George Knapp and I Team story about the Government Shutdown and Area 51

Here is a link to the story the I Team and George Knapp did about the Government Shutdown and how it is affecting Area 51.

Government Shutdown Affects Mysterious Area 51

Cool article from The Atlantic Wire!

The Government Now Admits There's an 'Area 51'

National Security Archive / AP

Newly declassified documents, obtained by George Washington University's National Security Archive, appear to for the first time acknowledge the existence of Area 51. Hundreds of pages describe the genesis of the Nevada site that was home to the government's spy plane program for decades. The documents do not, however, mention aliens.

The project started humbly. In the pre-drone era about a decade after the end of World War II, President Eisenhower signed off on a project aimed at building a high-altitude, long-range, manned aircraft that could photograph remote targets. Working together, the Air Force and Lockheed developed a craft that could hold the high-resolution cameras required for the images, a craft that became the U-2. Why "U-2"?

They decided that they could not call the project aircraft a bomber, fighter, or transport plane, and they did not want anyone to know that the new plane was for reconnaissance, so [Air Force officers] Geary and Culbertson decided that it should come under the utility aircraft category. At the time, there were only two utility aircraft on the books, a U-1 and a U-3. told Culbertson that the Lockheed CL-282 was going to be known officially as the U-2.

The next step was to find a place from which the top-secret aircraft could be flown.

On 12 April 1955 [CIA officer] Richard Bissell and Col. Osmund Ritland (the senior Air Force officer on the project staff) flew over Nevada with [Lockheed's] Kelly Johnson in a small Beechcraft plane piloted by Lockheed's chief test pilot, Tony LeVier. They spotted what appeared to be an airstrip by a salt flat known as Groom Lake, near the northeast corner of the Atomic Energy Commission's (AEC) Nevada Proving Ground. After debating about landing on the old airstrip, LeVier set the plane down on the lakebed, and all four walked over to examine the strip. The facility had been used during World War II as an aerial gunnery range for Army Air Corps pilots. From the air the strip appeared to be paved, but on closer inspection it turned out to have originally been fashioned from compacted earth that had turned into ankle-deep dust after more than a decade of disuse. If LeVier had atrempted to land on the airstrip, the plane would probably have nosed over when the wheels sank into the loose soil, killing or injuring all of the key figures in the U-2 project.

That's the first acknowledged mention of the Groom Lake site, according to Chris Pocock, a British author who's written extensively about the program and provided his thoughts to the GWU archive. Nor, it seems, has the low-contrast image that accompanies that section (below) been seen. 

The name "Area 51," so evocative, was an accident of circumstance.

After consulting with [the CIA's] Dulles, Bissell and Miller asked the Atomic Energy Commission to add the Groom Lake area to its real estate holdings in Nevada. AEC Chairman Adm. Lewis Strauss readily agreed, and President Eisenhower also approved the addition of this strip of wasteland, known by its map designation as Area 51, to the Nevada Test Site. The outlines of Area 51 are shown on current unclassified maps as a small rectangular area adjoining the northeast corner of the much larger Nevada Test Site.

Recognizing that people might not be excited about moving to a place called "Area 51" in the middle of the desert, a new name was offered: "Paradise Ranch, which was soon shortened to the Ranch." It was less appealing, however, in popular culture.

The National Security Archive outlines other new revelations in the documents (all 407 pages of whichcan be downloaded from the site). Three new details:

• More than three pages (pp. 153-157, previously deleted in their entirety) on British participation in the U-2 program. The authors note that President Dwight Eisenhower viewed British participation "as a way to confuse the Soviets as to sponsorship of particular overflights" as well to spread the risk of failure.
• An account (pp. 231-233, previously redacted in its entirety) of U-2 operations from India, between 1962 and 1967, triggered by the 1962 Sino-Indian war.
• An account (pp. 222-230 ff., almost entirely deleted in the previous release) of U.S.-sponsored Chinese Nationalist U-2 operations, including tables of the number of overflight and peripheral missions each year.

It also includes a notation regarding the most famous U-2 flight: The May 1, 1960, flight of Francis Gary Powers which ended when Powers' craft was downed by a Soviet surface-to-air missile. In another bit of overlap with modern surveillance, Powers' flight left from an airfield in the Pakistani city of Peshawar.

Bob Lazar and the New Area 51? NOT

It looks like Bob Lazar has closed his store front in Michigan, but is continuing sells on his web site.  The interesting thing is that he is working on "secret stuff" in his new secured building.  The gate looks like this might be the new Area 51 (NOT).  I wonder what he is actually doing in there???

