Suppose I lost my engine within gliding distance to Area 51

bflynn said:
They have no give. You don't snag those wires, they snag you.
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Hey, no one ever said being a carrier pilot was easy!

(And my original response was made in jest. I'm emoticon-challenged when it comes to flagging my joke responses)
 
I DID have an emergency and landed in Area 51. It was no big deal. They even loaned us a mechanic. We were off Van Nuys for somewhere east and lost an engine. We were returning to Van Nuys when the owner panicked, saw the big runway, and insisted that we land.

I still have the track as recorded by a Garmin 496.
 
This guy made some pretty close flights to Area 51 in his Cessna 152 a couple years ago. Legally and everything.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...h-air-base-while-skirting-restricted-airspace

For all of the notoriety surrounding Area 51, it's still just another large airbase. People come in and go to work, and then leave an go home. Granted, flying in and out of work via "Janet Airlines" is a bit unique. Even then, I believe there are also some employees that arrive via bus from some of the surrounding areas.

If I had to guess, I bet you'd be met by all kinds of security on the runway. They'd drag you into a windowless conference room, and they'd question you for a couple hours.

I do wonder what would be the end result of your aircraft. Doubt they have much in the way of facilities to support a single engine piston (probably no 100LL). Assuming you claimed some mechanical related emergency, I wonder if they'd just drive you off the base, and ship your aircraft back in a container or something.
 
Two plausible outcomes:
1. Whatever happened to SixPapaCharlie?
2. They find your body in the burnt up wreckage of your plane in a remote area 20 miles from the base.
 
kgruber said:
I DID have an emergency and landed in Area 51. It was no big deal. They even loaned us a mechanic. We were off Van Nuys for somewhere east and lost an engine. We were returning to Van Nuys when the owner panicked, saw the big runway, and insisted that we land.

I still have the track as recorded by a Garmin 496.
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PMD is only Area 50-1/2. They put the stuff they want to slowly leak out there.
 
If you want to see space aliens you can hang out with my MIL. She sees them all the time.
 
So, in the spirit of seven degrees of separation to Kevin Bacon...

I worked for a large international consulting firm with 10,000 employees worldwide, which was bought out by URS Greiner. So I worked for URS Greiner for a short period of time.

Last time I checked, URS Greiner was the contractor for Janet Airlines.
 
kgruber said:
I DID have an emergency and landed in Area 51. It was no big deal. They even loaned us a mechanic. We were off Van Nuys for somewhere east and lost an engine. We were returning to Van Nuys when the owner panicked, saw the big runway, and insisted that we land.

I still have the track as recorded by a Garmin 496.
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If you landed at Palmdale (KPMD) or Edwards (KEDW) you were about 250 miles from Area 51 ... for the uninitiated it is something like 90 or 100 miles NNW of Vegas and nothing, absolutely nothing is near it. It's a fun thought experiment but I seriously doubt a small GA plane is going to glide there. Assuming for fun you did somehow have the altitude and range to glide there, you would also need to know where it is because its not on any map or sectional that I'm aware of. If you know where to look you can see some of it (the parts they allow) on maps satellite view. There are several choices that would be closer and better sooo ... continuing the thought experiment ... you would undoubtedly find yourself being intercept and led away before you got even remotely close. If you still managed to get on the ground within the confines of the property you would have a very bad day ... debriefing ... charges ... as someone above suggested, aircraft returned in little bitty pieces ... just not fun.

I've always felt that Area 51 is where 'ol uncle sam learned it's lesson on secrecy. There are several testing and experimentation sites the different services use and you all haven't heard of any of them. Area 51 is the popular one we all think we know about. Area 51 was the first and mistakes were made early on in its creation and running that have not been repeated at other sites. Still, what we know as Area 51 is bigger and far better secured then most folks realize and they sure are serious about security. There is a lot of truth in the stories of the "camo dudes" and they actively monitor talk about it. I certainly wouldn't want to test the theory ...
 
R.L.Mauzy said:
If you landed at Palmdale (KPMD) or Edwards (KEDW) you were about 250 miles from Area 51 ... for the uninitiated it is something like 90 or 100 miles NNW of Vegas and nothing, absolutely nothing is near it. It's a fun thought experiment but I seriously doubt a small GA plane is going to glide there. Assuming for fun you did somehow have the altitude and range to glide there, you would also need to know where it is because its not on any map or sectional that I'm aware of. If you know where to look you can see some of it (the parts they allow) on maps satellite view. There are several choices that would be closer and better sooo ... continuing the thought experiment ... you would undoubtedly find yourself being intercept and led away before you got even remotely close. If you still managed to get on the ground within the confines of the property you would have a very bad day ... debriefing ... charges ... as someone above suggested, aircraft returned in little bitty pieces ... just not fun.

