our West. About mid-afternoon, we started hearing this helicopter rotor noise (Much like in your video), but we could not see anything. Finally, we spotted two black dots to the North, that were slowly getting larger by the minute. They were following the highway, which was about three miles, or more, to our East. Then, for some reason, they veered in our direction. They flew right over the top of us, and we could see that they both were V-22 Ospreys. They hovered about 50 feet, or more, over the top of us. Then, the side hatch/window opened up and a helmeted head looked down at us. He made some hand signals at us, that neither of us veterans understood. We waved back, and snapped a few pictures. The guy pulled his head back inside, both copters headed back toward the highway, and continued on their original path to the South. We totally expected to see rescue vehicles and county sheriff's cars at any minute. We slowly made our way back to Hwy 95, and headed for Quartzsite again. We suspect that they were coming South, headed toward the Marine base at Yuma, when they somehow spotted us, alone in the desert, and thought that we were maybe lost. All in all, an exciting afternoon!
Thank you for sharing your story - very cool! And good to hear that there are truly good people out there that keep an eye out in case someone needs help! Anyway, thank you for your service.
So cool that you got to see some of our operations up close like that. The Osprey is...wild to say the least. Thank you for sharing and bringing us along on your adventures!
Thank you for your kind words and watching my video. I appreciate it.
Way to go Marines, good ambassador s .
My son flew Marine Ospreys (Mv22bs) for several years and instructed pilots in NC. He now instructs navy Osprey (Vmm22b) pilots in San Diego. Nice videos!
That’s very cool. Thank you for sharing.
Ps they are technically “tilt rotors”. Cool on the patch!
The concrete will shrink in the winter, and the cracks will fill with wind blown sand. In the middle of august when it heats to 130 deg. f. it will expand and bulge , as it has nowhere to go. Happens to highways in the midwest all the time.
So cool! He gave you a patch of the unit!
Born and raised in Southern California desert. It is such a beautiful place in the early spring.. Crisp morning air that makes you feel good to be alive.
I couldn't agree more! :-)
LOL Happy you experienced something not many folks are treated to....Semper Fi!
They definitely saw you. They have Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR). The FLIR system in the Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys is the Raytheon AN/AAQ-27, which provides pilots with infrared imaging for navigation, threat detection, and landing in challenging environments. Some Ospreys may also be equipped with additional sensor suites, including Distributed Aperture Systems (DAS) and other optical enhancements, depending on mission requirements. Ooh-Rah, brothers
From the flyovers and landings to interacting with the marines and getting a patch! Absolutely awesome experience. No telling what you’ll find in the desert, not to mention the HIMARS pod! Amazing video.
Kinda, reminds me of hunting up in Alaska, up in a remote mountain range Dahl sheep hunting and a f22 raptor came buzzing in at high speed, showing me his under belly. Can't even describe the sound echoing off the canyon walls. Never will forget that. LoL 🇺🇸👍
I was stationed at MCAS Yuma in the mid 80's, (VMFAT-101 F4 Phantoms) that looked like Holtville airstrip. And you are right, we would go to several of these airstrips to drag race our motorcycles and party. Sometimes go to them for WTI. (Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course). There was one south of Yuma called Aux-4, (Auxiliary air field #4) that we frequented quite often. Fantastic video, thank you for posting and revitalizing some old memories!!!
Thank you for sharing your memories. And thank you for your service. I really appreciate it. I just checked on the Aux-4 airfield and it seems to be actively in use as a local airport.
@@dtadventure4x4 Wow, things changed in the last 40 years LOL
I was with VMFAT-101 in the late 80's when they flew 1st gen F-18's (El Toro) . Looked forward to the start of the day to see if the 2nd S was removed overnight from their call sign... SharpShooters..... more than a few times they ran out of White background Red Letter to be replaced with White Background Green Letter. Then they ran out of S's... oh the chuckles to see the most awesome callsign ever...
You were at the last airstrip he visited? Awesome
I am so happy you got this experience, thank you for sharing. My favorite part was "you don't have to move, but it would be awesome if you did." Like you said multiple times, you know those guys had a blast showing off their toys. Love our military representing us well ❤
USMC gave you an airshow for one. They definitely enjoyed it as much as you did.
What a fun camping trip.
That was an awesome view with your truck and the osprey. Take a still and frame it for your truck/camper. 👍
Hm, now you got me thinking ... :-)
@@dtadventure4x4, yeah man, put it next to the patch.
I'm a Marine that was serving in San Diego when 9/11 happened and deployed after.
I'm an old 46 year old Marine now, but hearing stories like yours brings a tear to this old man's eyes! We were always told "be a diplomat to others" while I was in.
Thanks for the video and that brings up great memories!