Bob Lazar's Untied Nuclear Building. The New Area 51

Helicopter at Creech AFB

Here is a photo of a helicopter practicing "Touch and Goes" on the main runway.  The photo was taken behind the casino in the truck parking lot on Tuesday around noon. The cool thing about Creech AFB is that the main runway is located so close to the freeway.  Most of the new construction is farther from the freeway in the South East section of the base.  This is a little harder to see.  It looks like they have set up 10 to 15 tents on the North end of the base next to the freeway.  The tents look like they will be there for a while.  I am wondering if they will be building a set of buildings near where the tents are.   Any day Monday through Friday you will likely see something in the air around Creech AFB.

Checking out the Drones!

For some of you that are interested, checking out the drones at Creech AFB is easy and pretty cool.  Just about sixty minutes North of Las Vegas, is Creech AFB in Indian Springs.  There is one casino in Indian Springs and it has a parking lot in the back.  Any Monday through Friday offers a really good chance that you will spot one of the the drones flying by.  A lot of the time they are practicing the landings and takeoffs.  I have never been hassled by the security, but I have heard of security checking on people recently.  The base really has grown and is quite an interesting place.  I highly recommend snooping around this area and further North around the Range.  It is a real easy drive from Las Vegas.

Silly 12 Brits Arrested at the back gate!

Silly Brits!  What did they think would happen.  There is a trip report on DreamlandResort.com that shows and explains how 12 British citizens were arrested and detained at the back gate of Area 51 near Rachel, Nevada.  I have to admit it is interesting reading, but dang these fools got what they deserved.  Don't go past the gate or warning signs! Once you get to the site, click on the trip report button on the left side and click on the trip report dated 9/6/12: 12 Brits Breach Restricted Area

Atomic Testing Museum Area 51 Exhibit

I have a whole different line of reasoning or feelings when it comes to the Museum. I would never go to the museum to see the Area 51 exhibit. I am sure it is put together very well and all who contributed did a great job, BUT each and every real piece of history from Area 51 chips away at the mystery surrounding Area 51. I completely understand those that once worked at Area 51 and who are now able to discuss programs, share pictures, and tell stories, deserve credit for a job well done. I by no means am belittling them for coming forward or casting any negative "juice" towards them for sharing. To my warped way of thinking, every little historical fact that comes out only chips away at the mystery that surrounds Groom Lake. With less and less mystery left, my interest seems to be slowly slipping away. I never took any of the 40-50 tours out there expecting to see any little green men or any flying saucer, but the shroud of secrecy allows for so much imagination! I can only hope and prey that they never open up the base for visitors! When I want to see cool stuff flying, Edwards is just a hop skip and jump down the road. I am sure there is a majority of the followers of this site that are completely dismissive of my ramblings because they are seriously into Black Projects and technology. I enjoy that as well, but Area 51 for me represents an enigma that is slowly but sadly being wrapped! Sometimes reality just aint all it is cracked up to be!

Two Sisters from Chicago visit Area 51

Two sisters from Chicago visited Area 51 in the beginning of July. A good time was had by all!

Recent visit to Area 51 6-27-11

I recently visited Area 51 after almost a years absence. It was exciting to get out to the desert. Not a lot has changed. The few changes I noticed, were the new ET HWY signs when entering Rachel, the back gate to Area 51 in Rachel is now paved, there is a new weather station and Community Environmental Monitoring Program device at the Little A Le Inn, and there does appear to be a new device at the bottom of the large security camera on GLR. All of these new changes can be found in the video.

Structure at the Nevada Test Site

This structure is in the North end of the Nevada Test Site near Armagosa Valley. I can't recall seeing it before. Maybe it has been there for a while and I just didn't notice it. The structure looks to be trailers, but they are too big to be trailers. The photo was taken from HWY 95 and is quite a few miles away. I am sure somebody who is into Google Earth can find it and see what it is???

JANET Terminal from the Luxor

A very good friend of mine at work is moving back home. A few of us from work took him out for a great dinner and some poker. We were in the room at the Luxor Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip and I was watching the JANET planes land. There were two planes that landed back to back at around 6pm. It was Friday evening, so I am sure the workers were glad to be heading home for the weekend! Of course, everybody in the room was watching the game and drinking some adult beverages and I was watching the JANET Terminal. We were on the 13th floor and in the East Tower. The room did have a great view. I only had my cell phone so the photo is not great. There was actually a JANET landing when I took the photo. I need a life!

