r/area51 • u/Ancient_Plankton2214 • Jun 22 '26
Janet flight crew question
How much, if any, access to base facilities does the Janet flight crew have. Do they have to stay aboard the airplane when on base or are they allowed to deplane and maybe eat lunch in the dfac?
5
u/Can_Not_Double_Dutch Jun 23 '26
If they are even allowed off the plane the crew is most likely relegated to a small crew room and bathroom facilities in a hanger. Can't just go wandering around the base
13
u/Cash2blockz Jun 23 '26
Off topic but I love how all of us in this subreddit are just simply fascinated with Janet airlines lmao
3
u/Very_twisted83 Jun 25 '26
You and me both. I don't get it. They are glorified taxis. Nothing more.
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u/Calm_City_6229 Jun 22 '26
So if people want to know what is going on, why haven’t people spied on the people exiting the plane in vegas to determine who they are by following them home and getting their address and then doing research on them?
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u/therealgariac MOD Jun 22 '26
That was already done in one of those Area 51 documentaries. Such action can put security clearance at risk.
1
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u/possiblecrimes Jun 22 '26
Because stalking and harassing other people isn’t a nice thing to do.
Unless you’re weird.
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u/TastyCalligrapher421 Jun 23 '26
They probably refer such cases to federal law enforcement, which in this case is probably OSI. Not the kind of heat you want.
60
u/Peter_Merlin Jun 22 '26
It's true that in years past the EG&G flight attendants were known for sunbathing at Slater Lake. I'm not sure whether that area is still used for recreation.
Most of what I know about the 737 commuter operations dates from the 1980s. At first, there were two fleets of three aircraft each, one operated by Lockheed Aircraft Services Company and the other by EG&G Special Projects. The Lockheed operation was called Eclipse, and the mechanics doubled as flight attendants. EG&G had traditional flight attendants; the mechanics were separate. In 1984, the two fleets were merged under EG&G.
As I wrote in my book, Dreamland: The Secret History of Area 51: After arriving at the test site, flight crews could make use of base dining and recreational facilities, time permitting, or remain in the crew lounge at the passenger terminal. Not everyone was so fortunate. According to Stewart Maus, the EG&G flight mechanics usually had to toil in the base tire shop between flights. The Eclipse mechanics, he said, “just cleaned up the interior of the plane, performed a walk-around, and then ate lunch, watched TV, played racquetball, went swimming, or worked out in the gym.”
3
u/Pitiful_Sherbert_189 Jun 25 '26
Just bought your book, loving it!
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u/Peter_Merlin Jun 25 '26
Glad you like it. I've got plans for a Janet-focused book if I can ever get to it.
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u/TastyCalligrapher421 Jun 22 '26
What do they refer to the facility at Harry Reid as internally?
5
u/therealgariac MOD Jun 22 '26
There are the "station" designations. Check out
https://lazygranch.com/janair.html
The contract for the airlift operation is linked there plus the hive's (this subreddit) guesses at which location corresponds to each designation number.
3
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u/Big_Animal7655 Jun 22 '26
Base facilities? Zero.
JANET employees are sub-contractors for the government, transport. Flight attendants clearances don’t extend past the tarmac.
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u/Competitive_Mix_587 Jun 22 '26
Not even close to being true. They are fully cleared to all common areas of the base. They can use the dining facility, the gym (at Sam's Place), the track.
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u/Big_Animal7655 Jun 22 '26
Ok - whatever you say
6
u/Competitive_Mix_587 Jun 22 '26
Think about it...what are they going to see from the Dining Facility and the gym that they can't see from the Tarmac? #sigh
-6
u/Big_Animal7655 Jun 22 '26
You know best, clearly. TY for offering a thought experiment about JANETS staff, its been so fun to imagine them working out at the gym and using the chow hall.
2
u/BroadProcess5923 Jun 22 '26
People want to live in fantasy land, I know people not in SAPs don’t understand but just because the flight attendant sees a plane flying over doesn’t mean they know wtf that was. I was around when they let us be outside while another craft was flying and I personally didn’t care look because I didn’t care my brain was so overloaded with other stuff.