USMC 1999-2007
Thank you for sharing and thank you for your service. The two Marines that came over and talked to me were definitely great ambassadors for the Marine Corps!
The concrete slabs popping-up is from thermal expansion. I bet a 6000’ runway with compromised expansion joints faces a lot of thermally induced stress in the desert.
What an amazingly lucky experience.
Just remember, "abandoned airstrips" can quickly become un-abandoned in times of emergency. Always keep exploring, but try not to camp ON the airstrip, just in case nearby aircraft need an emergency landing (particularly near military bases)
This!! Also check gps maps when you’re out exploring desert areas. you may or may not be on USAF property (happened to me once)
nobody is going to try and land a non helicopter on that strip
@@Tontu-ty emergency, either trees or dry land, or the airstrip that's short. I wonder what a pilot would choose.
@Tontu-ty it happens more often than you think. When the options are that decrepid airstrip or the bare desert floor, I promise you a pilot will land a passenger jet on one of these. There is a story about this actually happening with a 737 or 747, and there were kids playing at the end of the runway. The plane barely stopped before running over the kids on their bikes.
@@jaydeleon8094 the open desert over the strip with concrete jutting out of it
Your own private airshow and a patch?! Lucky man
Wow. This was cool. Seeing the Osprey land and take off was giving me chills.
born and raised in socal. the california desert is one of the most beautiful things to me, i love it
That was absolutely awesome, you got a free air show that day!
Pretty cool! Although I'm sure they were able to see you even in the dark, I would have turned on my hazard lights on my truck if it was me, and also if you have any not too bright lights to mark the top most part of your vehicle just to be safe. And yeah as others said, maybe parking off the pavement is a safer idea. Thanks for the video!
Not knowing any think i may have been suspicious of no sand or dust on the concrete but now you have a demonstration of why its clean.
That's awesome, brother! Thanks for uploading this, glad you enjoyed the show.
Yep, Definitely an MLRS launch pod. What you were trying to read says "Do Not Drop".
Congrats on the free airshow. Ospreys are quite awesome.
Our guys in the military always love to show off
Holtville Naval air station imperial valley Ca. Holtville was used by the Navy to train pilots in skip bombing, night flying, and air-to-ground rocket firing. F6F Hellcats and F4U Corsairs were among the aircraft operated from Holtville. In 1944 Holtville was significantly expanded. The upgrades included the runway being extended to 6,000 feet. 1. Wikipedia
Holyville Havoc! 🚀
I think the whole damn desert of the southwest all the way to the ocean and beyond to San Clemente Island is and was used as a military base! Ive worked in CRM monitoring at the SSTB on the salton sea in the 90's when they were cleaning it up....that was a test base the the military used for test drops for the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.....weight wise....old Paramount runway and I forget the other one, but as far as the eye can see... chocolate mountains, salton city, carrizo impact area....further north the desert center Patton training area...ft..Irwin (I was stationed there), 29 palms, used to be El Toro MC Base, San Clemente island...Pt. Loma old big 16 inch guns WWII era, San Diego county is full of training rounds and live rounds including in the bay...El cajon parachute training, El Centro parachute training....list goes on forever..
Dude! What an experience!
Great video! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for watching! I am glad you enjoyed it.
Holtville was used by the SCCA for sports car races from the end of the 60s through the mid 90s. We sometime had the Royal Marines (UK) were using the runway for C130s and paratrooper training during our race weekends. The remnants of the blue paint are from a BMW commercial filmed there over 30 years ago.
Wow, that's very interesting! Thanks for sharing history of this location.
He said undisclosed location and you blow up the spot… brilliant. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I did a few trackdays there. $50 No sessions just drive till you’re tired. Absolutely brutal on suspension and tires.
What an awesome encounter with our nation's military. That's great! Proud to be an American 🙋
All the world is a training area for our beloved Corp. Semper fi!
The 82nd Airborne own the world except they throw woman and beer at us.
Badass video sir! As a civilian I got to handle a few at the FBO where I worked at KIWA. Quite a feat of engineering.
What a unique and amazing experience!
I am so filled with joy you got to experience that! Thank you for sharing!
Wow! Your own personal air show! 😮
Definitely not something I expected to see!
What an awesome experience. MCAS Miramar has an airshow every year and there you can go inside Ospreys and other aircraft.
Thanks for reminding me about that one. Will have to check that out. These guys I talked to were from Miramar and apparently had a 10 PM air space curfew or something like that.
Don't worry those Marine aviators surely has FLIR, thermal or night vision capability of some kind. They weren't going to hit you by landing on you at night. Very unique and exciting experience and the patch is way cool. Congrats. Thanks for sharing
Minute 5.11 that is a lifting platform. Cool walkthrough! Very very very cool day for you!!!!!