New Google Earth Image of Area 51

It looks like Google Earth has updated the images of Area 51 and the surrounding area. The image was taken in June of 2010. It really has great resolution. There are a few new buildings, but no exotic jets on the runway!

Great Video of the A-12 at Groom Lake

Here is a great video of the A-12 and Groom Lake. These pilots and workers were really something. Great shots!

A-12 at Groom Lake

Merry Christmas

From my family to yours, "Merry Christmas"! This photo was taken on January 26, 2010 after a two day snowstorm.

Rainbow over the Nevada Test Site!

It has been raining for the past few days and I guess it is supposed to continue for a few more days. This type of rain is somewhat rare for this part of the state. It does make for some pretty photos at times. This photo is of a rainbow over the airstrip in the Nevada Test Site just before Mercury. That is an interesting airstrip. I have seen the lights on before and have seen a few small planes land there. You can see it pretty well from the Highway!

Balloon Ride Near the Nevada Test Site

While driving to the Pahrump Nugget to cash in my winning parlay card (I had USC -6, Nevada -9, Washington -6, and Oregon -16), I noticed a very rare sight. In fact, this was the first time I had noticed a hot air balloon floating into the Pahrump Valley. It appeared to me that the balloon originated somewhere in the Armagosa Valley near Crystal. The thing that caught my eye was the extremely high altitude of the balloon. I usually see 2-3 balloons per morning on the way to work in Las Vegas. The balloons do low Las Vegas view tours. The balloons are quite low and that really made this sight stick out. I could not believe how high the balloon was. I am guessing that the balloon was high to get over the mountain range that is to the North of Pahrump between the NTS and Pahrump. With the balloon being that high, with the right equipment and even with the naked eye, the NTS and well beyond Mercury would be easily seen. I have read many times and thought about hot air ballooning near the NTS, Range or even Area 51, but I have never seen on this close to the Nellis Range. The photo is almost impossible to see the balloon. It was extremely high up and far away from downtown Pahrump. I guess there could be tours of the Armagosa or Pahrump Valley, but there is not doubt they could get a great view if they knew where to look! I continued the drive further North to see where the balloon was landing. It started to descend shortly after I took the photo. I landed inside the Pahrump Valley in front of the mountain range that separates Crystal from Pahrump. It landed approximately 20 miles from the restricted area of the Nellis Range! Interesting to me...

A Busy Las Vegas Morning!

With the weather change, the contrails over Las Vegas really develop high above the valley floor. Each morning driving to work in Las Vegas, it is really a show high in the sky. The amount of passenger and military jet activity is impressive. I am glad the air traffic controllers know what they are doing!

Edwards AFB Research Laboratory

With such a welcoming sign, who could resist driving down the road to see what is up? After heading home from a wonderful Thanksgiving, I decided to venture down a road that has always interested me. I promised the wife (after the unauthorized Nevada Test Site Tour) that I would NOT go down these types of roads any more with the family in the car, so I turned around after a few ominous signs. What is the security like farther down this road? Is there a gate, guards, or fences? How close can you get to the rocket engine testing site? I haven't spent much time around Edwards AFB or the rocket engine test site. I have a feeling that I should start spending a little more time snooping around this area. I drive by continually on the way to my parent's house, but rarely stop to snoop around. I think Edwards AFB needs a little more attention!

Beautiful Southern Nevada Sunset

I captured this photo today at about 4:30 on the way home from work. The shot was taken at Red Rock Canyon. Red Rock Canyon is near Mt. Charleston. The Southern Nevada desert is a beautiful part of the country.

Aviation Nation 2010

What a great day. My dad and I had a wonderful time at this years Aviation Nation airshow from Nellis AFB. The Thunderbird's were as sensational as usual. They had a tremendous static display this year. We were able to see the UAV's from Creech AFB in action. They had a predator drone 18,000 feet above and nearly 3 miles away filming the airshow. The technology is very impressive. I am always fascinated by the amount of security. The above photo is of an A-10 with snipers on the corners of the Thunderbird Hangar. For more photos check out my Photobucket page and Youtube page. The show stopper was definitely the F-22 demonstration. What a plane!

Another recent video of F-117 flying near Area 51!

This appears to be another video that has recently surfaced showing the "retired" F-117 still very active in the Range near Area 51. The individuals on the video claim the date is July 27, 2010. I am starting to think that maybe this is a test plane for a completely remote controlled version. A F-117 UAV. I don't think that is too far out there. The F-117 is one of the first electronically controlled cockpit. It wouldn't be too far of a stretch to think they have completely taken the pilot out of the cockpit!

