Janet Terminal parking expanded

I don't know of any projects being moved from Groom to San Nicolas, but Lockheed Martin (and perhaps others) have occasionally used San Nicolas Island for "black projects" testing. Several years ago they had something out there in a hangar that was off limits to everybody not briefed in. When the fuel truck showed up, the driver had to pass the hose through the slightly cracked door to someone inside who hooked it up to the aircraft. As far as I know, workers have only commuted to the island in smaller planes, not 737s.

reply to post by Shadowhawk


I haven't tracked a Beech flight to San Nicolas since 2004. Documentation is on this page:
plane tracking

Unfortunately, not all the Beech Janets have mode-s, so I suppose one could fly VFR to avoid internet tracking (FAA feed or mode-s receivers).

There are some very significant differences, ie, the Janets flying under Visual Flight Rules all the time when they are in restricted airspace or within the NTTR, but why Beechcraft planes used only Visual Flight Rules?, that's to say, Janet-Beechcraft pilots used VFR when flying to Groom Lake, and when they fly to other airbases like TTR, NTS used a combination of VFR-IFR.

Originally posted by rayktheon
There are some very significant differences, ie, the Janets flying under Visual Flight Rules all the time when they are in restricted airspace or within the NTTR, but why Beechcraft planes used only Visual Flight Rules?, that's to say, Janet-Beechcraft pilots used VFR when flying to Groom Lake, and when they fly to other airbases like TTR, NTS used a combination of VFR-IFR.

edit on 23-7-2013 by rayktheon because: (no reason given)

On occasion the Janet 737s land IFR at Groom. They do this in both directions, though only 32 has instrumentation. To land on 14, they use the localizer for 32, but then turn and land on 14, presumably visual. It isn't like Groom Lake will be fogged in. I assume once they are close, all the landings are essential visual. Some aircraft can use the glideslope to get the plane nearly on the ground.

The Beech Janets probably don't have a schedule. Or if they do, nobody has bothered to figure it out. Now my understanding is you can file both IFR and VFR, take the route that leaves the soonest while cancelling the other route. So sometimes they file IFR, you see the flight plan cancelled, but then they make the flight anyway.
So my guess is the Beech Janets do whatever it takes to get off the ground sooner.

Note that at some altitude you are required to fly IFR. But for a short trip to Groom Lake, it doesn't pay to gain all that altitude just to lose it, so they don't have an incentive to fly IFR.

McCarran is kind of a pain for the small aircraft since the airport is so busy. I'm sure the Beech Janet would rather fly out of North Las Vegas or Henderson if they had a choice. But I assume the passengers need to use the EG&G terminal for security reasons. The LMCO aircraft, which do occasionally go to Groom Lake, use North Las Vegas mostly and Henderson on occasion.