Good day! I am here today to speak to you about Area 51. Much has been said and written about Area 51. The main perception of this area is that it is so secretive such that there are many theories that abound to this day about Area 51. It has been romanticized in books, papers and films that the area is the site where an alien ship crashlanded, that it is an area where meetings with aliens are held, and that time travel and teleportation are held here as well. Today, I would like to provide with information that is related to the truth about Area 51. Therefore first we will talk about its origins, a bit about its history, what really takes place in the locale and some myths about the place before making a conclusion.
In actuality, Area 51 is a US Air Force facility that is considered to be part of Edwards Air Force Base that is located inside the Nevada Test and Training Range. The exact names for the area are Homey Airport and Groom Lake, and the term “Area 51” for the place came into existence only after the Vietnam War. The airspace in and around the area is restricted, and referred to as Restricted Area 4808 North, or R-4808N (Sky Vector: Aeronautical Charts). It is located in the southern portion of the state of Nevada. In its center on the southern portion of Groom Lake is a military airstrip that was initially used in 1955 for the testing of the Lockheed U-2 aircraft (BBC: Area 51 ‘Declassified’ in U-2 Spy Plane History). The area was chosen because Groom Lake, which is a salt flat, was deemed to be an excellent choice for testing new aircraft.
Let us first discuss the history of the site. In World War II, it is said that the airstrip was used by the US Army Corps. In 1955, the Lockheed team along with representatives from the CIA were scouting for a test site in the area. The main considering was that the area had to be remote and isolated, far from prying eyes of the Soviet spies. The air strip had become dusty after non-use, and any attempt to land a plane at that point in time would have killed all those aboard any plane. The air strip and the land were added to the Atomic Energy Commission’s Nevada testing site, and the AEC named the site Area 51 (How Stuff Works: How Area 51 Works).
One thing is for sure. The reason why everything seems to be so “top secret” at Area 51 is because all of the modern spy and ultramodern stealth aircraft were all developed and tested in this area. The first batch of aircraft developed and tested here is the batch of Lockheed U-2 aircraft. The first completed U-2 delivery to the area (also called “The Ranch”) by the U-2 chief designer Kelly Johnson, was made on July 24, 1955 on board a C-124 Globemaster II cargo airplane, with Lockheed employees accompanying the flight aboard a Douglas DC-3 (Foreign Policy: Declassified: The CIA’s Secret History of Area 51). The next major class of aircraft tested in Area 51 is the antiradar Lockheed A-12, under Project Oxcart. For this endeavor, the facilities at The Ranch were upgraded. The runway was extended and upgraded. More hangars were added, with the original hangars being converted to maintenance and machine areas. More dormitories and other housing units were added for those who were staying in the area for longer periods (Foreign Policy: Declassified: The CIA’s Secret History of Area 51). One of the more famous aircraft tested in Area 51 is the class of the Lockheed Have Blue stealth fighters, which eventually evolved into the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk. The first edition was flown in the area in 1977. If you will recall, the F-117 was extremely popular during the Gulf War. It came to be called the “Stealth Fighter”. This aircraft is known for not appearing on radar screens, and hence is undetectable and can carry out attack sorties on specific targets without the great potential for retribution from the enemy (PBS Frontline: Weapons: F-117 Stealth). According to CIA declassified documents, this is all Area 51 has to offer. It is the place where innovative aircraft technology is tested, away from the prying eyes of the previously so-called Soviet and other Cold War spies, and today, from the media and other possible competitors who might copy the new technology.
One can speculate or maybe formally conclude that the reason why many myths and legends abound regarding Area 51 is due to the secrecy which has cloaked the site since its inception. After the Lockheed U-2 was first tested in the skies above Area 51, many UFO sightings were made. Experts aver that the cause of this is that the U-2 flies about 60,000 feet into the atmosphere, far above the heights flown by regular and standard aircraft. This is the main reason why Area 51 has long been associated with tales of aliens and their spacecraft that crashed nearby and that were taken into custody at the site (Fee and Webb, 48-49). Twentieth Century Fox and director Roland Emmerich went to Rachel, the town nearest Area 51, in order to shoot several scenes for the 1996 blockbuster Independence Day. The US government did not cooperate with the Independence Day film team, and thus the mystery surrounding Area 51 grew even more (Yenne, 180-181). In 1987, Robert Lazar made a claim that he used to work in an area called Sector 4 inside Area 51. He claimed that he was hired in order to do some “reverse engineering” on alien technology kept inside Area 51. He claimed that several extraterrestrials were in charge of an Area 51 program, describing them as about 3-4 feet in height, and possessing mind control and telepathic capabilities. He also said that he also had a master’s degree in electronics technology from Caltech and a master’s degree in Physics from MIT. Both of these claims were refuted by those who did some checking into Lazar’s background, stating that he was never a graduate of these courses, nor did he attend any of these educational institutions (Hodapp and Von Kannon, 126).
In the end, one could say that the perception of Area 51 and the mysteries and legends associated with the place are all due to the secrecy of its operations which until recently have not been disclosed by the US government. Who knows what new aircraft technologies are being tested there at this point in time? If the stealth was a pretty unique aircraft that really looked like a spaceship then, what new forms and shapes of aircraft now fly in the skies of Nevada? If it were possible, one could plan an outing and stay in the town of Rachel in order to do some “alien spacecraft watching”. However, I cannot assure you that US military personnel will not do their best to get you out of the way when you begin to watch the skies over Rachel or any nearby spot or site. As new technologies for military aircraft will continue to be developed, Area 51 and its nearby environs will continue to be used as testing grounds for such.
Maybe it would be more prudent to wait for the final unveiling or release of these aircraft instead.
Works Cited
BBC. Area 51 ‘Declassified’ in U-2 Spy Plane History. 2013. Web.
Fee, Christopher and Webb, Jeffrey. American Myths, Legends and Tall Tales. 2016. NY: ABC-Clio. Web.
Foreign Policy. Declassified: The CIA’s Secret History of Area 51. 2013. Web.
Hodapp, Christopher and Von Kannon, Alice. Conspiracy Theories and Secret Societies for Dummies. 2011. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
How Stuff Works. How Area 51 Works. 2016. Web.
PBS Frontline. Weapons: F-117 Stealth. 2014. Web.
Sky Vector. Aeronautical Charts. 2016. Web.
Yenne, Bill. Area 51- Black Jets. 2014. UK: Zenith Press. Web.