F-117 Flying Again Video

Click the above link to watch the video

Jesse "The Body" Visits Area 51 (almost)

The episode of Conspiracy Truth aired dealing with Area 51. Jesse didn't quite make it to Area 51, but he did get about as close as possible. He made it to the restricted area warning signs on Groom Lake Road with the help of Joerg Arnu of Dreamlandresort.com. Unfortunately, the show tended to go into too much alien folklore. I don't blame the show for this since it is obvious that the alien folklore continues to sell! The show has been put on Youtube by somebody in three parts for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Possible UFO or cow spotted above Creech AFB

While driving home to Pahrump, I caught what appeared to be a UAV returning home to Creech AFB. I usually travel with my digital camera or video camera, but did not this time. I only had my cell phone. While driving I managed to snap a shot of what appeared, with the naked eye, to clearly be a UAV, but upon further review, at home, it appears to be a flying cow or UFO! It is really cool to drive by and catch one of the UAV's flying around Creech AFB. It truly is the wave of the future for the Air Force. There has been a tremendous amount of construction at Creech AFB. The construction started a few months ago and it appears to be continuing with quite a bit of construction in all areas of the base. It is really an awesome sight to see the Predator flying past the car along the Hwy heading home to Creech AFB. This Predator UAV landed shortly after 6pm.

F-117 Resurfaces Again (well sort of...)

It appears that the Chinese have a mock up of the F-117 at one of their air bases. The interesting fact is that this base deals with UAV's and missle defense systems. It does make you wonder if the recent photos and scanner info. showing that the F-117 is again flying around Groom Lake. Lets not forget that the F-117 was the first completely wired jet. How hard would it be to disconnect the cockpit? I wonder if they are using a F-117 with some new technology making it completely remote controlled!

Image of the Week: Luoyang Nighthawk
Click on the link above to read more about this photo!

What Happens If You Cross the Line at Area 51

This video has been around for a while, but it never gets old. This should put to rest all of the people who keep talking about Area 51 being moved to Utah or other nonsense along those lines. Area 51 is as busy as possible and the security is as strict as any place on Earth!

Jesse "The Body" Ventura visits Area 51!

It looks like the new season of Conspiracy Theories with Jesse Ventura started this past Friday. The episode was about the germ lab on Plum Island. I watched all of the episodes last season and was entertained with the show. The topics were good, but Jesse just never really seemed to get any "smoking gun" concerning the topics covered, but he is an interesting character and made for an entertaining hour. The second show this season is going to be about Area 51. The previews looked interesting, but sort of gone over many times on many shows before. It looks like he interviews George Knapp and a few other regulars. The webmaster of Dreamland Resort and overall top notch Area 51 researcher is in the episode as well. The show airs Friday at 10pm Pacific. I will definitely DVR this episode. I don't expect anything monumental to come from this episode, but I am hoping it will at least be entertaining.

Possible F-117 alive and well at Area 51?

For the last few days there has been quite a bit of "buzz" about a possible sighting of a F-117 near Area 51. It is reported, from a very reliable source that the two photos and video of the F-117 are legit and they are recent and they are from near Area 51. I will work on posting the photos and video when permission is granted. The photographer wants to remain completely anonymous. It was verified that the F-117 did not come from Tonopah Test Range where the F-117 have been stored in a "mothball" state since the official retirement in 2008. If one is alive and well and being flown out of Groom Lake, that may not be too surprising after all. I can imagine Area 51 using a F-117 for testing purposes. Maybe some new technology has been added or they it has been designed to fly as a UAV. Who knows? Any guesses? When the photos and video becomes available, I will surely post for all of you!

Click the link below to visit a site that has the two photos and a video of the F-117
F-117 Post Retirement

Great Fly-By photo of Area 51, Papoose, and Yucca Dry Lake

This has been on a few sites for a few days. It really is an interesting shot. From what I can tell these shots were taken from an airplane just outside the restricted area over the Nellis Range. The flight might have been the Phoenix, Arizona to Oakland, California on US Airways. The photos are really great quality for shooting out of the window of a commercial airliner. Enjoy!

Fly-by photo

Groom Fest 2010

This should be a lot of fun. A public hike of Tikaboo Peak with Glenn Campbell.

Groom Fest 2010

Groom Lake Photos -July 2010

These photos were taken this July by one of the top Area 51 researchers. He is the webmaster at www.lazygranch.com His photos are top notch. These recent photos are the best and most detailed I have ever seen of Area 51. The photos are from Tikaboo Peak. Visit his site and this link. You will not be disappointed!!!

Groom Lake Photos

Click above to view the photos in an Area 51 discussion forum!