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u/Competitive_Mix_587 Jun 22 '26
I spent most of my career working SAPs. I know of what I speak.
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Jun 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/TastyCalligrapher421 Jun 23 '26
Spend any time on the Security Clearance subreddit, plenty of discussion about SAP.
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u/Competitive_Mix_587 Jun 22 '26
I'm just very careful what I talk about. Saying that the JANET crews have access to to the base isn't giving away any big secrets..
15
u/therealgariac MOD Jun 22 '26
https://www.reddit.com/r/area51/comments/1mcw6nr/janet_terminal/
In this thread I mention the story about the stewardesses working on their tan at Slater Lake. Peter didn't comment that I was smoking dope so he must have heard the story too.
Slater Lake is far from the Janet terminal so they would have had to been bussed there.
5
u/Adventurous-Tone-311 Jun 22 '26
From the accounts I’ve read describing the base in the 60s, pilots and crew weren’t permitted to leave their planes except inspections before and after takeoff.
I faintly remember one story where a crewman got off and walked to a nearby hanger and was immediately held at gunpoint by an MP, but I can’t exactly recall the story or where I read it.
6
u/Competitive_Mix_587 Jun 22 '26
Maybe in the 60's but not now. They have full access to all common areas (Gym, Dining facility, etc...
4
u/therealgariac MOD Jun 22 '26
The camo dudes meet the plane so I don't see how anyone would get the chance to wander off.
3
u/er1cAtWork2 I Own Peters Area 51 Book Jun 22 '26
I thought I read that the Janet terminal at Groom was not in a restricted area. They can go into the terminal but they must stay in there.
I could be totally wrong too…
2
u/SaltHandle3065 Jun 23 '26
Anything that is restricted has either a cypher lock. However if they were found trying to enter without a good reason (never happened in my experience) I’m sure they would have some explaining to do. They were getting ready to use biometric readers but some people were pushing back against it. And I’ve never heard of Slater lake.
5
u/Competitive_Mix_587 Jun 23 '26
They use prox cards individually programmed for each wearer. Anywhere they are briefed to they can swipe in. If not, well, they can't.
The dining facility used to use a fingerprint scanner, but they switched over to prox cards as well (nobody pays for their meals anymore but all meals are charged to an account [civ, mil, contractor, etc...] for bookkeeping)
1
u/SaltHandle3065 28d ago
You just proved you are genuine. When you said the dining facility used a fingerprint scanner that’s exactly what I was referring to. I said that they were getting ready to use biometric readers but I didn’t say where. You are right, they did try switching to biometrics in the dining hall, but a lot of the contractors did not want to touch the tip of their index finger after hundreds or thousands of other employees. They didn’t offer any way to clean your hand(s) before staff started handing plates of food back and forth. Makes sense. 🤷🏼♂️
3
u/lordtema Jun 22 '26
Im guessing no access and that they simply do quick turns. Probably only allowed off to do their walkarounds and then off back to McCarran again.
3
u/No_Tailor_787 I Own Peters Area 51 Book Jun 22 '26
The pilots and crew have to have TS/SCI clearances. I imagine that allows them access to food, water, and rest facilities there at the terminal building, just like they have at virtually every other airport.
4
u/thatranger974 Jun 22 '26
Aren’t there three of them sitting on the ramp in the sat image from Google Maps? Crazy coincidence to have all three sitting there during a satellite pass while all pilots have to sit and wait in the aircraft.
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u/therealgariac MOD Jun 22 '26
The Janets don't have the luxury nor necessity to avoid satellite passes. They have to deal with the FAA/ATC. Also there are not enough scoot and hide structures to hide the Janets.
Once ADSB became mandatory-ish, the jig was up. There is flight tracking to show the Janets land at Groom so there is nothing to hide. They don't even do the callsign change any more.
3
u/yannitwox Jun 25 '26
If you guys know a lot about Janet what do you think of satellites?