Thank you for the insight. And thank you for watching my video.
i wouldn't know what to do... do you wave, do you awkwardly stand there? I'm sure the pilots were as surprised to see someone camping there then you were to see them land. Having them give you a patch of their unit while they are conducting exercises just shows how nice they are (they might've seen you were there during their whole training which is why they were nice)
At first I was not sure what to do or how to react, but on a couple of fly-overs I waved and gave thumbs up - not even sure if they were able to see it. But as mentioned in the video, I was impressed by their flight skills. So cool :-)
Anyway, thank you for watching and leaving a comment. I appreciate it.
Me too , I was stationed at New River and Mag 28 and I love those osprey and harriers most of all.
How awesomely cool is that great video thanks for sharing
LOVE that AUDIO - not sure what equipment you're using, but the sounds is great on headphones
The runways show buckling from extreme heat causing more expansion that they could take and popped up. Happens to highways too.
It's funny to be because I was just writing about this military site. It's likely Camp Coxcomb! It was used in the early 1940s to train troops in desert warfare during WW2. My uncle's army division, the 95th Division, later renamed from "the Victory Division" to the "Iron Men of Metz" during the war after they liberated the French city of Metz. the first army to conquer the heavily walled, fortified city since Atilla the Hun, a thousand years earlier. Here at Camp a trained in the desert and had large desert combat maneuvers in case the Divisions ended up going to Africa during the war. THE 95TH instead were sipped to Europe, landing at Omaha Beach 98 days after D-Day and were assigned to Pattons Third Army. What a coincidence it is to see it thru your video a week after I researched and wrote about it for a memorial story for my family history. My uncle was KIA as they Fought Hitlers "West Wall" aka Siegfried line, along the French -German border. He is buried nearb at St Avold in the "Lorraine American Cemetery" in France. The largest WW2 American Cemetery in Europe. Thanks for sharing the video!!
It's not Camp Coxcomb. This one is Holtville east of El Centro.
Wow awesome experience! So cool
As a Marine I thank you for your cooperation. You wouldn’t believe how some entitled Americans react to a simple request for safety.
They put on such a show for you! That’s incredible. I genuinely had goosebumps. ❤ my favourite aircraft. Sadly in the UK we don’t have much of anything. I did see one of these flying low over Llangollen while I was out walking once. ❤
Those ospreys were a part of my job. If you look up at the ceiling that was where the bottom of the bird would be hovering over top of me and my team as we hooked along loads to it. Ospreys sucked because they have an unstable wind pattern underneath them, but it was nice if it was cooler out because of the warm jet blast.
Thank you for sharing this fantastic experience
Glad you enjoyed it!
I have a feeling you added to their training exercises at least in using certain tools to detect people/vehicles on the ground
I bet, they lit his big white truck up with a laser rangefinder at the very least, maybe even some radar. I live near a base in Alaska and have apache gunships fly over my place when they are vectoring in to the army base, usually they fly over a little river. Also from the airforce base we get f22,f16,f35, c5,c17 and c130 and tons of aircraft. Kinda sad I never got to see a sr71 takeoff before they got decommissioned. But they were kinda secretive.🇺🇸
That’s so cool lol I would’ve been giddy like a kid!
So funny how I found a video that involves my previous squadron I was at. Miss my peoples. Very humble and smart people work there!! Semper malus and stay ugly!
Thank you for your service!
What an awesome surprise!
What an experience! Love catching the odd military aircraft flying overhead, very exciting to see this many doing exercises right on the strip you are parked on.
From your accent you sound German. In case you didn't know we have German military personnel who have i believe permanent duty stations at Holloman AFB, New Mexico and Nellis AFB, Nevada. I hauled weapons, explosives, and other secrey stuff for the governemnt for 30 years and when the Germans shipped their ammo over here we would haul it to them wherever they were based. We loved dealing with them, so polite and efficient in getting us offloaded. Be well! :)
Yes, I am originally from Germany. Moved to the US in 1998. I heard about a few German units stationed in certain areas - usually for training and weapons certifications or so. I was a tank driver in the German Army (West Germany) at the end of the Cold War. We had US Army units on our post in northern Germany near Hannover and Hamburg.
what a unique experience, thanks for sharing
Should have asked for a ride when they gave you the patch. LOL
Cool man, cool.
Haha, that thought crossed my mind as well after the fact. :-) Thank you for watching my video. I appreciate it.
Always cool to see Osprey's technically not helicopters but V/STOL aircraft
That's awesome!
