Area 51

Images of Aviation

by Peter W. Merlin

Area 51, a top secret military installation for testing unacknowledged, or black, projects, lies in a desert valley northwest of Las Vegas. During the Cold War, CIA and Air Force officials chose this remote location to shield such efforts from foreign spies and US citizens. Although the base has been known by many names--Paradise Ranch, Watertown, and Dreamland, among others--the designation "Area 51" has taken root most deeply in the public imagination. Since 1955, it has grown from a temporary camp into a national test facility supporting nearly 2,000 military and civilian workers and dozens of projects, including aircraft capable of cruising at Mach 3 and stealth airplanes that are virtually invisible to radar. Although secrecy surrounding Area 51 spawned rumors of UFOs and reverse-engineered alien spacecraft, declassified photographs provide a rare glimpse into the true nature of America's most famous secret base.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

130 pages, Hardcover

First published November 21, 2011

Reviews

[Michael Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun history about Area 51 and Project Oxcart.

[Melvin Marsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find it hard to believe that a top secret base would allow photographs even if things are old

[Eugene Miya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This (largely) picture book explains a little of what happened to the designation of the late century series USAF fighters: post F-110 (renumbered to F-4, sort of) and F-111, but what of other F-110s to the F-112 through the F-118? The world now knows about the F-117. And what about cover (official and otherwise?)?

Under what circumstances are secret organizations allowed to take photographs? For this reason, this book is amazing. It's a comparatively revealing inexpensive coffee table picture book which reinforces other books on stealth technology, intelligence collection technology, etc. Sure it's short of technical detail and raises more questions than it answers, but it's cheap.

I acquired my copy at the DFRC gift store. 4 actually, one to give to "Agency" friends as a "joke."

[Peter J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is a lot of interesting stuff here. However, I was going for more of the day to day life of the base and more of the mythology surrounding it. The book really focuses on the test flights and the development of the various planes.