I've always felt that Area 51 is where 'ol uncle sam learned it's lesson on secrecy. There are several testing and experimentation sites the different services use and you all haven't heard of any of them. Area 51 is the popular one we all think we know about. Area 51 was the first and mistakes were made early on in its creation and running that have not been repeated at other sites. Still, what we know as Area 51 is bigger and far better secured then most folks realize and they sure are serious about security. There is a lot of truth in the stories of the "camo dudes" and they actively monitor talk about it. I certainly wouldn't want to test the theory ...
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Hmm. I wonder what filing a Flight Plan to KXTA would do. Any volunteers? @SixPapaCharlie , you started this, I nominate you
 
I have flown near it on an IFR flight plan when they allowed me through the restricted areas but I was still probably 20 miles from the runway there. Lots of other places to land.
 
R.L.Mauzy said:
If you landed at Palmdale (KPMD) or Edwards (KEDW) you were about 250 miles from Area 51 ... for the uninitiated it is something like 90 or 100 miles NNW of Vegas and nothing, absolutely nothing is near it.
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Just for laughs, can you give me a theortical vector from, say, Yucca Mountain to this area 51 place. Or an actual R number? It might help explain a call a friend received from the FAA. And "nothing" is a bit unfair. According to my friend it was a beautiful area.
 
aftCG said:
Just for laughs, can you give me a theortical vector from, say, Yucca Mountain to this area 51 place. Or an actual R number? It might help explain a call a friend received from the FAA. And "nothing" is a bit unfair. According to my friend it was a beautiful area.
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Oh by nothing I'm talking about civilization ... its all beautiful country out there if you go in for that type of terrain/territory. As far as vectors you don't need them. just look at a sectional north of Vegas ... all that restricted and MOA ... its in that neighborhood. It's actually funny how easy it is to find out where "Area 51" is but it is equally not funny for the folks foolish enough to enter it uninvited. Honestly its great set up now ... everyone knows we test all our cool Buck Rogers stuff there but you cant actually get close enough to know if we really are or are not. Who knows for sure now but it is an ideal location ... at one time if memory serves they had a runway that was like 5 or 6 miles long. I know I'm a newer pilot and have a lot to learn about reading sectionals and airways and all that, but I don't see any going over that place, don't see air traffic either. Maybe there is a reason ...
 
aftCG said:
Just for laughs, can you give me a theortical vector from, say, Yucca Mountain to this area 51 place. Or an actual R number? It might help explain a call a friend received from the FAA. And "nothing" is a bit unfair. According to my friend it was a beautiful area.
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53 miles from BTY on the 043 Radial.
R-4808 N
 
You can just type Groom Lake on Google Maps and it'll take you there.
(It might not get you home from there.)
 
Everyone talks about Area 51.

The real secret place where the aliens live and folks take joy rides in flying saucers is Area 51-A...
 
Zeldman said:
Everyone talks about Area 51.

The real secret place where the aliens live and folks take joy rides in flying saucers is Area 51-A...
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Well ... it's one thing to ride in a UFO but another to live in one!

 
For the boring answer:

The PIC's emergency authority in 91.3 doesn't give carte blanche to do anything you want without potential punishment. Even the wording of the regulation spells out the limitation, in that you are allowed to deviate from any rule "of this part" - meaning any rule of Part 91.

It doesn't mean you won't get in trouble by some other agency once you land for violating some other law or regulation - like DOD regulations and such. It just means that you won't be violated for any breach of Part 91.
 
RussR said:
For the boring answer:

The PIC's emergency authority in 91.3 doesn't give carte blanche to do anything you want without potential punishment. Even the wording of the regulation spells out the limitation, in that you are allowed to deviate from any rule "of this part" - meaning any rule of Part 91.

It doesn't mean you won't get in trouble by some other agency once you land for violating some other law or regulation - like DOD regulations and such. It just means that you won't be violated for any breach of Part 91.
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This.

Declaring an emergency only exempts a pilot from violations of the FARs…not any other law or regulation…like being shot down and disappearing the face of the earth and any know existence of your being…good luck.
 
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