The air field buckling is from heat
Alot, of water erosion around also. It's a shame they don't cut those bushes down and do some repairs on it before it gets to bad. It seems like it's all a prefab air field panels🇺🇸
There’s an air show at MCAS Miramar every October they usually have those Ospreys on display and sometimes even let you walk around and inside them
thank you usmc! 😃👌
Private air show how cool
We were RV snowbirds out of Ontario Canada spending the winters at Del Pueblo Tennis and RV resort on Ave 3E in Yuma AZ. when those were first transferred into the MACV airbase beside that Ave.. Their arrival flight path took them at low level right over the RV and brother was that an experience! Our 20,000 lb GVW 40' Fiver and International semi-tractor tow vehicle shed every bit of dust clinging to them and our cat didn't come out from under the bed for hours afterward. It was like being inside a cement mixer when those guys flew over. What an impressive aircraft those things are.
Yeah, it's crazy, isn't it?! So cool.
Gives abandoned a new definition, Sempi Fi
The lifted concrete pannels is due to thermal expansion in the summer heat.
Interesting. That is a lot of force for sure.
@@dtadventure4x4 Over here in Arizona we have 4 inch thick concrete sidewalk slabs lift like that all the time. The slabs break right along the slab line, and then lift up.
Very cool. Thanks for sharing 👍
Thanks for watching!
21:34 btw, that loud "slapping" sound you hear, are the blades pitching to provide a little more downward thrust right before the touchdown. They also have to rotate much faster than helicopter blades due to the smaller rotor size.
Despite the horror stories with these aircraft, they are actually quite safe. I'm an artilleryman, occasionally we will use these to sling-load and emplace M777A2 howitzers, which weigh about 10,000 lbs a piece.
Thanks for the additional explanation. I had noticed the different sound before they took off and saw how the rotors changed position. So cool. Thank you for your service!
Some excellent footage
Awesome video and pics. Thanks for sharing.
Such a cool shot @ 16:37 & 17:49
Thank you!
MCAS Miramar in San Diego puts on a massive air show every year that is open to the public. They have a TON of aircraft on display and a bunch of different squadrons you can go talk to and ask questions!
I grew up spending my thanksgivings out on that airstrip visiting my family in Holtville, we'd all go out to the strip the day after and camp out and ride dirt bikes and quads with my cousins
That sounds like a fun Thanksgiving tradition!
I've been "wandering" the past year and have had similar spontaneous cool moments. you've just be gotta be ready to receive it. its also the reason I've done it.
Glad you've had similar experiences! It's what makes this way of life special.
My uncle was a crew chief on ch 34s , Vietnam HMM 362 , Ugly Angels, !
Thank you for sharing. I appreciate it.
An interesting day at the office. 🙂
You bet it was! 🙂 Thank you for watching!
I saw you post that on the FordTremor forum. I used to work in the Imperial Valley doing environmental consulting and wildlife surveys. I know that terrain well. Have fun!
That is awesome - small world. Glad you enjoyed the video!
That's awesome he gave you a Olaf patch. great video man.
Glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you for watching.
Awesome footage.👌 Semper Fi.
Neat-o. That what you call kicking your camping up a notch. I remember one time when I was hiking up Santa Anita Canyon about three Huey choppers flying into the canyon at eye level. They dropped off about a dozen or two soldiers just up the trail from me and by the time I passed the drop zone they had all taken positions in the trees/shrubs. I walked past them without interaction to avoid disturbing their training.
That is so cool - a very unique experience!
nice story. reminds me of my time as a recruit (swiss). one warm summer night our squad was walking all geared up along a river in the dark to take up some position. there were few civilians (probably couples on a romantic date), they quickly left after noticing a full squad of young guys in camouflage... 😂
Wow, what a treat!
Oh, you’re at Holtville. This isn’t an abandoned area because it’s still a training area
The damage it was from a 2010 7.2 earthquake that was just south of where you are 10 miles probably. It causes a big trench to apear from baja to socal. Its the largest earthquake on the region. Those steel structures are used by helicopters for training. It simulates lifting a vehicle or artillery piece, its the same thing with those pipes filled with concrete, but those where used in the past, now the metal ones are used. If you see those at a airfield it means its active still.
You have to admit honestly.. The first night those Ospreys came it had to be a bit concerning for you.. lmao. Not like they flew by in the distance.. Thats such an awesome experience you had though.. Love it..
Love how some people are so unaware that when they trespass on others property that the owners might show up.
public lands.
Cool experience and video
That’s the Holtville, CA WWII airstrip.
I live nearby -been there a time or two.
A couple of these appear to be Navy CMV-22B Ospreys deemed operational in 4/24. The CMV-22B Osprey is a variant of the MV-22B and is the replacement for the C-2A Greyhound for the Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) mission.
That is very interesting. Thank you for the information.