Area 51...

[Gumby]

The runway extends out into the middle of the lake and I think it is some 29,000 feet long or more, when all the available length is taken into account. I saw it from over BTY at FL410 one night with all the runway lights on and that is one long runway.

Any second segment problems with that runway?

 

[cosmotheassman]

I used to fly with an air force guy that flew B-1's for over 20 years. He said they don't even let military aircraft fly near it without clearance and they will shoot to kill if you enter it. wow. shoot our own military?

 

[HA XPEH]

Looking at the Google Earth image the runway that extends into Groom Lake has some X's on it. It is a pretty interesting image.

 

[414Flyer]

The really long runway there has been closed for some time. I believe they built a new shorter runway, and some new taxiways.

When they have international exercises, the whole box around that base is closed off to all pilots. Sometimes when its just an exercise with just US pilots, the airspace around there will be a bit more open for them.

 

[psysicx]

Since this is so secret what kind of jobs do they have there?

 

[GulfstreamSDL]

Since this is so secret what kind of jobs do they have there?

MAKE IT STOP!!

 

[ultrarunner]

The runway extends out into the middle of the lake and I think it is some 29,000 feet long or more, when all the available length is taken into account. I saw it from over BTY at FL410 one night with all the runway lights on and that is one long runway.

They actually lighted 5 and a half miles of runway? Hmmmmmmm

 

[sleepy]

I have seen it many times flying along the airway to the north. So what? They moved all of the operations somewhere else didn't they?

 

[Geronimo4497]

Somewhere in Canada, as legend has it.

 

[AZaviator]

MAKE IT STOP!!

HAHAHAHAHAHA

So, the big question is........say you are flying close to that area...and you have a major emergency of some sort; aircraft emergency, passenger emergency, etc.... and its the closest airport. Would you land there?


...and for those of you who would answer with the fact you would consult ATC first, let's say in this situation your are lost comm. :erm:

 

[Tram]

No, you wouldn't land, as you'd be shot down well before you hit the dirt..

 

[zonker]

That place is so top secret, they've got high resolution satellite imagery of it all over the internet.


http://www.fas.org/irp/overhead/groom.htm

 

[414Flyer]

I have seen it many times flying along the airway to the north. So what? They moved all of the operations somewhere else didn't they?

While it isnt the only classified location like that, the article 10 years ago in Popular Science stating the base has been locked up and everything had been moved elsewhere, was wrong.

The author of the article did not even know how to find the border of groom. He drove around, came across some locked ranch gate, assumed the base was closed up, and drove home to write the article. That was 10 years ago, but the myth of it still persists from that article.

There has been a lot of new construction out there the past few years so its still active. But that does not preclude there there are other places where things like that happen, and probably sometimes in plain site.

 

[Tram]

YOu know, i wonder if the government could have known when the pics were gonna be taken and strategically placed aircraft of no big significance all over the airport.

 

[414Flyer]

There actually are pics of there with the JANET 737s on the ramp, or B1900, an I think an F-16 too. Also one out there with either a MiG-29 or Su-27, but hard to tell which one from the grainy photo