Janet (airline)
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| Founded | 1972 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | McCarran International Airport | |||
| Fleet size | 11 | |||
| Destinations | 6 | |||
| Headquarters | ||||
Janet is the de facto name for a small fleet of passenger aircraft operated by the United States Air Force. The fleet was previously operated by EG&G. Their aircraft currently serve mostly the Nevada National Security Site (most notably Area 51) from their terminal at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport.[1] The origin of the word "Janet" is obscure and, while it is used as a radio callsign[2][3], it is not known whether the name is an official name, code word, or acronym.
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[edit] Fleet
The first flights from Las Vegas to Area 51 were performed in 1972 by a Douglas DC-6 operated by EG&G. A second Douglas DC-6 was added in 1976 and this type remained in use until 1981.[4]
Currently, the Janet fleet consists of six Boeing 737-600s painted white with a prominent red cheatline. There are also five smaller executive turboprops (two Beechcraft 1900s and three Beechcraft 200Cs) painted white with less prominent blue trim stripes. The fleet is registered to the Department of the Air Force, while some earlier aircraft were registered to several civil aircraft leasing corporations.[4] Before the arrival of the 737-600s Janet operated Boeing 737-200s, some of which were modified from military T-43A aircraft. One of the 737-200s with registration N5177C in the 1980s was briefly based in Germany at Frankfurt International Airport (which was at the time also home to a USAF base, Rhein-Main Air Base), and was operated by Keyway Air Transport, which also appears to have been a US government operation with Keyway Air Transport merely being a front company. It was retired on March 6, 2009.[4]
All the 737-600 aircraft are ex-Air China and with the exception of N273RH and N365SR were previously operated by the now defunct China Southwest Airlines before being acquired for US Air Force operations starting in 2008. Most of the Beechcraft airplanes were sold directly to the Air Force, except for two, which had civilian owners first.[5][6]
One aircraft, a Beechcraft 1900s, was lost on March 14, 2004, when it crashed on approach for Tonopah Test Range Airport after the pilot suffered sudden cardiac death. Five people, including the pilot, were killed in the accident.[7]
The following table lists information about the Janet fleet.[4]
| Model | Registration | MSN | C/N |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-66N | N319BD | 28649 | 887 |
| Boeing 737-66N | N869HH | 28650 | 932 |
| Boeing 737-66N | N859WP | 28652 | 938 |
| Boeing 737-66N | N273RH | 29890 | 1276 |
| Boeing 737-66N | N365SR | 29891 | 1294 |
| Boeing 737-66N | N288DP | 29892 | 1305 |
| Beech 1900C | N20RA | UB-42 | Unknown |
| Beech 1900C | N623RA | UC-163 | Unknown |
| Beech King Air B200C | N654BA | BL-54 | Unknown |
| Beech King Air B200C | N661BA | BL-61 | Unknown |
| Beech King Air B200C | N662BA | BL-62 | Unknown |
[edit] Destinations
The following locations are some of the most common Janet destinations[8]:
[edit] Popular culture
In Microsoft Flight Simulator X free flight mode, one can fly a Janet Boeing 737, labeled as "Unmarked Airliner". There is also a mission, called "Secret Shuttle", in which one is a new Janet captain, making his/her first shuttle flight to "Area 51" from Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport. Although a 737-800W is used for the flight, it is painted in a similar style to the 737s operated by Janet.[9]
[edit] References
- ^ "Janet Airline / EG&G". http://www.dreamlandresort.com/info/janet.html. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
- ^ "Audio Clips of Janet Radio Traffic". http://dreamlandresort.com/info/janet_audio.html. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- ^ "Area 51 Revealed". Presenters: Bill Birnes, Kevin Cook and Pat Uskert. UFO Hunters. 25 February 2009.
- ^ a b c d "The Janet Fleet". http://www.dreamlandresort.com/info/janet_fleet.html. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
- ^ Airfleets.net, aircraft data and history obtained from search results based on known aircraft registrations. Information retrieved August 2, 2009.
- ^ Trevor Paglen (2006), Unmarked Planes & Hidden Geographies, website retrieved December 28, 2008.
- ^ USAF Accident Investigation Board Executive Summary Aircraft Accident Investigation: Beechcraft 1900C, UB37, N27RA.
- ^ "Janet Schedule & Destinations". http://www.dreamlandresort.com/info/janet_schedule.html. Retrieved 03 October 2010.
- ^ "Secret Shuttle". Microsoft. http://www.microsoft.com/Products/Games/FSInsider/product/features/Pages/SecretShuttle.aspx. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
[edit] External links
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