Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
As rural Nevada prepares for Alienstock -- a music festival born of a joke Facebook event to storm Area 51 -- the Federal Aviation Administration is closing down airspace above the classified area where some believe the government is hiding evidence of extraterrestrial life.
In two NOTAMs (for "notice to airmen") Friday and Monday, the FAA issued "temporary flight restrictions for special security reasons," banning aircraft in the vicinity. The coordinates given are for areas south and west of Rachel, Nevada, including the the US Air Force's Nevada Test and Training Range. One ban runs Sept. 18-23, and [the] other runs Sept. 19-23.
Separately, Pulse reports:
Airspace around the fabled Area 51 facility in Nevada will be closed to all air traffic this week in advance of the upcoming "Storm Area 51" event.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) posted two temporary flight restrictions (TFR) on Monday, closing airspace to news helicopters, drones, private pilots, and anyone else above [these] two areas near the facility from Wednesday, September 18 at 7 a.m. Pacific time, to Sunday, September 22 at 8 p.m. Pacific time.
The Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) outlining the restrictions specify that only aircraft "working in support of the Department of Energy (DOE) Mission are allowed to enter the TFR." The DOE controls Area 51 along with the Department of Defense.
Notably, even emergency service aircraft are prohibited from flying within the TFR. From the NOTAM:
ALL EMERGENCY/LIFE SAVING FLIGHT (MEDICAL/LAW ENFORCEMENT/FIREFIGHTING) OPERATIONS MUST COORDINATE WITH DOE PRIOR TO THEIR ENTRY INTO THE TFR AT 702-295-0311 TO AVOID POTENTIAL DELAYS.
The first TFR covers the northwest edge of restricted airspace above the actual Area 51 facilities, creating an additional buffer surrounding some of the "most restricted airspace in the world". The second TFR is along the southern edge of the Nevada Test and Training Range, according to The Drive.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday September 18 2019, @05:22AM (1 child)
See TFSL**. How about helium balloons?
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** (the fine subject line)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 5, Informative) by c0lo on Wednesday September 18 2019, @05:54AM
Turns out they do: Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 14 → Chapter I → Subchapter F → Part 101 [ecfr.gov]
So, how about flying... ummm... say... tamed bald eagles?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by rylyeh on Wednesday September 18 2019, @05:25AM (6 children)
It takes 3 days of walking - from the much publicized gate to get to S3.
"a vast crenulate shell wherein rode the grey and awful form of primal Nodens, Lord of the Great Abyss."
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 18 2019, @06:06AM (5 children)
Are these people going for a Darwin award? Trying to storm a military base is going to get them shot.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 18 2019, @06:29AM (4 children)
If we all Naruto run towards the aliens, they can't shoot us all!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 18 2019, @09:18AM
*gov agent readies automatic weapons*
(Score: 1) by sfm on Wednesday September 18 2019, @12:23PM
"...run towards the aliens, they can't shoot us all! "
I think that is an assumption NOT supported by facts.
This was an off joke that turned into a really bad idea
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday September 18 2019, @02:34PM
With the advent of the gatling gun well over 100 years ago, that's been a really effective way to get lots of people killed.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 18 2019, @06:12PM
Thanks, but no thanks Lord Cardigan.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 18 2019, @06:26AM (1 child)
Why isn't that shit shut down already? Maybe the boss forgot. Bulllllshit.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 18 2019, @06:33AM
Rick Perry found out that the Dept. of Energy is a cover for experimentation on dark energy technology based on downed alien spacecraft. So he stopped trying to shut it down.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 18 2019, @06:29AM (4 children)
There are TFRs all the time, for all kinds of reasons, some more valid than others. Keeping air traffic away from Area 51 is certainly one of the most valid ones. Normally there's not much reason to fly there. Now there is, and they don't want any problems.
A lot of the time they apply restrictions that are slightly more than absolutely necessary just to make things easier on themselves. In case they have to make a snap decision about what to do about a stray aircraft, they don't want to have to worry if it's special enough. Also, unlike certain other airspace closures (like the ones that follow the President wherever he goes), there's no reason law enforcement would be exempted from this type of TFR. Police aren't authorized to see top secret classified things.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 18 2019, @09:46AM (3 children)
The sort of nutter willing to even attempt to fly into this area probably isn't a 100% 'kosher' pilot, so isn't likely to pay much attention to any NOTAM...couple that with the whole 'entitled' vibe of the nutters behind this whole shebang...to them, any TFRs are a vindication, and that 'the man' is running scared of them and indeed has something to hide...
