Rainbow Canyon (California)

Edit links
Coordinates: 36°21′45″N 117°31′12″W / 36.36250°N 117.52000°W / 36.36250; -117.52000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Rainbow Canyon
Rainbow Canyon is located in California
Rainbow Canyon
Rainbow Canyon
Location in the state of California
Floor elevation1,854 feet (565 m)
Length5.5 miles (8.9 km)
Geography
LocationDeath Valley National Park, Inyo County, California, U.S.
Coordinates36°21′45″N 117°31′12″W / 36.36250°N 117.52000°W / 36.36250; -117.52000 [1]

Rainbow Canyon (nicknamed Star Wars Canyon and Jedi Transition) is a canyon inside Death Valley National Park in Inyo County, California, on the park's western border. It is about 130 miles (210 km) west of Las Vegas and 160 miles (260 km) north of Los Angeles.

From World War II until 2019, it was commonly used by the

Father Crowley Overlook off California State Route 190
.

History, geology, and topography

The canyon was cut from

Coso people who once inhabited the area can be found in the canyon.[2] Rainbow Canyon drains the west slope of the Santa Rosa Hills and the east slope of the Inyo Mountains into the Panamint Valley. The steep walls are up to 1,000 feet (300 m) tall.[4]

Flight training

Rainbow Canyon was among the few places in the world (

Fresno Air National Guard Base[10] and Edwards Air Force Base.[11][12] The area lies within the Panamint military operations area. MOAs are used to separate military and non-participating IFR traffic.[13]
The marking on aviator's maps (so-called sectionals) also cautions VFR pilots and gives them a radio contact for querying status and traffic information, with the goal of allowing them to avoid intermingling Cessnas and other small general aviation aircraft with high performance fighter jets. Unlike many other locations around Edwards Air Force Base or more secretive airfields nearby, Rainbow Canyon is not part of restricted airspace.

Star Wars Canyon "below-the-rim" activity was suspended in August 2019, after an accident killed a pilot and injured several spectators on the ground following the crash of a

F/A-18 Super Hornet on July 31, 2019.[14][15] A 1,500 feet (460 m) above-ground-level restriction was placed on the area; it remained in place as of March 2022.[16] The 22 May 2022 version of the R-2508 Complex handbook instructs aircraft: "Maintain a minimum of 1000' above the lip of Rainbow Canyon."[17]

In January 2022, a Dassault Falcon 8X long-range business jet flew through the canyon below its lip, accompanied by another jet equipped with cameras.[18]

Photography

Because Rainbow Canyon offers the rare opportunity of proximity to military jets in flight, the National Park Service has made it an attraction with informational signs and a parking lot, though training schedules are not available to the public and flights do not occur every day.[5] The closest store and gas station are Panamint Springs Resort at the edge of Panamint Valley. Mobile phone service is not available in the area, and phone-based navigation generally does not work.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Feature Detail Report for: Rainbow Canyon". geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b Mattern, Jim. "Rainbow Canyon Petroglyphs (Death Valley National Park)". Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  3. ISBN 978-1-60732-340-2
    . Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Hall, Wayne E.; MacKevett, E.M. (1962). Geology and Ore Deposits of the Darwin Quadrangle, Inyo County, California. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Margot, Ben; Watson, Julie (April 11, 2017). "Fighter jets put on show in Death Valley's Star Wars Canyon". Las Vegas Review-Journal. The Associated Press. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  6. ^ a b Demerly, Tom (2017-11-17). "Is Star Wars Canyon, America's Plane Spotting Jewel, At Risk Of Overuse?". The Aviationist. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
  7. ^ https://www.airliners.net, Photos, Advanced search, USA, California, Rainbow Canyon area (off airport)
  8. ^ https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a31784615/f-117-star-wars-canyon/
  9. ^ https://www.airliners.net/photo/NASA/McDonnell-Douglas-F-A-18B-Hornet/5444785/L
  10. ^ a b Mizokami, Kyle (September 15, 2016). "Here's an Air Force C-17 Threading a Canyon". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  11. ^ Rosenberg, Zach. "Want to See a Fighter Jet Fly Low and Fast? Here Are Some Prime Viewing Spots". Air & Space Smithsonian. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  12. ^ Shalby, Colleen; Fry, Hannah (2019-08-02). "Navy names pilot who died in Death Valley crash". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
  13. ^ https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim_html/chap3_section_4.html#paragraph3-4-5 Explanation by the FAA on its website.
  14. ^ "Military Crash One Year Later - Death Valley National Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. July 31, 2020. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  15. ^ Ziezulewicz, Geoff (2020-05-22). "Inside a fatal Super Hornet crash in Star Wars canyon". Navy Times. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  16. ^ Rogoway, Tyler (2021-03-16). "This Cockpit View Of A C-17's Wild Ride Through Star Wars Canyon Is Bonkers". The Drive. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  17. ^ "R-2508 User's Handbook, 22 May 2022" (PDF). edwards.af.mil. 23 May 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 4, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  18. ^ Rogoway, Tyler (2022-01-04). "A Falcon 8X Business Jet Just Flew Through Star Wars Canyon Like A Fighter (Updated)". The Drive. Retrieved 2022-06-04.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rainbow_Canyon_(California)&oldid=1204009790"