I don't know if the market is still the same, as it's been well over 20 years since I last entertained the notion of learning to fly and discovered my wallet wasn't deep or full enough, but I do remember how scarily cheap old Cessna 172s with no COAs were back then..imagine my surprise a few years back when I was told by a friend who was a pilot that a fair number of these things were actually flying around (and not by qualified pilots) sort-of just under the official radar, blind eyes were being turned so long as the operators restricted their activities to VFR over their own lands in the sparsely populated areas they lived in..got to love the power of privilege..
Anyhoo, even with the TFRs in place, I think they'd still balk at shooting down a cheap 172/whatever full of entitled nut jobs...send a couple of F-15s over the top of them at Mach 2 maybe...shock wave causing a crash in the desert..plausible deniability....
...Or they could just abduct them in mid air using the USSF Bob Lazar...
(Score: 3, Funny) by deadstick on Wednesday September 18 2019, @11:43AM (1 child)
I still think the big beneficiary of this will be Orville Redenbacher.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 18 2019, @02:06PM
Indeed, even though I can't stand the stuff myself, I'll find an empty bag of his finest (other family members like it), use it as a wrap for bottles of beer and partake, albeit symbolically....
(Score: 2) by legont on Wednesday September 18 2019, @06:32PM
One year in prison and $100K penalty for an intentional flight into tfr. I imagine other violations would be found.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Wednesday September 18 2019, @11:42AM (1 child)
Journalists need to run this stuff by pilots before reporting on pilots. Nothing new about journalists not knowing anything.
There's NOTAMs seemingly every week around there for obvious radar research purposes. Nothing new. Also not sure how "coordinate" is getting reported as "prohibited". Its perfectly normal as a private pilot to get permission from the PoC for a NOTAM to transit a training area, can save a lot of gas doing that sometimes.
My guess is its a mix of real security, security theater, and their normal job. Their normal job would be running radar scans on aircraft... if they're doing high speed low altitude small jets this week as part of regular R+D then you wouldn't want an uncoordinated helo-ambulance to get hit or scared into crashing or whatever. Obviously the whole thing is a lot of theater. And there's probably going to be a little extra real security.
There's been NOTAMs over area 51 being reported as insightful going AT LEAST back to the 80s when I became aware of them.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 18 2019, @05:13PM
Yes, of course you're correct, except that there ain't nobody getting an exception cut to them for these this weekend is my bet.
It's pretty real to me. On the NE corner of the normal exclusion zone where Area 51 might actually be seen they've set the security from 0 to 18,000 feet or what is all of VFR airspace. Which means you'd have to have an IFR plan already filed to go across that zone, which would be denied during the event I'm sure. The Southwest box, interestingly, is only cut off to 7,000 feet. They're just cutting off the ability for looky-loos to try and get a visual on Groom proper. And I'd bet money they've shut down all outdoor operations during the period and will have everything wrapped up so neatly that the only thing anyone would possibly see is what's already available on commercial satellites, plus the interceptors. No need to kill anybody that way, just fine/jail/pull license.
But yep, they're only just adding to the area of the DoE box just a little bit, actually.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 18 2019, @04:57PM (1 child)
To see it visually slide over to https://skyvector.com [skyvector.com] and make sure the "Temporary Flight Restrictions" box is checked under the 'Layers' menu in the upper right. They are just adding a little more exclusion space to the Southwest and the Northeast to the permanent boxes that surround the test range and Area 51 already.
It wouldn't surprise me that they did this for drones as well (not just hobby drones but the semi-commercial ones). I've read elsewhere that even with the existing permanent boxes one can just barely see part of Groom Lake skirting the Tikaboo valley West of Alamo, just along the current exclusion line at around 13,000 feet. Alamo is not that far away from Homey. I've flown the area in my flight sim and it seems plausible there.
And I'll bet they'll have escorts hot and waiting from both Creech and Tonopah KTNX for anyone stupid enough to try. You'll get a beautiful military escort before they fine and/or yank your license. Plus risk arrest.
(Score: 2) by legont on Wednesday September 18 2019, @06:34PM
This tfr prohibits even police and emergency medical flights.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.